The R.C. Dening Collection 

Richard (Tim) Dening kept meticulous notes of all the places and dates when he collected each of his insect specimens. Each individual in the collection had a label attached beneath the pin giving these details. It was not practical to remove and then replace every specimen in the collection boxes to extract this information for the website. However, if necessary, this individual specimen information can be obtained from the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow, which now holds the collection.

Tim also left his own personal hand written notes on the places and in some cases, the dates when he collected specimens.  These notes are numbered. Each number represents a species or subspecies rather than individual specimens. Specimens in the collection cases were numbered according to these notes. A single (species) number may represent more than one specimen in a case. The notes relevant to the specimens in each case can be accessed directly from the individual case pages (example here).

Tim's notes were intended solely for his own personal use. They refer to place names and things which were of particular relevance to himself and his family. The notes are therefore difficult to interpret by someone unfamiliar with his life and with the detailed geography of the countries where he lived and collected. (A map of all the countries covered by the collection can be viewed here.)

The explanations on this page are provided to help the reader to interpret the collector's personal notes. They are not exhaustive, but cover the most common references made in the notes. The omission of particular place names in this list of explanations is in some cases due to the fact that none of the family have been able to interpret them either!

Tim was in Northern Rhodesia and Zambia government service for twenty-four years, from 1947-1971: this included five years in Mwinilunga; two in Ndola; three in Mumbwa; two in Samfya and the remainder in Lusaka, often in posts which involved widespread travelling. A map of Northern Rhodesia prior to independence can be found here.

Cross references to dates and places where Tim collected can also be found in his career history and in Elisabeth Dening's diary of their overland trip from India to UK.

Reference in Collector's Notes

Country / Explanation

View from the Belihul Oya Hotel, Sri Lamka

Mwinilunga Boma circa 1950

Ikelenge - North Western Province of Zambia, near Mwinilunga and adjacent to borders with both Angola and the Congo. (Map in this document      Ikelenge pedicle)

Chief Ikelenge (Paramount Chief of the Lunda)

1953

Kafue Gorge

Kundalila Falls

The Lunga River,
which gave Mwinilunga its name.
1952

Chief Sailunga
1953

Shiwa Ngandu

(A fascinating account of the creation and building of this essentially feudal English country estate in the heart of the Northern Rhodesia bush, by Englishman, Stewart Gore-Browne, can be found in 'The Africa House' by Christina Lamb.)