Henry Seebohm was arguably the most well-known ornithologist in the late Victorian period, yet he has sunk into obscurity since his death in 1895. Born in Bradford to Quaker parents, both ministers of the faith, he was educated at Bootham School in York where he immersed himself in its strong natural history ethos and science curriculum. After the tragic death of his fiancée, he fled to an Ireland devastated by the Great Famine, before moving to Sheffield where he founded the incredibly successful steelworks of Seebohm and Dieckstahl. As the company grew, so did his fame, and he ran into conflict with other steel owners, particularly Henry Bessemer.
A contrarian and innovator, Henry Seebohm was a fascinating and complex character. Based on many unpublished journals, photographs and letters, Paul Hobson illuminates his amazing life through the grimy world of Sheffield steel and the complex and thorny scientific society of Victorian ornithology.
