Edward Daniel Clarke earned his reputation as an explorer by securing significant antiquities from Alexandria following its capitulation, including maps, manuscripts, and sarcophagi. His extensive travels throughout the European continent, Russia, and beyond provided him the material for a multi-volume travelogue series that secured his financial stability and established his standing within the academic community at Cambridge.
Early Career and Geological Interests
Born in 1769 in Willingdon, Clarke studied at Jesus College, Cambridge. His early professional life involved tutoring for notable families, including a stint accompanying Lord Berwick through Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. During his two-year residence in Naples, he climbed Vesuvius repeatedly to observe volcanic activity and created a scale model of the volcano, which Sir William Hamilton regarded as the finest of its kind.
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In 1799, Clarke embarked on an ambitious tour with John Marten Cripps, traversing Scandinavia and Russia before moving through Crimea, Constantinople, and Egypt. In 1801, Clarke obtained official authorization to remove the colossal statue of Demeter from Eleusis. Despite local opposition—where residents regarded the piece as the uncanonized Saint Demetra—Clarke forced the removal of the statue and various other Greek marbles, such as figures of Pan and Eros, which were subsequently donated to the University of Cambridge.
Academic Appointments and Scientific Research
Upon returning to England in 1803, Clarke received an LL.D. from Cambridge. He eventually transitioned into academic roles, serving as the first professor of mineralogy starting in 1808 and becoming university librarian in 1817. His scientific inquiries flourished alongside his clerical duties at Harlton and Yeldham, notably in his perfection of the gas blow-pipe for chemical fusion experiments. In 1819, he co-founded the Cambridge Philosophical Society, shortly before his death in London in 1822.
Fast facts
- Born: 1769, Willingdon and Jevington
- Died: 1822, London
- Education: Jesus College, Cambridge
- Key Publication: Travels in various Countries of Europe, Asia and Africa
- Professional Positions: Professor of mineralogy, university librarian
- Notable Acquisition: Colossal statue of the Eleusinian Ceres
- Spouse: Angelica Rush
- Affiliations: Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences
Questions readers ask
How did Clarke fund his travels and research?
He earned significant income through the publication of his travel journals and by selling his collection of manuscripts, including the Clarke Codex of Plato, to the Bodleian Library for £1000.
What scientific discovery is he associated with?
Clarke is noted for his experimental work in chemistry, particularly his refinements of the gas blow-pipe used for the art of fusion.
Achievements
- Recorded as botanist, librarian and university teacher
