William Bullock
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For William Bullock (inventor)
William Bullock ( c. 1773 - 1849) was an English traveller, naturalist and antiquarian.
Bullock began as a goldsmith and jeweller in Sheffield. He used his wealth to accumulate a large collection of artifacts, antiquities and stuffed animals. In the late 1790s Bullock founded a Museum of Natural Curiosities in the city, which moved to Liverpool in 1801. In 1808 he published a descriptive catalogue of the works of art, armoury, objects of natural history, and other curiosities in the collection, some of which had been brought back by members of James Cook's expeditions. In 1809, Bullock moved to London and the collection was housed in the newly built Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly. The collection, which included over 32,000 items, was disposed of by auction in 1819.
In 1822 Bullock went to Mexico where he became involved in silver mine speculation. He brought back many artefacts and specimens which formed a new exhibition in the Egyptian Hall. A second visit to Mexico, and to the United States, took place in 1827.