The Darwin — Wedgwood family was a prominent English family, descended from Erasmus Darwin and Josiah Wedgwood, the most notable member of which was Charles Darwin. The family contained at least ten Fellows of the Royal Society, and several artists and poets. Presented below are brief biographical sketches and geaneological information with links to articles on the members. The individuals are listed by year of birth and into generations.
The first generation
 Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) was a noted potter was a friend of Erasmus Darwin, and in 1780 on the death of Josiah Wedgwood's long-time business partner Thomas Bentley, and Wedgwood turned to his friend Erasmus Darwin for help in running the business. As a result of the close association that grew up between the Wedgwood and Darwin families, one of Josiah's daughters would later marry Erasmus' son. One of the children of that marriage, Charles Darwin, would also marry a Wedgwood -- Emma, Josiah's granddaughter. Essentially, this double-barrelled inheritance of Josiah's money permitted Charles Darwin the life of leisure that eventually led to the formulation of his theory of evolution. Josiah Wedgwood married Sarah Wedgwood (1734-1815), and they had two children, Josiah Wedgwood II (See below) and Susannah Wedgwood (later Darwin; see below) |
 Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) was a physician, botonist and poet from Birmingham. He married twice, first to Mary Howard 1757, who died in 1770 from alcohol-induced liver failure, aged 31. She issued:
He then had an extra-marital affair with a Miss Parker, producing two daughters: He then became smitten with Elizabeth Collier Sacheveral-Pole who was married to Colonel Sacheveral-Pole. Sacheveral-Pole died shortly afterwards, and Erasmus married her and they issued a further seven children:
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 Samuel "John" Galton FRS (1753-1832) was an arms manufacturer from Birmingham. |
The second generation
 The son of Erasmus Darwin and, Robert Darwin was a noted physician fromShrewsbury. He married Susannah Wedgwood, daughter of Josiah Wedgwood (see above), and they had the following children.
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Josiah Wedgewood II (1769-1843) was the son of Josiah Wedgwood, and Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent. He married Elizabeth Allen (1764-1846) and they had six children:
- Henry Allen Wedgwood
- Francis Wedgwood
- Hensleigh Wedgwood
- Charlotte Wedgwood; married Charles Langton
- Josiah Wedgwood III; (1795-1880) married Caroline Darwin, daughter of Robert Darwin and Susannah Wedgwood.
- Emma Wedgwood; married Charles Darwin, son of Robert Darwin and Susannah Wedgwood.
Married Frances Anne Violetta Darwin, (1783-1874). They had They had three sons and four daughters:
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The third generation
Charles Darwin was the son of Robert Darwin and Susannah Darwin (nee Wedgwood). Emma Darwin (nee Wedgwood) was the daughter of Josiah Wedgwood II and somebody else. Thus the two were half-cousins. The most prominent member of the family, Charles Darwin the first coherent theory of evolution by means of natural and sexual selection. The Darwins also had several children, three of whom died before reaching maturity.
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 Sir Francis Galton FRS (1822 — 1911) was a noted eugenicist. He married Louisa Jane Butler, but they had no children. |
The fourth generation
 George Howard Darwin (1845 – 1912) was a astronomer and mathematician. He married Martha (Maud) du Puy of Philadelphia. They had four children:
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Leonard Darwin (1850-1943) was variously an army officer, Member of Parliament and eugenicist who corresponded with Ronald Fisher, thus being the link between the two great evolutionary biologists.
Francis Darwin (1848 — 1925 was the botonist son of Charles Darwin and Emma Darwin (nee Wedgwood). Francis Darwin married Amy Tuck in 1874, who died in 1876 after the birth of their son Bernard Darwin, an author on golf - see below. Francis married Ellen Crofts in 1874 and they had a daughter Frances Crofts who married to become the poet Frances Cornford (see below).
he had the following children:
- Nora Darwin, married Sir Alan Barlow; see below
- Ruth Darwin
The fifth generation
Charles Galton Darwin 1887 - 1962 was the son of George Howard Darwin (see above) and a noted physicist.
Gwen Raveret (1885-1957) was the daughter of George Howard Darwin and an artist. She married the French artist Jacques Raverat in 1911.
Bernard Darwin (1876—1961) was a golf writer. He married Elinor Monsell (died 1954) in 1906, and they had a son Robert Vere Darwin (see below.
Nora Barlow (nee Darwin)
Nora Darwin, the daughter of Horace Darwin married (see above married Sir Alan Barlow. She also edited the Autobiography of Charles Darwin (ISBN 0393310698 (hardback) and ISBN 0393004872 (paperback)). They had the following children:
- Sir Thomas Erasmus Barlow, (born 23 January 1914 died?), Royal Navy officer.
- Professor Horace Basil Barlow (born ? (see below
- Erasmus Darwin Barlow (born 1915)
- Andrew Dalmahoy Barlow (born 1916)
The sixth generation
Robert Vere "Robin" Darwin (1910 — 1974) was an artist.
Barlow (born 1914/1915?) was Professor of Physiology, Berkeley, California, USA; Royal Society Research Professor, Physiological Laboratory, Cambridge (1973-87). He is dead.