William Anderson (horticulturist)
Encyclopedia
William Anderson was a Scottish horticulturist.
Anderson was born in Easter Warrington, Edinburgh
in Scotland, his father having been, just previous to the rising of 1745, forester and gardener to a Jacobite
laird
in the western highlands, who had some share in favouring the escape of Charles Edward Stuart
. About 1790 he entered upon gardening work in some nurseries near Edinburgh, and subsequently made his way to London, where he became gardener to James Vere, of Kensington Gore
, a wealthy silk merchant who had a large collection of plants.
In 1814 he was appointed by the Society of Apothecaries gardener—a title changed during his occupancy of the office to curator—of their botanic garden at Chelsea, a post which he filled until his death. He at once set to work to raise the garden from the state of neglect into which it had fallen, and his efforts were attended with great success. He was said to be tall and burly, somewhat rough in manners and appearance, but warm-hearted and charitable. He was elected an associate of the Linnean Society in 1798, and became a fellow in 1815; he contributed various papers on horticultural subjects to the Gardener's Magazine and Horticultural Society's Transactions. He died at Chelsea, 6 October 1846, and is buried in the churchyard of the old church.
Anderson was born in Easter Warrington, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in Scotland, his father having been, just previous to the rising of 1745, forester and gardener to a Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
laird
Laird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
in the western highlands, who had some share in favouring the escape of Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
. About 1790 he entered upon gardening work in some nurseries near Edinburgh, and subsequently made his way to London, where he became gardener to James Vere, of Kensington Gore
Kensington Gore
Kensington Gore is a street in central London, England, the same name having been formerly used for the piece of land on which it stands. It runs along the south side of Hyde Park, continuing as Kensington Road to both the east and west. A gore is a narrow, triangular piece of land.The road is part...
, a wealthy silk merchant who had a large collection of plants.
In 1814 he was appointed by the Society of Apothecaries gardener—a title changed during his occupancy of the office to curator—of their botanic garden at Chelsea, a post which he filled until his death. He at once set to work to raise the garden from the state of neglect into which it had fallen, and his efforts were attended with great success. He was said to be tall and burly, somewhat rough in manners and appearance, but warm-hearted and charitable. He was elected an associate of the Linnean Society in 1798, and became a fellow in 1815; he contributed various papers on horticultural subjects to the Gardener's Magazine and Horticultural Society's Transactions. He died at Chelsea, 6 October 1846, and is buried in the churchyard of the old church.