James Henry Lawrence-Archer

James Henry Lawrence-Archer or Lawrence Archer (1823 - 14 February 1889) was a British soldier, collector of botanical specimens, and author best known for his guide to the Monumental Inscriptions of the British West Indies.

Early life
James Lawrence-Archer was born in 1823.

Career
Lawrence-Archer served in the 60th King's Royal Rifle Corps, rising to the rank of major.

He collected botanical specimens during his military service, such as the seeds from China that he offered to William Jackson Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, along with other botanical samples that he had personally collected in Mauritius, Anjer, Ascension and St Vincent.

As an author he is best known for his guide to the Monumental Inscriptions of the British West Indies. A branch of the Archer family were resident first in Barbados and then in Jamaica.

Death and legacy
Lawrence-Archer died at Umberslade Parva in Warwickshire on 14 February 1889. His address was also given as Bedford Park, Chiswick, now in London. He left an estate of £100. A prolific correspondent, letters from Lawrence-Archer are held by a number of archives, including Kew Gardens, the National Library of Scotland, and the British Library which holds his genealogical notes on West Indian families.

Selected publications

 * Brief Memorials of English Families of the Name of Archer. J. H. Lawrence-Archer, Edinburgh, 1856.
 * The Indian Mutinies Accounted For, etc. Ward & Co, London, 1857.
 * An Account of the Sirname Edgar: And Particularly of the Family of Wedderlie in Berwickshire. J. C. Hotten, London, 1873.
 * Monumental Inscriptions of the British West Indies &c. Chatto and Windus, London, 1875.
 * Commentaries on the Punjab Campaign, 1848-49: Including Some Additions to the History of the Second Sikh War, from Original Sources. W. H. Allen & Co, London, 1878.
 * The Orders of Chivalry &c.. W.H. Allen and Co., London, 1885.
 * The British Army: Its regimental records, badges, devices, etc. G. Bell & Sons, London, 1888.