Home Page

The Young Charles Darwin - student, naturalist and gardener

Peter D. A. Boyd

Web version of

BOYD, P.D.A. 2009. 'The Young Charles Darwin - student, naturalist and gardener'. In Proceedings of International Conference Bioscience and Society: Biodiversity - Diversity of Living Systems. Ljubljana, Slovenia / Mednarodni posvet Biološka Znanost in Družba: Biodiverziteta – Raznolikost Živih Sistemov. 1st & 2nd October 2009, Ljubljana, Slovenia. [with colour versions of images and some extra images with captions that were not included in the original publication]

Charles Darwin (aged about 6 years)

[©English Heritage Photo Library By kind permission of Darwin Heirlooms Trust].

Abstract

Charles Darwin was one of the most important scientists who ever lived. He was born in 1809 (200 years ago) in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. He was fortunate to have a wealthy father who was a doctor and be part of an intelligent and educated family. He lived in a large house called 'The Mount' with servants and a large garden, on the edge of the town and open countryside. He had developed a strong interest in natural history before he attended his first school at the age of eight, having been taught previously by his mother, brother and sisters. Many poor children of his age never had the opportunity to attend school. However, he was unfortunate because his mother died soon after he started at day school. He was sent to Shrewsbury Grammar School as a boarder for seven years where he studied Latin and Greek but little that interested him. Science was not taught in schools at that time but Charles developed his knowledge by collecting natural history specimens and helping his older brother with Chemistry experiments at home. He was not an exceptional child at school but his father taught him about observation, recording and analysis of information in the garden and surgery, assisting with his patients and diagnosing illnesses. This prepared him for Edinburgh University where he studied to become a doctor but he 'dropped out' because he did not like operations or dissections and was sent to Cambridge University to train for The Church (to become a priest). However, both in Edinburgh and Cambridge he disliked lectures, preferring to read about the subjects in books and spent most of his time having a good time with his friends and collecting beetles. However, he worked hard enough to pass examinations and achieved a good Bachelor of Arts Degree as a first step to becoming a clergyman. That career path was cut short because he had impressed influential professors and lecturers who admired his scientific prowess at a time when the study of natural history (studying the wonders of God's Creation) was considered an appropriate pastime for a clergyman! He was recommended for the role of ship's naturalist on the survey ship 'The Beagle' because of his natural history skills and because he was 'a gentleman' of the right social background to be the captain's companion. His self-motivated study of plants, animals and rocks commenced as a child in Shrewsbury and encouraged at last by perceptive teachers, propelled him into a new direction. However, his five year voyage on The Beagle around the world and his subsequent life of research would have been impossible if his father had not supported him financially and later, when he married, invested a large sum of money, the income from which supported his research, wife and family. He had been raised in a one-parent family and did not do well at school where his interests were dismissed as a waste of time. However, he had the support of his family and eventually, at university, found the support of teachers who recognised his potential.

 

Introduction

Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England on 12th February 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars with France. His birthplace was a house called 'The Mount' built by his father, Robert Darwin, in an elevated position overlooking the town. Charles spent his childhood in Shrewsbury but left it to attend university from 1825-1831 and for his voyage on 'The Beagle' 1831-1836. However, Shrewsbury remained his home and it was Shrewsbury and his family to which he returned between terms from university and after his great voyage. Although he spent most of the rest of his life living in London and Kent, he continued to visit Shrewsbury until his father's death in 1848 and later.

 

Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is the County Town of Shropshire. Shropshire is England's largest inland county with Wales bordering it on its west side. The historic town centre of Shrewsbury is within a loop of the River Severn. It is well known for its historic buildings including Norman castle, medieval abbey, timber-framed tudor buildings, fine churches and museums. The remains of the Roman town of Viroconium (Uriconium) at Wroxeter and the Ironbridge Gorge ('Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution') are nearby.

Shrewsbury viewed from Sutton. 19th century. Watercolour by J. Bather (Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery)

Shrewsbury is surrounded by beautiful countryside of hills, valleys, rivers, lakes, moors and mountains with diverse geology and natural habitats. The coast of Wales is not far away. This was the countryside in which Charles Darwin was brought up and which influenced his lifelong interest in natural history.

 

The Darwin Family in Shrewsbury

Charles Darwin was born into a family of intelligent, influential and shrewd people. His father was Dr Robert Darwin. In 1786, Robert's father, Erasmus Darwin, took him to Shrewsbury from Derby and left him, with £20 in his pocket, to set up a medical practice in Shrewsbury. From that start as a young doctor of 20, he was to become one of the richest and most influential men in Shropshire and the West Midlands.

In 1796, Robert married Susannah Wedgwood, first child of Josiah Wedgwood I, the pottery manufacturer of Etruria near Stoke, Staffordshire. The marriage made the up-and-coming doctor more secure financially and led to an increase in the number of 'useful contacts' as a physician and entrepreneur.

In about 1799, he built the house called 'The Mount' on high ground at Frankwell, overlooking the River Severn and Shrewsbury. The Mount was a large, plain, square, red-brick house, 'of which the most attractive feature was the pretty green-house, opening out of the morning room'. Dr Darwin loved his garden, planting it with a wide variety of trees, shrubs and other plants. He and other members of the family maintained a 'perennial garden diary' recording details of flowerings and fruiting in the kitchen garden, pleasure gardens and glasshouses of The Mount. The doctor travelled about his lucrative practice, covering more than three counties, in a yellow chaise (a type of horse-drawn carriage). He was a physician to rich and poor alike and much respected. He was also a shrewd businessman and part of his wealth came from his sidelines - property speculation and lending money to the landed gentry.

