Talk:Edwin Dunkin

Comments - father and son
It appears that the subject and his son have been conflated into one biography.

The subject was properly Edwin Dunkin, F.R.S. (1821-1898) and did not have the middle names Hadlow and Wise. He was baptised at Truro, Cornwall on 7 Sept. 1821 simply as Edwin (son of William Dunkin and his wife Mary) see IGI, extracted record batch P009631 which indicates the provenance of this record as a printed parish register indexed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, the family history wing of the LDS Church.

COPAC records indicate that Edwin Hadlow Wise Dunkin was a younger man whose lifespan dates, 1849-1915, indicate that he was possibly the son of the former, particularly as the elder man had married a woman whose surname was Hadlow.

The elder Dunkin was the astronomer, the latter a writer, compiler, and editor on subjects related to Sussex history and genealogy.

Edwin Dunkin married Maria Hadlow in the Camberwell registration district in the June quarter of 1848 (source: FreeBMD).

Edwin Hadlow Wise Dunkin's birth was registered in the Greenwich R.D. in the March quarter of 1849.

Edwin Hadlow W. Dunkin's marriage was registered in the Bridgwater R.D. in the June quarter of 1892.

The death of Edwin Dunkin aged 77 was registered in the Woolwich R.D. in the December quarter of 1898.

See his obituary notice in "Nature" where his name is given as Edwin Dunkin, viz.: Nature 59, 131-131 (08 December 1898) | doi:10.1038/059131a0 Edwin Dunkin, F.R.S AT the ripe age of seventy-seven, with the consciousness of having fulfilled a useful career, and amid the respect and sympathy of his associates, Mr. Edwin Dunkin has passed away, again diminishing the small band of zealous assistants, that Sir George Airy collected around himself, when some sixty years ago he undertook the reorganisation of the Royal Observatory, and inaugurated that system of uniform and continual observation which has ever since remained the chief characteristic of that institution. To trace the career of Mr. Edwin Dunkin is to recall the history of the Observatory under its late director, for during nearly half a century Mr. Dunkin took a prominent part in its activity, filling many responsible positions, till finally he became the chief and confidential assistant.

Another obituary for the subject at

articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1899Obs....22...49.

contains the following sentence proving that the elder and the younger Dunkin were father and son, viz.:

"His widow survives him, also an only child, Edwin Hadlow Wise Dunkin, an antiquarian of reputation, author of 'The Monumental Brasses of Cornwall,' 'The Church Bells of Cornwall, ' besides papers in the 'Sussex Archaeological Collections.'

Finally, Edwin Dunkin, F.R.S., is the subject of a biography in the "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography".

See: Edwin Dunkin : Oxford Biography Index entry Edwin Dunkin. Dunkin, Edwin (1821–1898), astronomer. Oxford Biography Index Number 101057900 [what is this?] http://www.oxforddnb.com/index/101057900 ... www.oxforddnb.com/index/101057900/

More of the son's career etc. can be gleaned from:

The National Archives | National Register of Archives | Search Results Edwin Hadlow Wise Dunkin, genealogist and local historian: papers. Reference Dunkin Collection link to scanned list external link - opens in a new window ... www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/.../subjectList.asp?...R

Edwin H.E. [sic] Dunkin's death was registered in the Lambeth R.D. in the March quarter of 1915. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Vancouveriensis (talk • contribs) 20:42, 21 September 2009


 * The above comment was accidentally added at Talk:Edwin Dunkin/Comments. I have moved it here for clarity. DuncanHill (talk) 15:13, 19 November 2009 (UTC)
 * The concerns raised (for which many thanks) were acted on here . DuncanHill (talk) 15:15, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Assessment comment
Substituted at 14:12, 29 April 2016 (UTC)