Here are some possible inspirations. Erasmus Darwin (grandfather of Charles Darwin) was a friend of Mary Shelley’s father, William Godwin. Shelley mentioned Darwin in the preface to her novel.

Erasmus remains Charles's close friend and confidant throughout life. He is one of the few people with whom Charles will share his budding secret thoughts on evolution. At eight years old, Darwin ...

His grandfathers had both been important figures of the Enlightenment: Josiah Wedgewood, industrialist and anti-slavery campaigner, and Erasmus Darwin, a doctor whose book ‘Zoonomia’ had set ...