158 Charles Darwin. 



barrister at Lincoln's Inn, and finally married the 

 daughter of Erasmus Earle, from whom Erasmus 

 Darwin the poet received his name. In the course 

 of time he was made Recorder of the city of Lincoln. 

 In 1655 a son was born to him, also named 

 William, who married a Miss Waring, a lady of 

 good family and heritage, who ultimately inherited 

 from the Lassells the manor and hall of Elston, near 

 Newark property which is still in the family. 



The sons of this William were William and Robert ; 

 the latter a lawyer, who finally became heir to the 

 property at Cleatham, there being no male child in 

 his brother's family. 



Robert, on the death of his mother, retired from 

 the practice of his profession, and resided at Elston 

 Hall. 



In this member of the Darwin family the first 

 evidence of a taste for science is observed. Robert 

 was a member of the Spalding Club, and Dr. Stuke- 

 ley, a well-known antiquary of the time, in "An 

 Account of the Almost Entire Sceleton of a Large 

 Animal," etc., published in the " Philosophical Trans- 

 actions," April and May, 1719, says : " Hearing an 

 account from my friend Robert Darwin, Esq., of 

 Lincoln's Inn, a person of curiosity, of a human 

 sceleton impressed in stone, found lately by the 

 rector of Elston," etc. 



The eldest son of this Darwin was Robert Waring, 

 who came into the estate of Elston and died a bache- 

 lor at the advanced age of ninety-two. He developed 

 a decided taste for poetry, and acquired a local 

 reputation as a rhyme-maker. 



