Wilson Online Reference
Hawkins
Name
John Hawkins, c.1758-1841
Connection to Wilson
Collector
Biographical Details
John Hawkins was the youngest son of Thomas Hawkins of Trewinnard, St Erth, Cornwall and his wife Anne, née Heywood. Although a younger son he was a man of considerable means and bought Bignor Park, near Pulborough, West Sussex in 1806, proceeding to rebuild it from 1826-30. In 1826 he served as Sheriff of Sussex. He assembled a distinguished collection of pictures and antiquities, including at least five Wilsons, as well as works by Guercino, Dobson, Canaletto, Hogarth and Hone. These included P65 An Italian River Scene, with the Temple of Clitumnus and Ruins, two Figures and Cows, Collection of Richard L. Feigen & Co.
Hawkins, whose wealth derived from Cornish tin mining, was a distinguished geologist and a Fellow of the Royal Society, having written a number of papers on scientific subjects, most of them connected with the geology of Cornwall.
Significant institutions
The Royal Society