James John Joicey
James John Joicey FES (28 December 1870 – 10 March 1932) was an English amateur entomologist, who assembled an extensive collection of Lepidoptera in his private research museum, called the Hill Museum, in Witley, Surrey. His collection, 40 years in the making, was considered to have been the second largest in the world held privately and to have numbered over 1.5 million specimens. Joicey was a fellow of the Zoological Society of London, the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal Entomological Society, the Royal Horticultural Society, and the Linnean Society of London.
James John Joicey FRGS FLS FZS FES FRHS | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 December 1870 Newcastle upon Tyne, England |
| Died | 10 March 1932 (aged 61) The Hill, Witley, Surrey, England |
| Burial place | Holy Trinity Church, Sunningdale |
| Occupation | Amateur entomologist |
| Known for | Assembling a collection of over 1.5 million Lepidoptera specimens, his Hill Museum research output, and his presentations from his collection to the Natural History Museum |
| Notable work | The Bulletin of the Hill Museum 1921–1932 |
| Spouse |
Maud Muriel Fisher (m. 1896) |
| Relatives | 1st Baron Joicey (father's cousin) |
Joicey employed specialist entomologists including George Talbot to curate his collection and financed numerous expeditions throughout the world to obtain previously unknown varieties. More than 190 scientific articles were produced during the active period of the Hill Museum. This body of research was described as "a contribution to the study of the exotic Lepidoptera of very great scientific value".: 144
Joicey's donations from his collection, made during his life and continuing after his death, contributed significantly to the Lepidoptera collection of the Natural History Museum in London. Joicey's obituary in The Entomologist described him as "undoubtedly the most lavish patron of Entomology, in so far as butterflies and moths are concerned, that this country has ever boasted".: 142