F. W. L. Thomas

Thomas was born about 1812, his father George Thomas being a Master in the Royal Navy. He joined his father's surveying ship, {{HMS|Investigator|1811|6}} in January 1827. He passed his examination in 1835. He served as mate and assistant surveyor in Investigator, and then in HMS Mastiff, also under his father's command. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1841, taking command of the Woodlark. He was promoted to Commander in 1860, and retired with the rank of Captain in 1864.{{cite book |last1=Dawson |first1=Llewellyn Styles |title=Memoirs of hydrography, including brief biographies of the principal officers who have served in H.M. Naval Surveying Service between the years 1750 and 1885. Part 2. – 1830-1885 |date=1885 |publisher=Henry W. Keay |location=Eastbourne |url=https://archive.org/details/memoirshydrogra00dawsgoog}} He married Frances Sarah Bousfield on 2 December 1841. They had one child, a son, who died in 1850. Thomas died in Edinburgh in 1885.{{Cite ODNB|title=Beckett [née Bousfield; other married name Thomas], Frances Sarah [Fanny] (bap. 1821, d. 1902), philanthropist and a founder of Scottish Home Industries|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-56317|access-date=2020-12-23|year = 2004|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/56317}}

File:Beehive houses Thomas 1862 Plate X s7305id1398192 0189 Meahbag.jpg

His work as a hydrographic surveyor was mainly in Scotland. The earliest work, when he was assisting his father, was in Orkney, and he continued this after his father's death.{{cite book |last1=Ritchie |first1=G.S. |title=The Admiralty Chart |page=240 |date=1967 |publisher=Hollis & Carter |location=London}} He was then employed in the Firth of Forth and later in the Western Isles. His surveying work resulted in at least 15 charts and several contributions to Sailing Directions. As well as hydrographic surveying, Thomas carried out important work on the archaeology of the northern and western isles.{{cite journal |last1=Curwen |first1=E Cecil |title=The Hebrides: a cultural backwater |journal=Antiquity |date=1938 |volume=12 |issue=47 |pages=261–289 |doi=10.1017/S0003598X00013892}}{{cite journal |last1=Sharples |first1=Niall |title=A Short History of Archaeology in the Uists, Outer Hebrides |journal=Journal of the North Atlantic |date=2015 |volume=Special Volume 9 |pages=1–15 |doi=10.3721/037.002.sp910 |jstor=26687020|s2cid=162758777 }} This involved relatively little excavation, but much surveying and recording.{{cite book | first1= Ian |last1=Armit | date = 1996 | title = Archaeology of Skye and the Western Isles | publisher = Edinburgh University Press | page = 8 | isbn = 978-0-7486-7961-4 }} He authored several papers on this work, from 1851, including a plan of the barrows, standing stones and other structures around Stenness, Orkney (Thomas, 1851) which was the first detailed survey of this area;{{cite book |last1=Fleet |first1=Christopher |title=Scotland: Mapping the Islands |date=2016 |publisher=Birlinn |location=Edinbirgh |isbn=978-1-78027-351-8}}{{rp|38}} and descriptions of buildings such as black houses, beehive houses and brochs in the Outer Hebrides (Thomas, 1862, 1890).{{r|"Fleet"|page=116}}

Image:Stenness Plan Thomas 1851 50.png

{{clear}}Plan of the antiquities of Stenness, Orkney, from Thomas (1851)

File:Cyprina Islandica Forbes 1853 375.png) one of the species collected by Thomas in OrkneyFrom Forbes and Hanley (1853) Volume 4]]

Thomas was also important as a naturalist, mainly collecting zoophytes (coelenterates and bryozoa) and molluscs. His specimens are frequently referred to in the major works on zoophytes by Johnston (1847){{cite book | first1= George |last1=Johnston | date = 1847 | title = A history of the British Zoophytes, in two volumes | edition=2 |publisher = John van Voorst | oclc = 1127821175 }} [https://archive.org/details/historyofbritish01john Volume 1- Text]; [https://archive.org/details/historyofbritish02john Volume 2 – Plates].

