Rev. William Frederick Johnson was a lifelong naturalist and self-taught expert entomologist[1].
In 1895, aged 43, he became rector of Acton Parish Church, where he remained for the next 26 years. He did not have easy access to any reference collections but nevertheless, in the long tradition of ‘parson-naturalists’ such as Gilbert White, he became an expert naturalist and entomologist, especially the Coleoptera (beetles). His most prominent published work was the ‘List of The Beetles of Ireland’.
He retired to Rostrevor, where he died in 1934 aged 81. His Coleoptera (beetles) collection is preserved in the Ulster Museum and his other specimens are in the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin.
[1] See “The Rev. William Frederick Johnston” by Canon Michael Barton, BIF Vol 10, 2009