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Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Baronet

1836 – 1901

English naturalist

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About Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Baronet

Lived 1836 – 1901 (aged 65).

Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Baronet (2 January 1836 – 27 September 1901) was an English naturalist and collector of natural history specimens. He is best known for his large private collection of mammals, birds, and insects kept at his stately home of Ashton Court in Bristol. On his death his wife, Lady Emily Greville Smyth, donated the bulk of the collection to the Bristol Natural History Museum, now known as Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.

Life John Henry Greville Upton was born in Bath, Somerset on 2 January 1836, the second son of Thomas Upton Esq. He was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, and on the death of his grandmother in 1852 succeeded to the Ashton Court estate. That year he took the name John Henry Greville Smyth.

By the time he was 27, the estate provided him £27,087 per year. He used this sizable income to fund tours across the British Empire and beyond (India, Egypt, Algeria, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, South America, and the United States of America, as well as extensive travel across Europe), where he hunted mammals and birds, and collected a vast number of birds' eggs.

Greville Smyth had built up such a large collection of specimens that in 1884 he commissioned the architect Charles Edward Davis to create a museum in his home. The museum, along with other alterations, were completed 18 months later in 1885.

Family Smyth married his cousin Emily Edwards (née Way), the widow of George Oldham Edwards, in 1884, when he was 48 years old. He died in 1901, and Emily died in 1914. They had no children and the estate passed to Emily's daughter from her first marriage, Esme.

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Important facts

Birth century
Education
Christ Church, Eton College
Positions held
High Sheriff of Somerset
Also known as
John Smyth, Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Bt.

People in Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Baronet's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Baronet's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Baronet?

English naturalist (1836-1901)

When was Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Baronet born?

Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Baronet was born on 2 January 1836.

When did Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Baronet die?

Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Baronet died on 27 September 1901.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Baronet

· Wikidata: Q19663720

· DBpedia: John Henry Greville Smyth

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Baronet. https://biography.guide/sir-john-henry-greville-smyth-1st-baronet/

MLA: "Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Baronet." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/sir-john-henry-greville-smyth-1st-baronet/.

Chicago: "Sir John Henry Greville Smyth, 1st Baronet." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/sir-john-henry-greville-smyth-1st-baronet/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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