Ellen Willmott
Encyclopedia
Ellen Ann Willmott was an English
horticulturalist. She was an influential member of the Royal Horticultural Society
, and a recipient of the first Victoria Medal of Honour
in 1897. She cultivated more than 100,000 species
of plant
s, and sponsored expeditions to discover new species. More than 60 plants have been named after her or her home, Warley Place.
, Middlesex
, the eldest of three daughters of Frederick Willmott (1825–1892), a solicitor, and Ellen Willmott (d. 1898). In 1875 the family moved to Warley Place at Great Warley
, Essex
, which had 33 acres (133,546.4 m²) of grounds; this was to be Ellen’s lifelong home. The family were keen gardeners and developed Warley Place’s gardens together. One of the most ambitious developments was an alpine garden, including a gorge and rockery (pictured), which Ellen's father gave her permission to create on her 21st birthday.
Ellen received a substantial inheritance
when her godmother, Helen Tasker, died. This enabled her to buy her first property near Aix-les-Bains
, France
, in 1890.
Willmott employed up to 104 gardeners, and was known for being a demanding employer; she would reputedly sack any gardener who allowed a weed
to grow among her flowers. She only employed men in her garden; she was once quoted as saying "women would be a disaster in the border".
She was also known for being a prodigious spender. In 1905 she bought a third estate in Ventimiglia
, Italy
. Willmott used her wealth to fund plant-hunting expeditions to China
and the Middle East
, and species discovered on these excursions would often be named after her. The expeditions she sponsored included those of Ernest Henry Wilson
, who named Ceratostigma willmottianum, Rosa willmottiae
and Corylopsis willmottiae after her.
Willmott joined the Royal Horticultural Society
in 1894 and became a prominent member, elected to the narcissus, floral (group B) and lily committees. She helped to persuade Sir Thomas Hanbury, her neighbour at Ventimiglia, to purchase the site at Wisley which became the RHS Gardens
and donate it to the society, and was appointed a trustee of the RHS Gardens in 1903.
Willmott was one of only two women, alongside Gertrude Jekyll
, to receive the Victoria Medal of Honour
in 1897 (newly instituted that year for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee
). In 1905 she became one of the first women to be elected a fellow of the Linnean Society of London
. She also received the grande médaille Geoffroi St Hilaire from the Société d’acclimatation de France in 1912, and the Dean Hole medal from the National Rose Society in 1914. She published two books; Warley Garden in Spring and Summer in 1909 and The Genus Rosa, published in two volumes between 1910 and 1914. Queen Mary
, Queen Alexandra, and Princess Victoria are known to have visited her at Warley Place. In 1914 she initiated a bitter public spat with the horticulturalist E.A. Bowles about some observations on rock gardens made by Reginald Farrer
in his foreword to one of Bowles' books.
and paranoid; she booby-trapped her estate to deter thieves and carried a revolver
in her handbag. She was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting
in 1928, although later acquitted.
Willmott died of atheroma
and embolus
of the coronary artery in 1934, aged 76. Warley Place was sold to pay her debts and the house was demolished in 1939, although plans to develop a housing estate on the site were rejected. It was later designated as green belt and became a nature reserve
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
horticulturalist. She was an influential member of the Royal Horticultural Society
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
, and a recipient of the first Victoria Medal of Honour
Victoria Medal of Honour
The Victoria Medal of Honour is awarded to British horticulturists resident in the United Kingdom whom the Royal Horticultural Society Council considers deserving of special honour by the Society...
in 1897. She cultivated more than 100,000 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s, and sponsored expeditions to discover new species. More than 60 plants have been named after her or her home, Warley Place.
Early life
Ellen Willmott was born in HestonHeston
Heston is a place in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It is a suburban development area, based on a former farming village west south-west of Charing Cross.-History:...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, the eldest of three daughters of Frederick Willmott (1825–1892), a solicitor, and Ellen Willmott (d. 1898). In 1875 the family moved to Warley Place at Great Warley
Great Warley
Great Warley is a village in the Brentwood borough of Essex, England. It is situated to the far south west of the county and near to the Greater London boundary and the M25 motorway.Consecrated in 1904, the Grade I listed parish church, St...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, which had 33 acres (133,546.4 m²) of grounds; this was to be Ellen’s lifelong home. The family were keen gardeners and developed Warley Place’s gardens together. One of the most ambitious developments was an alpine garden, including a gorge and rockery (pictured), which Ellen's father gave her permission to create on her 21st birthday.
