ANOTHER name has been put forward to have a blue plaque erected in Ross-on-Wye in their honour.

Ross Town Council has previously been considering blue plaques for an author from the 18th century - William Gilpin who wrote Britain’s first travel guidebook; a musician from the 19th century - Bernhard Molique Carrodus, a violinist who played for Queen Victoria, and a rock band from the 1970s, namely Mott the Hoople, which had two musicians from Ross, guitarist Pete Overend Watts and drummer Dale Buffin Griffin.

And now the name of Henry Edwards has been put forward. He was an English stage actor, writer and entomologist who also gained fame in Australia, San Francisco and New York City for his theatrical work.

Henry was born to Hannah and Thomas Edwards at Brook House in Ross – on the corner of Greytree Road and Over Ross Street - on August 27, 1827.

As a child Henry collected butterflies as a hobby and later studied them under the tutelage of Edward Doubleday, a Quaker, who has a blue plaque in his honour in Epping.

Henry’s solicitor father intended that he should have a career in law but after a brief period of unsuccessful study, Henry took a position at a counting house in London and began acting in amateur theatre productions in the city.

He then journeyed to join his brother William who had settled in Australia and soon Henry was acting professionally in a variety of plays and lights comedies.

But throughout his acting career in Australia, Henry continued his interest in collecting and cataloguing insects that he found on his brother's land, and further afield.

Within two years, he had gathered 1,676 species of insects, shot and mounted 200 birds, and pressed some 200 botanical specimens. This collection later formed the genesis of the National Museum of Victoria’s collection.

In San Francisco, Henry was a founding member of the Bohemian Club where he cemented his reputation as a preeminent stage actor and theatre manager.

After writing a series of influential studies on Pacific Coast butterflies and moths he was elected life member of the California Academy of Sciences.

Relocating to the East Coast, Henry spent a brief time in Boston theatre. This led to a connection to Wallack’s Theatre and further recognition in New York City.

Henry’s large collection of insect specimens served as the foundation of the American Museum of Natural History’s butterfly and moth studies following his death.

During Henry’s wide-ranging studies and observations of insects brought him into contact with specimens that had not been classified. Upon discovering previously unknown insects he would give them names, which led to a number of butterfly, moth and beetle species bearing ‘Hy. Edw.’ (short for Henry Edwards) as an attribution.

From his theatre interests to entomology, Henry carried forward an appreciation of Shakespeare – in the designation of new insect species he favoured female character names from Shakespeare's plays.

Henry suffered ill heath in his final days, suffering from Bright’s Disease and chronic pneumonia and died in New York City on June 9, 1891.