Sainthill Eardley-Wilmot

Sir Sainthill Eardley-Wilmot, KCIE (1852–1929) was a British civil servant, forestry officer and conservationist who worked primarily in India and Burma and served as Inspector-General of Forests.

Life

Sainthill Eardley-Wilmot was born into an upper middle class family in 1852. His paternal grand father was Sir John Eardley-Wilmot who served as governor of Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania. His unusual forename originated from his ancestor Frances Sainthill. Eardley-Wilmot married Emma, daughter of George Casey, on 1 December 1884. Emma died shortly after the birth of there first child, Helen Eardley-Wilmot. He later married Mabel Boisragon Winter daughter of W.H. Winter in 1891, they had one daughter named Mabel Eardley-Wilmot.

Career and conservation work

After the completion of his education he joined the Indian Forest Service in December 1873. Eardly-Wilmot was appointed to the old North-West Provinces and Oudh region of colonial India. He rose to prominence within the Indian Forest Service for his conservation lead method and unorthodox approach. He advocated methods of numbering and ageing trees, surveying methods which were not common on the Indian sub-continent at that time. Eardley-Wilmot also introduced a ban on the felling of the best specimens which had been a common practice in Colonial India. In 1906, Sir Eardley-Wilmot created the Forest Research Institute to promote greater understanding of the forests of the Indian sub-continent.

In recognition of his work in India and Burma, Sir Sainthill Eardley-Wilmot became a Knight Commander of Order of the Indian Empire in 1911.

Publications

• Eardley-Wilmot, S., Sir, (1910) 'Forest Life and Sport in India'
• Eardley-Wilmot, S., Sir, (1930) 'Leaves from Indian Forests'
• Eardley-Wilmot, S., Sir, (1933) 'The Life of a Tiger and the Life of a Elephant'