Henry J. Webb

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Henry J. Webb
Dr Henry J Webb, Principal to the Aspatria Agricultural College.jpg
Principal to the Aspatria Agricultural College
Born1846 (1846)
Died1893 (aged 46–47)
Alma mater University College, London
OccupationBotanist

Henry John Webb (1846–1893) was an English scholar, who became a trained botanist before moving into medicine. However, it was eventually agriculture and the training of scientific, practical agriculturalists that eventually caught his imagination. In 1887 he accepted the position of Principal to the Aspatria Agricultural College, a radical institution in the North of England, which a group of enthusiastic amateurs had established in 1874, for the purpose of training the sons of tenant farmers and farm labourers. In 1891 he became sole owner of the College, which he rebuilt and under his guidance it became one of the foremost seats of agricultural learning in England. He was also a successful world record holding cyclist and tricyclist.

The principal is the chief executive and the chief academic officer of a university or college in certain parts of the Commonwealth.

Aspatria Agricultural College

The Aspatria Agricultural College was a seat of learning located in Aspatria, Cumberland, England. Established in 1874, it was the second educational institution of its kind in the United Kingdom. It was unique in many respects, being devised, continuously revised, founded and funded by a small group of ordinary individuals. Although these rural gentlemen came from all shades of the political spectrum, they were men who combined across party lines and prejudices to promote an ideal. The College offered both two- and three-year courses in scientific and theoretical instruction along with practical work for both day or boarding students. It provided a wide range of academic agricultural related subjects integrated with traditional scientific subjects, including Business, Construction, Real Estate, Land Management and Dairy instruction. The College closed at the outset of the First World War and never re-opened.

Contents

Early life

Webb was born at Upper Norwood in 1846, the son of a Professor of Botany and Rural Economy.

Upper Norwood area of South London within the London Boroughs of Bromley, Croydon and Lambeth

Upper Norwood is an area of south-east London within the London Boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark. It is north of Croydon and is synonymous with the Crystal Palace area.

Botany science of plant life

Botany, also called plant science(s), plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek word βοτάνη (botanē) meaning "pasture", "grass", or "fodder"; βοτάνη is in turn derived from βόσκειν (boskein), "to feed" or "to graze". Traditionally, botany has also included the study of fungi and algae by mycologists and phycologists respectively, with the study of these three groups of organisms remaining within the sphere of interest of the International Botanical Congress. Nowadays, botanists study approximately 410,000 species of land plants of which some 391,000 species are vascular plants, and approximately 20,000 are bryophytes.

Education

Webb began his education at Blackheath, where he passed the Oxford and Cambridge senior examination. On leaving school he became junior English and Science master at Cranford College, Maidenhead. After three years of teaching experience he gained a First Class pass in the matriculation examination set by the University of London. He also obtained a scholarship in biology from the School of Mines, South Kensington; where he studied Zoology, Botany, Chemistry, Experimental Physics and Geology. After three years study he entered University College, London. In 1884 he graduated in first place with a BSc First Class Honours degree in Botany. He also entered an examination for the Licentiate of the College of Preceptors, where he took first place and the Council Prize for natural science.

Blackheath, London inner suburban area of South East London, England

Blackheath is a district of south east London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham. It is located east of Lewisham, and south of Greenwich. Blackheath is within the historic boundaries of Kent.

Oxford City and non-metropolitan district in England

Oxford is a university city in south central England and the county town of Oxfordshire. With a population of approximately 155,000, it is the 52nd largest city in the United Kingdom, with one of the fastest growing populations in the UK, and it remains the most ethnically diverse area in Oxfordshire county. The city is 51 miles (82 km) from London, 61 miles (98 km) from Bristol, 59 miles (95 km) from Southampton, 57 miles (92 km) from Birmingham and 24 miles (39 km) from Reading.

Cambridge City and non-metropolitan district in England

Cambridge is a university city and the county town of Cambridgeshire, England, on the River Cam approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of London. At the United Kingdom Census 2011, its population was 123,867 including 24,506 students. Cambridge became an important trading centre during the Roman and Viking ages, and there is archaeological evidence of settlement in the area as early as the Bronze Age. The first town charters were granted in the 12th century, although modern city status was not officially conferred until 1951.

