Charles Galton Darwin, 1887-1962

Abstract

Charles Galton Darwin, born 19 December 1887, was the eldest son of Sir George Darwin, F.R.S., Plumian Professor of Astronomy at Cambridge, whose best known work was on the early history of the moon. His mother, whose maiden name was Maud du Puy, was an American lady. A grandson of the great scientist whose first name he bore, two of Darwin’s uncles were Fellows of the Society and his ancestors included Erasmus Darwin, author of the Loves of the plants in verse, as well as of more conventional scientific writings, and the first Josiah Wedgwood. Among his cousins was Francis Galton who with Lord Kelvin was his godfather. The life of his family when he was a child has been recorded by his elder sister Gwen Raverat in her admirable Period piece which describes inimitably their life interwoven with that of the other Darwin families then in Cambridge and to a lesser extent with a few other Cambridge children. One of the latter recalls Charles as ‘a big cheerful energetic boy, humorous and scornful of nonsense’. He impressed his young contemporaries by discussing prime numbers and electricity with his father, he is also remembered as being pursued furiously by a sister round the garden with a fork! Newnham Grange, which since Charles’s death is to become Darwin College for postgraduate students, is a charming but rather rambling house on the banks of the branch of the Cam leading from Newnham Mill. There are bridges across from the garden leading to two islands; with a boat and a canoe and a tree house, it made an ideal home for a young and energetic family. Until he was about 10 years old, when his grandmother died, the family spent some time each year at Down House