Darwin–Wedgwood family

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Darwin–Wedgwood family is actually two inter-related English families, descended from the prominent 18th century doctor, Erasmus Darwin, and Josiah Wedgwood, founder of the pottery firm, Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, the most notable member of which was Charles Darwin. There were a number of first and second cousin marriages between the two families: Charles Darwin married his cousin Emma Wedgwood.

The family contained at least ten Fellows of the Royal Society and several artists and poets (including the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams). The Wedgwoods were extremely important in British industry in the west Midlands. As Quakers, they were all anti-slavery, and so were the Darwins. The families were also closely related to the banking family of Francis Galton. Galton was one of Charles Darwin's cousins.