Career

After a period of teaching, Webb entered University College Hospital, where after two years he passed the examination of the College of Physicians and the intermediate examination for a Bachelor of Medicine. His next appointment was that of Professor of Animal morphology and Physiology at the Birkbeck Institute. During this period he also lectured on Botany at University College School. It was at this juncture that he became interested in agricultural education and after passing an examination with honours at the South Kensington College he proceeded to France to study a variety of agricultural teaching methods. In 1886, after attending Jena University in Germany, he gained his PhD, writing a treatise on the sexual differences of plants. Upon his return to England, Webb applied for the vacant position of Principal to the Aspatria Agricultural College and was accepted in the fore of 120 applicants. [1] Shortly after taking over the role of Principal at Aspatria, he entered a government sponsored examination in the subjects of Agriculture and Agricultural Chemistry, where he finished in first place ahead of forty prominent entrants. [2]

University College Hospital Hospital in London

University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital located in London, England. It is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is closely associated with University College London (UCL). The hospital is located on Euston Road in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, adjacent to the main campus of UCL. The nearest London Underground stations are Euston Square and Warren Street, with Goodge Street nearby.

Morphology (biology) In biology, the form and structure of organisms

Morphology is a branch of biology dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features.

Physiology science of the function of living systems

Physiology is the scientific study of the functions and mechanisms which work within a living system.

Sporting achievements

Webb was cousin to Captain Matthew Webb (1848–1883), the first recorded person to swim the English Channel, who later lost his life attempting to swim through the Whirlpool rapids below Niagara Falls. Henry was a celebrated athlete in his own right. He was the first to cycle the return journey between London and Portsmouth in a single day. In 1884, he won over £200 in prize money, winning the world 50-mile (80 km) tricycle championship at The Crystal Palace; and the 100-mile (160 km) national championship, which he completed on the Great North Road in 7 hours 35 minutes. Although he held world records at 1/4, 2, 15, 26 and 100 miles, his greatest sporting achievement came after he rode from Lands End to John O'Groats in a time of 7 days 58 minutes cutting 16 hours 47 minutes off the previous record; a phenomenal achievement, in the days before the invention of a freewheel, braking being performed by back treading. [3]

Matthew Webb English steamship captain and Channel swimmer

Captain Matthew Webb was the first recorded person to swim the English Channel for sport without the use of artificial aids. In 1875, Webb swam from Dover to Calais in less than 22 hours. This brought him great celebrity, and he performed many stunts in public. He died trying to swim the Whirlpool Rapids below Niagara Falls, a feat declared impossible.

Whirlpool Body of rotating water produced by the meeting of opposing currents

A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones in seas or oceans may be termed maelstroms. Vortex is the proper term for a whirlpool that has a downdraft.

Niagara Falls Waterfalls of Ontario,Canada and New York,United States

Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York. They form the southern end of the Niagara Gorge.

Parliamentary commission

The emblem of the Aspatria Agricultural College The emblem of the Aspatria Agricultural College.jpg
The emblem of the Aspatria Agricultural College

In 1887, in the depth of the agricultural depression, the British Government instigated a Commission under the chairmanship of Sir Richard Paget, 1st Baronet, to enquire into the working activities of Agricultural Colleges and Dairy Schools for the purpose of awarding Government grants. [4] Previous to this report agriculture's only support had been in the form of grants, awarded to maintain students sitting for the theoretical examination of the Science and Arts Department, South Kensington College, London (the S. & A.D.). The commissioners were very critical and highlighted the national cost of inadequate agricultural education and poor Dairy practice. Since the Aspatria Agricultural College was the only institution of its kind in England to provide agricultural education for the sons of tenant farmers and to give elementary instruction in science to farm labourers, Webb was called to give evidence. He described his views as contrary to those held by contemporary authorities in Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh, and Cambridge. These administrations, he argued, promoted only scientific and theoretic instruction at the expense of practical work. Webb described his prime objective as reinforcing theoretical knowledge with the practical experience gained from daily instruction on farms, as embodied in the college motto "Scientia et Labore". He also stressed the importance of educating people, irrespective of their age. Webb's advice appears to have carried favour, for the Commission recognised.

