Edward A. Armstrong Books & Biography

Edward A. Armstrong (1900–1978) was a British Ornithologist and Church of England clergyman. He was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution and then at Queen’s University, Belfast, studying science in his first year, then switching to philosophy, obtaining a BA (hons) in 1921. In preparation for ordination in the Anglican Church he then studied theology at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. He later studied anthropology and Chinese at Hong Kong University and obtained an MA in the history and philosophy of religion and in Chinese studies from Leeds University. As a young priest he travelled widely, serving in parishes in Doncaster, Ipswich, Hong Kong, and Leeds before settling in Cambridge in 1943 where he lived for the rest of his life. As an ornithologist, he was known for his study of bird behaviour and his intensive study of the wren. He travelled to many remote islands – including the Shetlands, Iceland, and St Kilda – to study the wren.