Database Methodology for The Parish Revolution

This research project aims to disseminate its findings through an interlinked scholarly monograph, trade book, series of public talks, and a database. While the books and talks will be the most accessible outputs, the project is underpinned by a database. The aim is to make that database, once it contains enough useful data, publically available. This will be rolled out as the project develops and, if time and funds permit, will ultimately be moved to a dedicated, fully searchable website.

At this stage, to encourage public and scholarly particpation, I am sharing some basic information as I compile the database. For the moment, I have made available a browseable list of over a thousand clerical naturalists which can be viewed in alphabetical order or in chronological order. This list is already fairly substantial, but I expect to add to it regularly. To illustrate the data that will be available from the database when the project is more advanced, I have created sample pages for William Derham, William Turner, and Gilbert White.

Individuals in the Database

At the time of writing (January 2024), there are 1010 individuals in the database. In many cases, all I have at this stage is a name, birth and death dates, and some notes on sources. These data were collated from the small number of printed and online sources that identify an individual both as a naturalist and as a cleric, broadly defined. I have included:

• Clerical naturalists from all Christian denominations active in the British Isles and British Empire. The majority are Anglicans, but Roman Catholic, Church of Scotland, Baptist, and Methodist ministers also figure prominently. I have also included Quaker naturalists
• The individuals are overwhelmingly male, but I have included women naturalists who were also closely connected to clergymen, usually but not exclusively through marriage.
• Although my current project is focused on the period 1660-1859, I have included in the database individuals from all historical periods. I have not included living clerical naturalists.
• I include clerical naturalists interested in most branches of the life sciences and earth sciences as well as those with an interest in horticultural or agricultural science. I have also included natural theologians even if they did little or no fieldwork.

This is an ongoing research project and these pages will be regularly updated.