and on molluscs by Forbes and Hanley (1853){{cite book | first1= Edward |last1=Forbes | first2= Sylvanus |last2=Hanley | date = 1853 | title = A History of British Mollusca, and Their Shells | publisher = J. Van Voorst}}[https://archive.org/details/historyofbritish01forbe Volume 1]; [https://archive.org/details/historyofbritish02forbe Volume 2]; [https://archive.org/details/historyofbritish03forbe Volume 3]; [https://archive.org/details/historyofbritish04forbe Volume 4]. and Jeffreys (1869).{{cite book | first1= John Gwyn |last1=Jeffreys | date = 1869 | title = British Conchology, Or an Account of the Mollusca which Now Inhabit the British Isles and the Surrounding Seas: Marine shells and naked mollusca to the end of the gastropoda, the pteropoda, and cephalopoda, with a supplement and other matter, concluding the work. V | publisher = J. Van Voorst }} [https://archive.org/details/britishconcholog01jeffrich Volume 1]; [https://archive.org/details/britishconcholog02jeffrich Volume 2]; [https://archive.org/details/britishconcholog03jeffrich Volume 3]; [https://archive.org/details/britishconcholog04jeffrich Volume 4]; [https://archive.org/details/britishconcholog05jeffrich/page/n372/mode/2up Volume 5]. Rendall (1956) regarded Thomas as particularly important among the early conchologists, particularly for his work in Orkney. He provided details of the location and depth in which specimens were found, and many of his specimens were of rarer species, indicating that he was familiar with the commoner ones.{{cite journal |last1=Rendall |first1=Robert |title=Mollusca Orcadensia |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences |date=1956 |volume=66 |issue=2 |pages=131–201 |doi=10.1017/s0080455x00000497}}

File:St Kilda women Seton 1878 126.png

Thomas was interested in the people of the islands as well as in the archaeological remains. He noted that some of the beehive houses in Lewis and Harris were still in use as dwellings for the summer pastures, whereas elsewhere in Scotland and Ireland such buildings had been abandoned or were only used for storage. He described the living arrangements in these houses, as well as recounting legends associated with them, such as that of the shape-shifting Each-uisge or water horse (Thomas, 1862). In 1863, in the company of fellow antiquarian Arthur Mitchell on Lewis, he met a stone-breaker eating out of a traditional unglazed earthenware pot, and they investigated the making and use of these vessels, known as craggans.{{cite book |last1=Mitchell |first1=Arthur |title=The past in the present. What is civilization? |pages=43–46 |date=1881b |publisher=Harper |location=New York |url=https://archive.org/details/pastinpresentwha00mitc}} He also collected at least one ballad (Thomas, 1855){{cite book | author = Francis James Child | date = 20 November 2014 | title = The English and Scottish Popular Ballads | publisher = Cambridge University Press | page = 494 | isbn = 978-1-108-07632-6 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=y6eTBQAAQBAJ}} and recounted traditional stories of clan warfare and revenge (Thomas, 1878,1880). In 1857 his wife Frances travelled with him to Harris, where they set up home for a while.{{cite journal| date = 1984 | title=Obituary: Mrs Beckett |journal= The Englishwoman's Review of Social and Industrial Questions |volume =34 | pages = 63–65 | isbn=9780824037598 | oclc = 321020755 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3LVNAQAAMAAJ}} She was much struck with the poverty of the islanders, exacerbated by their isolation. Frances saw there could be a demand for woollen goods on the mainland, and first promoted knitted stockings, and then together with Lady Dunmore, developed a market for Harris Tweed. Thomas sailed with Captain Otter, on {{HMS|Porcupine|1844|6}}, on a voyage to St Kilda in 1860. There he took the earliest photographs ever taken of St Kilda.{{cite book | editor = Alexander Fenton | date = 6 August 2013 | title = An Introduction to Scottish Ethnology: A Compendium of Scottish Ethnology Volume 1 | publisher = Birlinn | isbn = 978-1-907909-21-4 }} While on St Kilda, Thomas made the acquaintance of the Rev. Mr. Kennedy, and asked him for information on antiquarian matters. The reply came from his niece, Anne Kennedy, and provides many details.{{cite journal |last1=Kennedy |first1=Anne |title=Letter from St Kilda |journal=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland |date=1875 |volume=10 |pages=702–711 |doi=10.9750/PSAS.010.702.711 |url=https://archive.org/details/kennedy-1874-proceedingssoci-19scotgoog}}

Thomas was a member of the Photographic Society of Scotland and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.{{cite book | first1= Martin |last1=Padget | date = 2010 | title = Photographers of the Western Isles | publisher = John Donald | pages = 19–28| isbn = 978-0-85976-704-0 }}

