Edward Bevan

Born in London on 8 July 1770, Edward Bevan trained in medicine after studying at school in Wotton-under-Edge and Hereford, and later at St Bartholomew's Hospital. He went on to practice as a physician in places including Stoke-upon-Trent, Congleton, and Mortlake before eventually retiring to Herefordshire.

In retirement, Bevan devoted himself to the study of bees. At his rural estate in Bridstow he developed an apiary and wrote The Honey-Bee: its Natural History, Physiology, and Management, first published in 1827 and enlarged in a second edition in 1838. The book quickly established his reputation as a thoughtful and scientific writer on beekeeping.

Bevan was also among the founders of the Royal Entomological Society in 1833. Later in life he moved to Hereford, where he continued writing and lecturing on honey bees. He died there on 31 January 1860.