James Francis Stephens

His father was a navy captain William James Stephens (d. 1799) and his mother was Mary Peck (later Mrs Dallinger).

He left in 1807 and worked as a clerk in the Admiralty office, Somerset House, from 1807 to 1845 thanks to his uncle Admiral Stephens.

He was granted leave from office to assist William Elford Leach in 1818 to arrange the insect collection at the British Museum.

He returned to the Admiralty but troubles with his superiors led him to retire early leading to loss of part of his pension.

He often used a pocket lens rather than a microscope and used a killing bottle with crushed laurel leaves rather than pinning specimens directly as was the practice then.

This gave rise to an acrimonious dispute which split the British entomological establishment into opposing factions for over thirty years.