Stainton was the son of Henry Stainton, belonging to a wealthy family in Lewisham. After being privately tutored, he went to
King's College London. He was the author of
A Manual of British Butterflies and Moths (1857–59) and with the German entomologist
Philipp Christoph Zeller, a Swiss,
Heinrich Frey and another Englishman,
John William Douglas of
The Natural History of the Tineina (1855–73). He undertook editing
William Buckler's and
John Hellins' work, following their deaths:
The Larvae of the British Butterflies and Moths. He was also a prolific editor of entomological periodicals, including the ''Entomologist's Weekly Intelligencer
(1856–61) and the Entomologist's Monthly Magazine'' (1864 until his death – the magazine continues to be published). Stainton was a very wealthy man and his house in
Lewisham,
"Mountsfield", was one of London's more substantial residences set in its own park. Other wealthy entomologists often stayed at Mountsfield when visiting London, notably
Alexander Henry Haliday and
Deiterich Carl August Dohrn. The zoologist
Nicholas Aylward Vigors was a close friend. Such people, sought by the growing number of scientific societies, wielded enormous influence on scientific development. Stainton was a regular visitor to both Haliday's house in
Lucca and to Dohrn's in
Stettin. He was a member of both the
Entomological Society of London and the
Stettin Entomological Society. Besides this, from 1856, he encouraged interest in entomology among the wider public by holding weekly 'open evenings' at his house. Anyone over the age of 14 could freely visit Mountsfield on such evenings, perhaps to have a specimen identified; to view his collection; use his library; or simply to learn more about entomology from Stainton himself, or other guests who may have been present. The home of his family no longer stands but a Stainton road runs beside Mountsfield Park. == References ==