Obituary: J. E. Cooper, 1864–1952

JAMES EDDOWES COOPER, well known to many conchologists, passed peacefully away in his sleep on 17 August 1952 at his sister's home at Bedford. Born on 5 August 1864, at St. Helier, Jersey, he was the eldest son of James Cooper, of Sidcup, Kent, and his wife Mary Catherine (née Eddowes), of Shrewsbury. He was educated at Victoria College, Jersey, and, when the family moved to England in 1879, at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Cranbrook. He was in business as market clerk and tea-taster to a London firm of tea brokers, retiring in 1926. For some years he lived at Muswell Hill, Highgate, and later with his sisters at Church End, Finchley. He married Elizabeth Ann Austin in December 1920, and they took up residence at Herne Bay on his retirement, until owing to the infirmity of both they went to live with his sister, Mrs. Twamley, at Bedford.

From childhood Cooper was keenly interested in natural history, his specialities being Botany and Recent and Tertiary Conchology. Geology and Entomology were also favoured subjects, and at one time he had a very good collection of butterflies. These interests later gave way to the less energetic hobby of stamp collecting.

The Conchological Society, which he joined in 1892, particularly the London Branch, of which he was secretary for many years, owes a great deal to Cooper’s energy and administration. He was a member of Council and became President of the Society in 1932. Cooper conducted most of the field meetings in the London area and was an assiduous and energetic worker. Sometimes all one could see of him was the lower ends of his legs and a pair of boots protruding from some hedge or herbage, this energy being often rewarded by the find of some unusual or rare form, including more than one sinistral specimen.

Cooper's collection of foreign shells was disposed of some years ago, when some members of the Society were able to acquire groups in which they were specially interested. Cooper then concentrated his attention on the fossil shells of Thanet; a collection of local Eocene shells was given to Herne Bay Museum, and a duplicate set was destined for Canterbury Museum. He also specialized on introduced alien plants, particularly in the home counties of Essex, Middlesex and Buckinghamshire; his herbarium is now in the Botanical Department of the British Museum, and numbers of specimens were also given to the Kew Herbarium.

Many friends will recall the keen and kindly interest shown by Cooper, as well as his unassuming manner in offering help, especially to new and younger members of the Society. All benefited by his experience and success in the field and often by gifts of specimens, for he was generous as well as helpful. It is difficult to realize that his membership of sixty years has now ended.

Some of the above biographical details are due to the kindness of Mrs. Twamley, who made a restful home for her brother and his wife in her own home at Bedford for the last few years. A brief obituary appeared in Proc. Malac. Soc. 29, 215

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