Sir Francis Darwin, Down House, Downe, Greater London
This is a photograph of Sir Francis Darwin (1848-1925) from Down House. He was Charles Darwin’s third son. He was born at Down House in 1848. He went to Cambridge University and studied first mathematics, then changed to natural sciences. His father nominated Francis to the Linnean Society in 1875 and promoted a paper Francis sent to the Royal Society. He became a botanist specializing in plant physiology. He helped his father with many of his experiments on plants. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1879, and taught at Cambridge University from 1884, as a Professor of Botany, until 1904. He also edited and published his father’s autobiography. He married twice and had two children. His first wife died in childbirth in 1876, after this he moved back to Down House and his son Bernard was raised by Charles and Emma Darwin. He was knighted in 1913.
