‘ALFRED HAD A LOVE OF BUTTERFLIES'
Howard Frost knows where his fascination with the natural kingdom comes from – his great grandfather Alfred, who became a renowned entomologist. By Gail Dixon
As a youngster in the 1940s, I was captivated by my great aunt Annie’s collection of stuffed birds, butterflies and other animals,” says Howard Frost. “She even had a platypus.
“Also, her sister, my grandma Ada, had framed displays of insects on her wall, and I was particularly attracted to the large blue morpho butterfly. It was bigger than my own hand.”
Howard’s fascination with the natural world grew, and he became Yorkshire’s recorder for butterflies and the author of two books on entomology. After retiring from teaching, he began delving into his family history.
“I remembered Aunt Annie talking about Alfred and Thomas, who had something to do with the butterflies. I couldn’t remember who they were, but census returns gave the answers. Alfred Noakes was Annie and Ada’s father – my great grandfather.”
Alfred was born in 1852 in Stondon Massey, Essex, the son of gardener Thomas Noakes and his wife Sarah. “Thomas’ career changed over the years, and I was intrigued to see that in 1901 he was a taxidermist.”
Alfred’s life also changed dramatically in the late 19th century. In the 1881 census, he was working as a servant in London and living with his wife Mary and daughters Annie and Ada. However, by 1891 the family had moved to Surrey and Alfred had become a “butterfly setter”. “I was fascinated. Perhaps he was inspired by his father to study the natural world?
“I then remembered Aunt Annie saying that Alfred was well known in his time, but what for? My wife Chris Googled Alfred’s name and said, ‘Wow, look at this!’ He had a file at the Natural History Museum in London, and had supplied them with butterfly specimens from 1893 to 1901. I could hardly believe it. They still have copies of Alfred’s invoices.”
Howard and Chris were thrilled to join a behind-the-scenes visit to the museum’s precious butterfly collections. “The staff asked what we would like to see. Tongue in cheek, I asked if they had any butterflies set by Alfred Noakes. They replied, ‘We wouldn’t know who set them, but we do have butterflies that he named. Would you like to see them?’
“My heart skipped a beat. Alfred had actually named species of butterfly! The visit is something that I’ll never forget. Being able to look at and photograph butterflies named by my great grandfather and almost certainly set by him was a wonderful experience. My favourite is Catasticta noakesi, a Colombian species that was named in his honour.”
Alfred’s contribution to the field of entomology accelerated when he worked for James Joicey, a private collector who established a butterfly museum in Surrey. Joicey wanted to create the largest collection of butterflies in the world, and as his curator Alfred described and named some of the 380,000 species they amassed.
Joicey’s passion eventually drove him bankrupt, and he donated the collection to the Natural History Museum. Alfred’s expertise was recognised in 1912, when he became a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society. He passed away in 1916, a few months before his son Alfred died on the Western Front at the Battle of Thiepval Ridge.
“Alfred was my hero, so I always thought it was a pity that we didn’t have a photo of him. However, one day I remembered an old postcard collection that I hadn’t looked at in 50 years.
“After searching the attic, I found it – and then came the big surprise. I discovered a forgotten family photograph postcard from 1906, given to me by Ada and Annie in the 1950s. There was Alfred Noakes, next to his wife Mary. Thank you, Annie and Ada. You are my heroes, too.”
‘Alfred supplied the Natural History Museum in London with specimens from 1893 to 1901’