Walter Hawkins (1787 – 27 January 1862) was a British ship and insurance broker, antiquarian and numismatist, based in the City of London.
Contents
Background
Walter Hawkins (15 March 1787 – 27 January 1862) was one of six children of John Hawkins, a merchant. He was baptised on 10 April 1787 at New Broad Street Independent church. He was educated in Hackney and was a ship and insurance broker in London until he retired in about 1848. Hawkins retired to 5 Leonard Place, Kensington, and died there, unmarried, on 27 January 1862. His will directed that he be buried in the vault he had purchased at Kensal Green Cemetery (No. 1545). He was interred alongside his brother John (6 January 1779 – 22 February 1845), the only other occupant of the family vault.
A brief biographical entry in 1901 begins "b. London, 1787; ed. at Hackney; Russian merchant and ship and insurance broker Finsbury circus, retired 1848;" No evidence has been found of Russian ancestry or business connections for Hawkins.
Ship broking
Hawkins advertised in newspapers from about 1818, usually in the Public Ledger and Daily Advertiser, to invite cargo and often passengers for ships sailing from London. They were typically coppered Brigs (120–220 tons) and usually destined for South America, including the Funchal which sailed for Valparaiso and Lima in 1827, under the command of James Weddell.
Interests, and memberships of learned societies
Hawkins had a broad range of interests in the worlds of antiquities and science. He was
a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London from 1829 until 1858.
a member of the London Electrical Society. He was elected in 1837, its first year, having been proposed for membership by J P Gassiot on 28 September.
a member of the Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, and the British Archaeological Association.
a fellow of the Numismatic Society (the forerunner of the present Royal Numismatic Society) for 21 years.
elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries on 7 April 1842. He frequently used the designation FSA after his name.
A Proprietor and Visitor of the London Institution.
a member of the Honourable Artillery Company. The entry in The Cardew-Rendle Roll reads "Hawkins, Walter (adm. 25 May 1808). occ. 'gentleman'; addr. 12 Water Lane, Thames Street. Mily: age at adm. twenty-one. Left 19 August 1812 (resigned)."
Hawkins made good use of his shipping contacts to further his scientific interests. While a member of the London Electrical Society, he was asked in 1839 by fellow member John Samo to take delivery of some “electric fish” which were to be sent in barrels of fresh water on The Matilda Larkie from Berbice, British Guiana to London. Detailed instructions were given to the master of the ship on the feeding of the fish and ensuring that the water should be kept free of salt. Captain Colin Munro wrote to Hawkins in January 1840 explaining that all five fish had died en route, probably from striking the cask as a result of the motion of the ship.
A later specimen of the fish, named at the time at Gymnotus electricus, but now termed Electrophorus electricus, was obtained by Hawkins from Venezuela. It was dissected by Henry Letheby and a detailed description of the findings was presented in 1842. Hawkins also obtained from Uruguay what he thought was a wasp's nest (it turned out to be a bee's nest) which he presented to the national collection at the British Museum, accompanied by notes on where it was found, and its construction
Bequeathal of possessions
In his will, dated 9 January 1849, Hawkins left various, books, paintings, etchings and other items to, among others, his three sisters (Charlotte, Mary and Sarah) and three nieces, one of whom (Lavinia Elizabeth Chapman Jones, younger daughter of Sarah) was besotted with the works of the self-styled prophetess Joanna Southcott.
Hawkins left his large collection of coins and medals to the United Services Institute in London. It is now the Royal United Services Institute for Defence & Security Studies (RUSI) in Whitehall. The RUSI Museum was housed in the Banqueting House, Whitehall but the collection was broken up when the government of the day regained full use of the Hall in the early 1960s. There seems to be no record of where items from the collection went.
The lease on Hawkins's house, together with several items of furniture and “20 doz. of choice Madeira and other wines”, were auctioned in May 1862. About two months later, on 11 July 1862, Messrs. S. Leigh Sotheby & John Wilkinson auctioned “a valuable assemblage of miscellaneous articles of ancient, mediaeval and modern art, formed by the late Walter Hawkins, Esq., F.S.A. of Kensington.” The front page of the auction catalogue gives a good indication of the range of objects he had amassed, perhaps as a result of his ship broking activities.