George Caley (10 June 1770 – 23 May 1829) was an English botanist and explorer, active in Australia for the majority of his career.
Early life
Caley was born in Craven, Yorkshire in 1770.[1] According to a letter which was sent to William Withering on 15 June 1798, he started teaching himself botany after he coming across a volume of book about farriery. He started learning botany by studying Botanical arrangement (1787–92) by William Withering. He changed his job to that of a weaver in order to allow himself to spend more time with his associate in Manchester School of Botanists which consist of John Mellor, James Crowther, and John Dewhurst. This school was also attended by John Horsefield on 1808.[2]
Caleana, the Flying Duck Orchid, named after George Caley
↑Webb, J., (2002), ‘Caley, George’, in R. Aitken and M. Looker (eds), Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens, South Melbourne, Oxford University Press, p. 124.
Bibliography
Webb, J. B., (2003), ‘George Caley – Robert Brown’s collecting partner’, Australian Garden History, 15 (1), pp.15–16.
Additional sources listed by the Australian Dictionary of Biography:
Historical Records of New South Wales, vols 3-6; J. Cash, Where There's a Will there's a Way, or Science in the Cottage (London, 1873); J. H. Maiden, Sir Joseph Banks (Sydney, 1909); J. H. Maiden, ‘George Caley, Botanical Collector in NSW’, Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales, 14 (1904); R. Else-Mitchell, ‘George Caley: His Life and Work’, Journal and Proceedings (Royal Australian Historical Society), vol 25, part 6, 1939, pp 437–542; L. A. Gilbert, Botanical Investigation of Eastern Seaboard Australia, 1788-1810 (M.A. thesis, University of New England, 1962); manuscript catalogue under G. Caley (State Library of New South Wales); G. Caley letters (State Library of New South Wales)
