Researching Henry Shaw

Shaw was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire and worked as a painter on the Midland Railway. He was also cricket coach at Derby School. He played a non-qualifying match for Derbyshire in 1874 and made his first-class debut in the 1875 season against Kent, a win for Derbyshire in which he made his top score of 22. He played two matches in the 1876 season and one in the 1877 season. He played three matches in the 1878 season and umpired two first-class matches for Derbyshire. In the 1879 season he umpired one first-class match and played two non-status games. In the 1880 season he played three first-class matches and achieved his best bowling performance of 5 for 34 against Sussex. He also played three matches in the 1881 season. At the time of the 1881 census he was running the New Inn public house in Stapenhill.

After a break, he played one further match for Derbyshire in the 1884 season when he bowled 4 for 26 against Lancashire. In 1887 he started playing for Staffordshire for whom he appeared regularly until 1892. His name also appears in a match for Lincolnshire in 1890. He umpired four minor county matches in 1901 and in 1902 he umpired a season of first-class matches. Later he umpired one match in 1908 and another in 1919.

Shaw was a right-handed batsman and played 25 innings in 14 first-class matches with an average of 6.72 and a top score of 22. He was a right-arm roundarm medium pace bowler and took 10 first-class wickets and an average of 15.8 and a best performance of 5 for 34.

Shaw died in Derby at the age of 78.

Shaw was born in Tarporley, Cheshire. His family moved to Shrewsbury, Shropshire when he was a young boy, where his father ran a small taxidermy shop in Shoplatch. Henry and his brother, John, trained under their father and continued to run the business as partners after their father's death in 1832.

The brothers later separated and established respective taxidermy businesses in the town. Henry, who set up shop and made his home in High Street, became the more successful, securing orders to mount and arrange collections at Hawkstone Park and Ludlow Museum. Lord Hill appointed him curator of his collection at Hawkstone with an annual salary and a reputation that led to orders from across the country that included commissions from the Duke of Westminster for Eaton Hall, the Earl of Powis at Powis Castle, and the Duke of Portland at Welbeck Abbey, his last great commission, in 1886.

Shaw was strong well-built character with a love of fighting and country sports. He was an accomplished salmon fisherman, and was quite active on the River Wye where he had a fishing lease. Shaw died of pleurisy at his home in Shrewsbury High Street, aged 75, on 7 October 1887 after a short illness, having caught a cold a few days before when fishing at Builth Wells. He was buried on 10 October at Shrewsbury General Cemetery.

Henry Shaw's specimens can be distinguished by his preference for all-wood cases with a glass front. The specimens are usually mounted on an artificial blue-grey rock with surrounding foliage. Examples of his mounted specimens remain in the collections of Shropshire Museums and are displayed at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery. These include one of three great auk specimens prepared by him.