William Casson
Encyclopedia
William Casson was an English botanist, seed merchant, and local historian. He discovered the Fen or Crested Buckler-fern Dryopteris cristata in Yorkshire
and wrote a local history of Thorne, The History and Antiquities of Thorne, with some account of the drainage of Hatfield Chase (1829, 3rd edition 1874). He also established a large garden on the edge of the Thorne Moors with his brother John in which he bred varieties of rhododendron
, sheep laurel, and springbeauty.
William was born in Thorne on October 23, 1796 to Mordecai and Mary Casson. He had two brothers, Mordecai and John Calvert, and one sister, Sarah. After a very basic education at the vicarage school, he was apprenticed to a firm of grocers and later worked in a grocery business in Thorne started by his grandfather. By the mid-1850s, William and his brother John had become successful “seedsmen, grocers, and farmers.” They established an important nursery east of Thorne where he transformed the “unproductive moor” into a place for raising a variety of plants for their business (Limbert 1991).
William was an ardent Quaker who was closely involved with Thorne Friends Preparative Meeting as well as a member of Balby
Monthly Meeting. In March 1879, he became a minister and visited other meetings throughout Yorkshire
, often in the company of a Scarborough Quaker minister, Henry Hopkins.
Throughout his life William showed a deep interest in the district’s poor and the inmates of Thorne Union workhouse
. He visited the workhouse often and led a religious service on Sunday afternoons for several years. He was also a staunch liberal who occupied several parish offices. He also played a crucial role in the Thorne Literary & Scientific Association. At the end of his life, William suffered an accident to his hip and the loss of an eye, yet continued his rigorous schedule. He died of erysipelas
on January 22, 1886 and was buried at the Friends’ burial ground off Church Lane in Thorne.
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and wrote a local history of Thorne, The History and Antiquities of Thorne, with some account of the drainage of Hatfield Chase (1829, 3rd edition 1874). He also established a large garden on the edge of the Thorne Moors with his brother John in which he bred varieties of rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
, sheep laurel, and springbeauty.
William was born in Thorne on October 23, 1796 to Mordecai and Mary Casson. He had two brothers, Mordecai and John Calvert, and one sister, Sarah. After a very basic education at the vicarage school, he was apprenticed to a firm of grocers and later worked in a grocery business in Thorne started by his grandfather. By the mid-1850s, William and his brother John had become successful “seedsmen, grocers, and farmers.” They established an important nursery east of Thorne where he transformed the “unproductive moor” into a place for raising a variety of plants for their business (Limbert 1991).
William was an ardent Quaker who was closely involved with Thorne Friends Preparative Meeting as well as a member of Balby
Balby
Balby is a suburb of Doncaster located to the south-west of the borough in the north of England. It is home to the former secondary school, now sports college Balby Carr...
Monthly Meeting. In March 1879, he became a minister and visited other meetings throughout Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, often in the company of a Scarborough Quaker minister, Henry Hopkins.
Throughout his life William showed a deep interest in the district’s poor and the inmates of Thorne Union workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
. He visited the workhouse often and led a religious service on Sunday afternoons for several years. He was also a staunch liberal who occupied several parish offices. He also played a crucial role in the Thorne Literary & Scientific Association. At the end of his life, William suffered an accident to his hip and the loss of an eye, yet continued his rigorous schedule. He died of erysipelas
Erysipelas
Erysipelas is an acute streptococcus bacterial infection of the deep epidermis with lymphatic spread.-Risk factors:...
on January 22, 1886 and was buried at the Friends’ burial ground off Church Lane in Thorne.