Ellen received a substantial inheritance
Inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
when her godmother, Helen Tasker, died. This enabled her to buy her first property near Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is situated on the shore of Lac du Bourget, by rail north of Chambéry.-Geography:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, in 1890.
Career
Ellen Willmott inherited Warley Place on her father’s death and continued to develop the gardens, indulging her passion for collecting and cultivating plants. She is thought to have cultivated more than 100,000 different species of plant.Willmott employed up to 104 gardeners, and was known for being a demanding employer; she would reputedly sack any gardener who allowed a weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
to grow among her flowers. She only employed men in her garden; she was once quoted as saying "women would be a disaster in the border".
She was also known for being a prodigious spender. In 1905 she bought a third estate in Ventimiglia
Ventimiglia
Ventimiglia is a city and comune in Liguria, northern Italy, in the province of Imperia. It is located southwest of Genoa by rail, and 7 km from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia River, which divides the town into two parts...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Willmott used her wealth to fund plant-hunting expeditions to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and species discovered on these excursions would often be named after her. The expeditions she sponsored included those of Ernest Henry Wilson
Ernest Henry Wilson
Ernest Henry "Chinese" Wilson , better known as E. H. Wilson, was a notable English plant collector who introduced a large range of about 2000 of Asian plant species to the West; some sixty bear his name.-Career:...
, who named Ceratostigma willmottianum, Rosa willmottiae
Rosa willmottiae
Rosa willmottiae is a species in the genus Rosa in the plant family Rosaceae. It grows at an altitude of in dry valleys in western Sichuan, China. It forms an arching deciduous shrub high, and as much across. The branches are covered in many straight prickles. The pinnate leaves typically have 7...
and Corylopsis willmottiae after her.
Willmott joined the Royal Horticultural Society
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
in 1894 and became a prominent member, elected to the narcissus, floral (group B) and lily committees. She helped to persuade Sir Thomas Hanbury, her neighbour at Ventimiglia, to purchase the site at Wisley which became the RHS Gardens
RHS Garden, Wisley
The Royal Horticultural Society's garden at Wisley in the English county of Surrey south of London, is one four public gardens run by the Society, the others being Harlow Carr, Hyde Hall and Rosemoor...
and donate it to the society, and was appointed a trustee of the RHS Gardens in 1903.
Willmott was one of only two women, alongside Gertrude Jekyll
Gertrude Jekyll
Gertrude Jekyll was an influential British garden designer, writer, and artist. She created over 400 gardens in the UK, Europe and the USA and contributed over 1,000 articles to Country Life, The Garden and other magazines.-Early life:...
, to receive the Victoria Medal of Honour
Victoria Medal of Honour
The Victoria Medal of Honour is awarded to British horticulturists resident in the United Kingdom whom the Royal Horticultural Society Council considers deserving of special honour by the Society...
in 1897 (newly instituted that year for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
). In 1905 she became one of the first women to be elected a fellow of the Linnean Society of London
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
. She also received the grande médaille Geoffroi St Hilaire from the Société d’acclimatation de France in 1912, and the Dean Hole medal from the National Rose Society in 1914. She published two books; Warley Garden in Spring and Summer in 1909 and The Genus Rosa, published in two volumes between 1910 and 1914. Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
, Queen Alexandra, and Princess Victoria are known to have visited her at Warley Place. In 1914 she initiated a bitter public spat with the horticulturalist E.A. Bowles about some observations on rock gardens made by Reginald Farrer
Reginald Farrer
Reginald John Farrer , was a traveller and plant collector. He published a number of books, although is best known for My Rock Garden...
in his foreword to one of Bowles' books.
Later life
Willmott’s prodigious spending during her lifetime caused financial difficulties in later life, forcing her to sell her French and Italian properties, and eventually her personal possessions. She became increasingly eccentricEccentricity (behavior)
In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive...
and paranoid; she booby-trapped her estate to deter thieves and carried a revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
in her handbag. She was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
in 1928, although later acquitted.
Willmott died of atheroma
Atheroma
In pathology, an atheroma is an accumulation and swelling in artery walls that is made up of macrophage cells, or debris, that contain lipids , calcium and a variable amount of fibrous connective tissue...
and embolus
Embolus
An embolus is any detached, itinerant intravascular mass carried by circulation, which is capable of clogging arterial capillary beds at a site distant from its point of origin.By contrast there are non-traveling blockages that develop locally from vascular trauma or...
of the coronary artery in 1934, aged 76. Warley Place was sold to pay her debts and the house was demolished in 1939, although plans to develop a housing estate on the site were rejected. It was later designated as green belt and became a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
.