Have you heard of William Thomas March?

Who was William Thomas March?

William Thomas March (1804 – 1872) was a ‘free man of colour’ born in St. Catherine, Spanish Town, Jamaica. He was a privileged man of colour and achieved many milestones. Between 1837 and 1854 he held titles of attorney at law, member of the House of Assembly for St. Catherine, Treasurer of Beckford’s Free School, Trustee of the Spanish Town Savings Bank, and Vestryman in St. Catherine.  

March went on to become the Deputy Clerk and then a Clerk of the Supreme Court. He was also the Island Secretary/Secretary to the Governor of Jamaica from 1868 to 1872 and a member of the Council of the Royal Society of Arts in Jamaica. 

March had a mixed heritage descending from black and privileged white family members. His white paternal grandfather passed ‘An Act to entitle his children [birthed] by Elizabeth Rogers, a free Mulatto, to the same rights and privileges with English subjects born of white parents’ (UCL Dept. History 2023). This Act almost certainly helped March’s life and status as a free man of colour compared to other less privileged Jamaicans with black ancestry who were discriminated against during this time. 

Aside from March’s day job, he collected many zoological and botanical specimens for naturalists in England and America as a hobby. He found himself within a network of well-known naturalists during this time. He sent specimens to Charles Darwin, Sir William Jackson Hooker, Nathaniel Wilson, Spencer Fullerton Baird of the Smithsonian Institution, WA, USA and many more naturalists.  

Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823-1882), first curator of the National Museum at the Smithsonian Institution, honoured March’s work by naming a small bird native to the Caribbean and South America - the black-faced grassquit Melanospiza bicolor marchii - after him. He said March had “done so much towards extending our knowledge of the natural history of his island.”.  

Indeed, March was a pioneer in providing some of the first biological data available for the Caribbean with his exceptional knowledge as a local resident naturalist. His collection of type specimens (a specimen used to describe a species) and specimens of now extinct species continue to help researchers who focus on Caribbean biodiversity, and the specimens continue to provide historical data for these scientists today. 

March’s ambition 

March proposed the idea of launching his own botanical magazine in England, complete with coloured plates created by a Jamaican lithographer, Miss Catherine Eloise Dubuisson, who visited Hooker and Kew in 1857.  

Another project, which Sir William Jackson Hooker agreed to assist with was March’s handbook of [Jamaican] ferns. March was encouraged by his friends to publish the handbook, as detailed in letters from 1861. But it is not clear whether these projects were fulfilled. 

A legacy for March and others 

It’s important that contributions, similar to those made by March are given a permanent place in museums to promote and explore positive black histories, and share stories with visitors on the many faces of collecting. This can help to change the ‘norm’.  

It’s equally important to note that local people around the world were not always ‘helpers’ or ‘navigators’. Some, like March, were well-educated collectors, with impressive day jobs, and were highly respected amongst their white European peers. Telling these stories in our heritage institutions creates a more inclusive environment where people of colour can see themselves represented and championed as part of major scientific collections.  

As the digitisation projects of collections progress, I am hopeful that more March specimens will be uncovered.  

The specimens and archival material that Kew’s staff – Edie, Gayathri, Melissa and Isabel – located for me were fascinating. I’d like to thank them for their help and insight into historical botanical collecting practices.