William Spence

Born in 1783 and dying in 1860, William Spence was an English entomologist and writer whose name is most often linked with the naturalist William Kirby. Together they produced An Introduction to Entomology, a popular and influential work that helped bring the subject to general readers as well as serious students.

Spence was not limited to insect study. He also wrote on economics and public questions, reflecting the wide-ranging interests common among many nineteenth-century men of science. That mix of practical argument and enthusiasm for the natural world gives his work a distinctive character.

Today, he is remembered chiefly for helping make entomology readable, engaging, and accessible at a time when the field was still taking shape for a wider audience.