In 2004, a television documentary employing Thomas's 1860 photography was broadcast on Grampian Television.{{cite web |title=F W L Thomas |website=EdinPhoto |url=http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/3/3_pss_members_thomas.htm |access-date=3 November 2021}}{{cite web |title=F W L Thomas TV Documentary Programme |website=EdinPhoto |url=http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/10/12_exhibitions_-_2004_thomas.htm |access-date=3 November 2021}}

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{{reflist}}

• {{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=F.W.L. |title=Account of some of the Celtic Antiquities of Orkney, including the Stones of Stenness, Tumuli, Picts-houses, &c., with Plans |journal=Archaeologia |date=1851 |volume=34 |pages=88–136 |doi=10.1017/S026134090000028X |url=https://scholar.archive.org/work/abkn6yf3h5bdrmodtwqjitjkuq/access/ia_file/crossref-pre-1909-scholarly-works/10.1017%252Fs008045680003636x.zip/10.1017%252Fs026134090000028x.pdf}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=F.W.L. |title=Shetland Ballad |journal=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland |date=1855 |volume=1 |pages=86–89|doi=10.9750/PSAS.001.86.89 |doi-access=free }}
• {{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=F.W.L. |author-mask=2 |title=Notice of Beehive Houses in Harris and Lewis; with Traditions of the "Each-uisge", or Water-horse, connected |journal=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland |date=1862 |volume=3 |pages=127–144 |doi=10.9750/PSAS.003.127.144 |url=https://archive.org/details/thomas-1862-s-7305id-1398192}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=F.W.L. |author-mask=2 |title=On the geological age of the pagan monuments of the Outer Hebrides |journal=The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal |date=1862 |volume=15 |pages=235–242 |url=https://archive.org/details/thomas-1862-nsedinburghnewph-15edinuoft}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=F.L.W. |author-mask=2 |title=On the primitive dwellings and hypogea of the Outer Hebrides |journal=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland |date=1870 |volume=7 |pages=153–195 |doi=10.9750/PSAS.007.153.195 |url=https://archive.org/details/thomas-1870-s-7305id-139}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=F.W.L. |author-mask=2 |title=Analysis of the Ptolemaic Geography of Scotland. With two maps |journal=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland |date=1876 |volume=11 |pages=198–225 |doi=10.9750/PSAS.011.198.225 |url=https://archive.org/details/thomas-1876-s-7305id-1398198}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=F.W.L. |author-mask=2 |title=Traditions of the Morrisons (Clan Mac Ghillemhuire), Hereditary Judges of Lewis |journal=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland |date=1878 |volume=12 |pages=503–556 |doi=10.9750/PSAS.012.503.556 |url=https://archive.org/details/thomas-1878-s-7305id-1398200}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=F.W.L. |author-mask=2 |title=Traditions of the Macaulays of Lewis |journal=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland |date=1880 |volume=14 |pages=363–431 |doi=10.9750/PSAS.014.363.431 |url=http://journals.socantscot.org/index.php/psas/article/download/5936/5906}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=F.W.L. |author-mask=2 |title=On Islay place-names |journal=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland |date=1882 |volume=4 |pages=241–276 |url=https://archive.org/details/thomas-1882-proceedings-of-the-society-of-antiquaries-1881-2-volume-iv}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=F.W.L. |author-mask=2 |title=On the duns of the Outer Hebrides |journal=Archaeologia Scotica |date=1890 |volume=5 |pages=365–415 |url=https://archive.org/details/thomas-1890-archaeologia-scotica-volume-5}}
• {{cite book |title=Tide tables for the British and Irish ports |date=1862 |publisher=Hydrographic Office of the Admiralty |pages=113–120 |chapter=The tides among the Orkneys |url=https://archive.org/details/tidetablesforbr00portgoog}}
• {{cite book |title=North Sea Pilot Part I: Shetland and Orkneys |date=1876 |publisher=Hydrographic Office of the Admiralty |pages=85–186 |edition=2 |chapter=Sailing directions for the Orkneys |url=https://archive.org/details/northseapilotpt00seagoog}}
• {{cite book |title=North Sea Pilot Part II: North and East Coasts of Scotland |date=1885 |publisher=Hydrographic Office of the Admiralty |pages=179–247 |edition=4 |chapter=Sailing directions for the Firth of Forth |url=https://archive.org/details/northseapilotpt03deptgoog}}

{{Commons category}}

[https://maps.nls.uk/coasts/ Coasts of Scotland on marine charts, 1580s-1900s] at the National Library of Scotland.

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Category:1885 deaths

Category:1810s births

Category:19th-century Scottish historians

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Category:Royal Navy captains

Category:Scottish hydrographers

Category:Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland