| AdminHistory | William Whitwell (1839-1920) was a Civil Servant and a Botanist.
Whitwell was born in Manchester on 30 October 1839 to Richard Taylor Whitwell, an Inspector for the Inland Revenue. His early years were spent at Llansaintffriad (Llansantffraid ym Mechain) [near Llansilin]. Whitwell started working as a clerk in a warehouse in Leicester, before following his father's footsteps and entering the taxes branch of the Inland Revenue. In his spare time he was a keen botanist and collected specimens from a range of places including East Yorkshire, Shropshire, Flint, Montgomery, Cheshire, Surrey and Sussex. He was elected a fellow of the Linnean Society in 1892. He published in the Journal of Botany and also contributed to the 'Flora of West Yorkshire' by Dr F.A. Lees. Whitwell died in Darley Green on 16 December 1920. |
| Description | Volume 1 of the papers of William Whitwell (W.W.) including correspondence, printed articles, and photographs, dated 1866 to 1920.
On inside front cover is a letter from H. Stuart Thompson dated 25 September 1936 addressed to Spencer Savage offering the Linnean Society two volumes of autograph letters and portraits of botanists, nearly all British.
The numbers in the first column below are the page numbers in the bound book. Unless otherwise stated all letters are addressed to William Whitwell, F.L.S.
WATSON, HEWETT COTTRELL.
1. 1878 Aug 16. Thames Ditton. 'Viola lactea'. Asks if W.W. knows Mr. Weaver.
2. - - Photograph of Watson, signed.
HOOKER, Sir JOSEPH DALTON.
3. 1870 Aug 5. Kew. Thanks W.W. for pointing out error.
4. - - Printed photograph of Hooker.
BABINGTON, CHARLES CARDALE.
5. 1867 Jul 23. Cambridge. Grateful for curious specimens that change leaves into carpets.
5. 1881 Dec 12. - Encloses list, but not satisfied about the Lepigona.
5. 1889 May 31. Cambridge. Thanks W.W. for specimens of Polygala austriaca.
6. - - - One photograph and one print of Babington.
LEIGHTON, Rev. WILLIAM ALLPORT.
7. - Jul 24. Shrewsbury. Obliged for a sight of Mr. Whitwell's Vicia Cracca.
8. - - - Photograph of Leighton.
MASTERS, Dr. MAXWELL TYLDEN.
9. 1899 Mar 16. Strand. Has not seen Rye branched in the way described.
11. - - - Two printed photographs of Masters (1873 and 1897).
HOW, WILLIAM WALSHAM, Lord Bishop of Wakefield.
12. 1882 Aug 19. Barmouth. Grateful for the loan of the British Quarterly.
12. 1892 Jun 18. Oswestry. Thanks W.W. for information about Bot. Mag. and Davies' book.
13. - - Obituary of How, reprinted from The Naturalist, October 1897.
NEWBOULD, Rev. WILLIAM WILLIAMSON.
14. - - - Printed photo of Newbould, signed by him.
14. - - - Newbould memoir, reprinted from Jnl. of Botany, June, 1886.
BENNETT, ARTHUR.
15. 1889 Oct 22. Surrey. Chatter
15. 1890 Feb 7. Surrey. Chatter
15. 1892 Mar 3. Surrey. Chatter
16. - - - Printed article by Bennett.
16. - - - Photograph of Bennett, 1883 or 1884.
BAKER, JOHN GILBERT.
17. 1888 Mar 3. Kew. W.W. has offered to help with new edition of North Yorkshire.
17. 1888 Jun 23. Kew. Invites W.W. to the Herbarium.
17. 1900 Feb 1. Kew. Sorry about W.W.'s bad health.
18. 1920 Aug 16. - In Memoriam.
18. - - - Printed photograph of Baker.
BRITTEN, JAMES.
19. 1891 Oct 21. London. Will edit Nature Notes; intends to deal with facts not theories.
JONES, Miss E.
20. 1866 Jul 18. Llansilin. Grateful for Polypodium catcarum that W.W. sent her.
20. 1890 Feb 20. S. Wales. Commiserates on sickness in W.W.'s family; Lepidium Draba.
20. 1895 Sep 11. Montgomery. Sends W.W. her photograph; her garden.
21. 1884 - - - Two photographs of Miss Jones, 1884 and 1895.
TATHAM, JOHN.
22. 1893 Jan. - Pages from The Naturalist, about Tatham, by W.W.
23. 1888 Dec 2. Castle Hill Hse [From Frances P. Thompson, sister of Prof. S.P. Thompson] Encloses Tatham's signature cut from one of his letters; botanists disagree on names of plants.
23 - - - Photograph of Tatham; locality of Chulerias.
THOMPSON, FRANCES P.
24. 1886 Dec 26. Castle Hill Hse. Grandfather's collection and specimens. [Tatham was grandfather]
WARBURTON, G. EGERTON (?)
25. 1889 Dec 28 Warrington. Thanks W.W. for drawing attention to mistake about Backhouse.
LEES, FREDERICK ARNOLD.
26. 1880 Mar 4. Wetherby. Acknowledges receipt of 5/- as subscription to Record Club; about names of plants.
26. 1885 May 5. Hawes. Chatter.
26. 1896 Jan 2. Leeds. About plants; poem entitled Infanta Anni, dated 29 Jan 1896.
27. 1902 Dec 23. - Note "From a Botanist to a Botanist"; photograph of Lees and son (?) and of Meanwoos Lodge, nr Leeds. Cutting from Yorkshire Daily Observer, 23 Feb 1905, about a Nat. Hist. Museum.
BAGNALL, JAMES EUSTACE.
28. 1889 Dec 19. Birmingham. Thanks W.W. for Arenaria Cothica; chatter.
28. 1889 Dec 31. Birmingham. Sends W.W. specimen of Agrostis Ingra Witto; botanical.
28. 1900 Jan 24. Birmingham. [From A.W. Whitwell, W.W.'s nephew] Personal chatter.
29. 1897 - - - Botanical works of Bagnall, privately printed; newspaper cutting of a letter from H.S. Thompson about Bagnall's botanical collection, 1901 Feb 17.
COOPER, THOMAS.
30. 1870 Jul 27. Cumberland. Sends W.W. box of flowering plants. "Darling's heart overflows with love to all dear folk who love flowers..." Lincoln.
30. 1874 Jun 20. Lincoln. Botanical chatter.
30. 1877 Sep 20. Lincoln. Botanical chatter.
31. - - - Two photographs of Cooper, one of his wife(?).
BRIGGS, THOMAS RICHARD ARCHER.
32. 1890 Aug 23. S. Devon. Thanks W.W. for copy of article on Arenaria Cothica.
32. 1890 Apr. - - Article on Briggs reprinted from Journal of Botany.
32. - - - - Printed photograph of Briggs.
ROGERS, Rev. WILLIAM MOYLE.
33. 1900 Jul 23. London. State of health must delay his visit to W.W.
33. 1900 Oct 9. Bournmouth. Sends photograph to W.W.
34. - - - Photograph of Rogers.
BOSWELL, HENRY.
35. 1880 Sep 2. Oxford. Agrees that W.W.'s Hypnum purum is correct.
35. 1880 Sep 28. Oxford. Suggests that the moss is Plagiothecium undulation.
35. 1889 Oct 15. Oxford. Grateful to hear about the Arenaria Cothica.
36. 1897 Apr. - - Boswell obituary, extracted from Journal of Botany. W.W. on Boswell; West Yorkshire Mosses.
HANBURY, FREDERICK J. (?)
37. 1889 Jul 2. London. Thanks W.W. for suggesting localities.
37. 1889 Oct 9. London. Grateful to W.W. for sending specimens of Arenadria gothica.
PUGSLEY, H.W. (?)
38. 1896 Oct 22. London. Thanks W.W. for parcel of plants which arrived safely.
GOSS, H.
39. 1886 Nov 9. Surbiton. Sending W.W. specimens of plants.
39. 1891 Aug 4. Eastbourne. Plants arrived.
RALFS, JOHN.
40. 1881 Dec 3. Penzance. [To A. Bennett] Apologizes for delay in answering letter.
41. - - - Signed photograph of Ralfs.
LEEFE, Rev. JOHN EWBANK
42. 1881 Sep 1. Morpeth. Grateful for parcel containing willows; chatter
CROALL, ALEXANDER.
43. 1878 Sep5. Stirling. [To A. Bennett] Parcel received; will see what can be done about desiradata.
GRANT, JAMES AUGUSTUS.
44. 1881 Mar 10. Wick. W.W.'s request for Scottish primrose came too late; none left.
44. 1881 Jun 1. Wick. Encloses specimen of Scottish primrose; does not have Nuphar pumila.
HAYWARD, W.R.
45. 1890 Jul 19. Settle. Chatter
45. 1892 Mar 26. Croydon. Chatter
PAINTER, W. HUNT
46. 1889 Apr 23. Congleton. Expecting list of names to whom book may be circulated.
BAILEY, CHARLES
47. 1889 Sep 28. Manchester. Encloses subscription for Record Club; has not heard from Lees.
48. - - - Printed monogram of Charles Bailey.
VIZE, Rev. JOHN EDWARD.
49. 1898 Jun 16. Welshpool. Despatching Mr Leighton's lichens; invites W.W. to visit.
49. 1898 Jun 29. Welshpool. Lists of son and self not available; does not know Miss Jones; List of Fungi Fasciculi.
GIBSON, GEORGE STACEY.
50. 1875 Jul 9. Saffron Walden. Thanks W.W. but does not require any more specimens.
50. - - - Printed memoire from Transactions Essex Field Club.
MANSEL-PLEYDELL, JOHN CLAVELL (né MANSEL).
51. 1892 Jul 19. Blandford. Politics; chatter.
51. 1892 Aug 20. Blandford. Chatter.
51. 1892 Sep 15. Blandford. About plants.
52. 1902 Apr 4. Blandford. Thanks W.W. for pamphlets; printed obituary, 6 May 1902. Also obituary reprinted from Journal of Botany, sent to W.W. by E.F. Linton.
OAKESHOTT, R.
53. 1887 Mar 24. Balham. Makes arrangements to see W.W.
54. - - - Photograph of Oakeshott.
FARRER, REGINALD JOHN.
55. 1895 Oct 29. Lancaster. Health does not allow him to visit W.W.; specimens he found of gronaria Cothica not worth the sending.
55. 1898 Jan 22. Cannes. Chatter
55. - - - Three newspaper cuttings, two of Farrer's books and one describing him as a parliamentary candidate.
ST. BRODY, GUSTAVUS A. ORANO.
56. 1892 Sep 23. London. Encloses list of plants.
56. 1897 Aug 14. London. Has not had herbarium since he left London for Plymouth; sold thousands of his plants for 30/-; encloses list of a few duplicates.
57. 1902 Feb 3. Maidenhead. [From Mary St. Brody] Mentions death of St. Brody; seeks position as housekeeper; in financial difficulty.
57. 1902 Mar 12. Maidenhead. [From Mary St. Brody] Thanks W.W. for Journal of Botany and is sending him a photograph of St. Brody.
57. - - - Photograph of St. Brody.
SALMON, CHARLES E.
58. 1902 Mar 14. Reigate. Particularly interested in Barbarea Stricta; B. intermedia not scarce in Reigate; has W.W. seen Euphorbia pilosa in Sussex?
SALMON, ERNEST E.
59. 1902 Apr 17. Reigate. Thanks W.W. for sending Tortula ceruna which arrived safely.
MOORE, SPENCER.
60. 1900 Jun 18. London. Returns two specimens; botanical chatter.
SALTER, J.H.
61. 1903 Nov 7. Aberystwyth. Thanks W.W. for sending the Physiologist, Vol. 1.
AMPHLETT, JOHN.
62. 1904 Aug 9. Stourbridge. Botanical chatter.
63. - - - Printed photograph of Amphlett, with coat of arms.
DUNN, S.T. (?)
64. 1902 Jul 18. Teddington. Apologizes for not being able to meet W.W.
THOMPSON, H.S.
65. 1903 May 26. Bristol. Has many Yorkshire plants gathered 50/60 years ago; chatter.
BAKER, EDMUND C.
66. 1904 Jul 2. London. Regrets he took only one specimen of Cephaianthera rubra.
BOWER, F.S.
66. 1898 Dec 21. Pall Mall East. Regrets he will not be able to examine W.W.'s specimens
BAKER, EDMUND C.
67. 1904 Jul 18. London. In Switzerland one wood was full of Cephaianthera rubra.
HEMSLEY, WILLIAM BOTTINC.
68. 1879 Jun 24. Kew. Thanks W.W. but returns his lists of Mr. Vize's books.
HEY, WILLIAM CROSER.
69. 1904 Jun 17. West Ayton. Fruit should be Anthriscus vulgaris.
70. 1909 Jun - - Hey's printed obituary; includes his photograph.
COLE, E. MAULE.
71. 1907 Aug 1. - Printed article on Cole and his publications.
71. - - - Printed photograph of E. Maule Cole.
KAPPEL, AUGUST WILHELM (Librarian of the Linnean Society).
72. 1905 Jan 10 London. Will notify W.W. of any further obituary notices for W.C.G. Barrett
TOWNSEND, FREDERICK
73. - - - Obituary of Townsend, reprinted from The journal of botany vol.44 (April 1906).
74. - - - Printed photograph of Townsend.
PRAIN, DAVID
75. 1906 June 22. Kew. Acknowledgement of donation to RBG Kew. "Plant: Llansilin Meadow Rue (L. nigrieans ?)".
(Continued in MS/20b) |