20th century scientists
Charles Chilton
Charles Chilton, the University of New Zealand’s first DSc., 1895, Sir Charles Fleming Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library
Charles Chilton
Out in the open Chilton’s physical disability did not deter him from joining field exploration for plants and animals: he tackled hillsides by casting himself prone on the ground and propelling himself up the slopes with the aid of his crutch.
From R L C Pilgrim’s biography of Charles Chilton, in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
Charles Chilton was born in England and emigrated to Canterbury with his family in 1862. As a child he suffered hip trouble and had his left leg amputated, leaving him with an artificial limb and a crutch.
Chilton was dux of Christchurch West School and studied at Canterbury University College, where he was taught by geologist and naturalist Frederick Hutton. In 1881, he gained an MA for his work on the then poorly-known Southern Hemisphere Crustacea (the order that includes crabs, lobsters and shrimps).
After working as a schoolteacher in Christchurch, Chilton moved to Dunedin where he tutored at Dunedin Training College and studied zoology at the University of Otago, gaining the first BSc from the University of New Zealand, in 1888, and the first DSc in 1893. Chilton continued his work on Crustacea, devoting much of his spare time to the marine zoology of Otago Harbour, and collaborating with Dunedin naturalist GM Thomson.
In 1895, in search of better career and financial prospects, Chilton travelled to Edinburgh to study medicine. He returned to Christchurch in 1901, where he practised as an ophthalmic surgeon. He retained his keen interest in zoology, however, and in 1903 was appointed professor of biology and palaeontology at Canterbury University College, a position he held for 25 years. He was also involved in community affairs, promoting the improvement, maintenance and storage of Christchurch’s artesian water supply and campaigning to improve the city’s natural heritage.
When Thomson discovered a primitive freshwater shrimp in Tasmania, Chilton was inspired to search for a similar creature in New Zealand. He was unsuccessful, but gathered material for an extensive collection of Crustacea and numerous scientific papers, especially on freshwater shrimps, which became his specialty.
As professor of biology, Chilton played a leading role in establishing the Canterbury College Mountain Biological Station at Cass, in the Canterbury high country near Arthur’s Pass. Chilton never let his physical handicap deter him from fieldwork, and, assisted by his wife Elizabeth, he led fieldwork parties in the surrounding hills.
Chilton retired professor emeritus in 1928. He had published some 130 scientific papers on Crustacea, but died in 1929, before he could complete a planned book consolidating his life’s research on the order.
By Rebecca Priestley
Medals and awards
FLS, Mueller Memorial Medal 1921, Hector Medal 1917, Hutton Medal 1926
Further reading
Charles Chilton biography – Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website
45 articles written by Chilton, published in the Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, are available online:
Permission of the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga O Aotearoa, must be obtained before any reuse of this image
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