The Great Depression of British Agriculture occurred during the late nineteenth century and is usually dated from 1873 to 1896. The depression was caused by the dramatic fall in grain prices following the opening up of the American prairies to cultivation in the 1870s and the advent of cheap transportation with the rise of steamships. British agriculture did not recover from this depression until after the Second World War.

Sir Richard Paget, 1st Baronet British politician

Sir Richard Horner Paget, 1st Baronet was a British Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1895.

Leeds City in England

Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England.

The school at Aspatria is on a very different footing to the other institutions mentioned and is doing very good work in admitting students at lower fees. [...] If anything is done to encourage schools of this kind the claims of Aspatria stand in the first rank, for in consequence of the lowliness of its fees it is struggling under great difficulties, but is a type of school which would be of great use to the small farmer class for their sons. [5]

In their published report the Commission recognised many of the faults appertaining to agricultural education and recommended the need for state aid. Their primary proposal endorsed the immediate creation of five regional Dairy Schools in England. Each endowed with an annual working grant of £500. Grants were also available for purchasing buildings, while a further award of £200 was available for equipment and fittings. They made one additional grant and this was a sum of £300 awarded to the Aspatria College. In the ensuing four years Aspatria received a total of £1,350 in government grants. [6]

Technical education

The Science laboratory at Aspatria Agricultural College The Science Laboratory.jpg
The Science laboratory at Aspatria Agricultural College

An Act by the British parliament in 1888, created Local Authorities in the form of County Councils. The 1889 Technical Education Act allowed these authorities to fund technical and manual instruction out of the rates. In the same year the government established the Board of Agriculture. In 1891, the Technical Education Committee of the Cumberland County Council embarked on their programme of travelling lectures and practical demonstrations. In response, Webb elected to offer instruction on a wide range of agricultural and mining related subjects; and once commissioned threw the entire weight of his enthusiasm into the action. Webb was afterwards appointed lecturer on dairying under the Cumberland County Council, and was a strong advocate of a scientific system of butter making instead of the 'rule of thumb' methods usually applied by farmer's wives. Webb was also engaged as a lecturer on agriculture under the County Council of Lancashire and Cumberland. [7]

Academic publications

Webb wrote a multitude of articles and papers and had at least 6 books published within his lifetime. Titles include:

Death

In mid November 1893, a group of masters and students competed in a ‘paper chase'. Unfortunately the day was not without its mishaps; and a student named Hammack slipped and gashed his foot on a protruding rock. A minor injury by today's standards, but blood poisoning set in and three weeks later the student died. It was a well-attended funeral. [8] Webb headed a procession of fifty students, who walked in a file from the college to the churchyard. The weather was hostile and later that day Webb developed a chill that quickly evolved into a severe case of pneumonia and death was sudden. [9] A contemporary obituary summed up his life in the following manner:

Dr. Webb was a man who always endeavoured to be abreast of the times. In addition to his thorough scientific knowledge, he possessed a highly developed faculty for organisation. When we realise these facts, it goes a long way to explain why the Aspatria Agricultural College was such a success under his supervision. [10]

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References

  1. ↑ West Cumberland Times, 15 April 1889
  2. ↑ West Cumberland Times, 12 September 1887
  3. ↑ West Cumberland Times, 29 November 1893
  4. ↑ West Cumberland Times, 12 November 1887
  5. ↑ Seeds of Change, Andrew Humphries, p. 11, 1996
  6. ↑ West Cumberland Times, 12 February 1888
  7. ↑ West Cumberland, Times 12 February 1888
  8. ↑ West Cumberland Times, 22 November 1893
  9. ↑ Maryport Advertiser, 2 December 1893
  10. ↑ Aspatria Agricultural College Chronicle, 1994 p. 19

Bibliography

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