Charles Hose

Born on October 12, 1863, Charles Hose was a British colonial administrator, zoologist, and ethnologist whose name became closely linked with Sarawak in Borneo. He spent much of his career there, and his work in the region shaped both his public service and his writing.

Hose is remembered for recording the cultures, daily life, and material traditions of the communities he encountered, as well as for his interest in the natural world. Alongside administration, he collected zoological specimens and wrote about the people and environments of Borneo in a way that brought the region to readers in Britain and beyond.

He died on November 14, 1929. Today, he is best known as a figure whose books sit at the crossroads of travel writing, colonial history, ethnography, and natural history.