Dr Robert Darwin (1766-1848) and his wife Susannah (1765-1817) had 6 children:

Charles's sisters had a great influence on his upbringing and were important correspondents, keeping him in touch with news of Shrewsbury when he was away from it. Susan Darwin lived at The Mount until her death in 1866. She was the last member of the Darwin Family to live there. The sale details of the house and its contents provide an insight into the nature of the household and way of life of the Darwins in Shrewsbury.

The plan which accompanied the particulars shows four or five glasshouses: a 'conservatory' leading off the house, a 'plant stove' (for tropical plants), 'vineries' (for growing grape vines) and, in the walled kitchen garden, a 'greenhouse'. The kitchen garden also had a 'tool house' and 'shed'. There was a concentric circular parterre with an adjacent summerhouse and another summerhouse closer to the house. There was an Ice House on the slope facing the River Severn.

The Darwin family was wealthy and had several house servants, gardeners and a coachman. The Mount was not just a house and garden but was also the 'Home Farm' for the far more extensive Darwin properties.

Figure 1. The Mount with adjoining conservatory greenhouse. Photograph c.1860 (Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery)

 

Figure 2. Plan of the buildings and garden at The Mount in 1866 (coloured by Peter Boyd)

 

Charles Darwin as a boy in Shrewsbury

Charles's earliest memories were of a time when he was four years old, when the Darwin family went to the Welsh coast for sea-bathing but he seems to have remembered little else from his childhood until he was seven or eight years old.

Figure 3: Charles Darwin (aged about 6 years) holding a Lachenalia plant from one of the greenhouses and Catherine (aged 5 years) in 1816.

[©English Heritage Photo Library By kind permission of Darwin Heirlooms Trust].

As a young boy, Charles was educated by his mother and by his sister Caroline when his mother became ill. Charles considered that his education by Caroline had not been very successful:

In the spring of 1817, Charles was sent to a day-school in Shrewsbury kept by Rev G. Case, the Minister of the Unitarian Chapel on the High Street in Shrewsbury. Charles remained a pupil of the Rev. Case for a year. The Rev Case's house with schoolroom overlooked the churchyard of St. Chad's Church. Charles's mother Susannah Darwin was a Unitarian and had attended Rev. Case's chapel with Charles and her other children. However, both Charles and his brother Erasmus had been christened in St. Chad's Church (Church of England) soon after their birth because, at that time, it was difficult to advance in society and a profession if you were not a member of the Anglican Church. It is significant that the Unitarian Church (attended by the Wedgwood side of the family) encouraged more freedom of thought than the dogmatic Church of England. After his early boyhood and the death of his mother, Charles usually attended St Chad's Church rather than the Unitarian Chapel.

Figure 4: Caroline Darwin 1816 (aged about 16 years) by Sharples.

[©English Heritage Photo Library. By kind permission of Darwin Heirlooms Trust].

Charles remembered little about his mother:

Charles stated that he had been "born a naturalist" but he had certainly developed a strong interest in natural history and collecting man-made objects by the time that he was eight years old:

Figure 5: Erasmus Darwin 1816 - Charles Darwin's brother (aged about 12 years) by Sharples.

[©English Heritage Photo Library. By kind permission of Darwin Heirlooms Trust].

All members of the Darwin Family were enthusiastic gardeners. Robert had filled his large garden with native British and exotic trees, shrubs and other plants. The 'tender' plants that needed to be protected from frost were grown in their conservatory and greenhouses. Susannah and his sisters had worked in the garden at The Mount with Charles. The earliest portrait of Charles (aged 7 years old) is a charming painting showing him holding a potted plant of Lachenalia (a tender bulbous plant from South Africa) that was probably grown by Charles in one of the glasshouses.

Charles remembered:

Of course, it is actually possible to make a white flower coloured by placing the base of a flowering stem (e.g. a carnation) in a coloured solution or even splitting the stem to take up dye from two different solutions. During the course of a few hours, the white flower takes up the colour of the dye. Charles would have enjoyed this experiment if he had tried it!

A later account by William Leighton quoted by Francis Darwin provides an insight into the botanical education that Charles received from his mother when he was a boy. Leighton remembered Charles bringing a flower to the Rev. Case's school and saying that his mother had taught him how by looking at the inside of the blossom, the name of the plant could be discovered. Leighton recounted that "This greatly roused my attention and curiosity, and I inquired of him repeatedly how this could be done?" However, Charles had clearly not remembered his mother's lesson on the classification of plants through the structure of the flowers very well because he could not explain how looking into a flower could help identify it!

Charles was very honest in his recollections:

Robert Darwin wisely undermined the intended affect of these falsehoods by making little of these 'discoveries' rather than accusing Charles of being a liar. However, Charles also admitted that:

In the summer of 1818, a year after his mother's death, Charles was sent to Shrewsbury Grammar School at which Dr. Butler was the Headmaster. He remained there for seven years until Mid-summer 1825 when he was sixteen years old. He boarded at this school, sleeping there rather than living at home at The Mount with his family. He stated that this gave him "the great advantage of living the life of a true school-boy" but as the school was little more than a mile from his home he often ran back there in evening, returning to the school before it was locked up at night:

Figure 6: Exterior of Shrewsbury School. Pencil and wash picture by C.W. Radclyffe. Early 19th century. [Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery].

Figure 7: The School Room, Shrewsbury School. Pencil and wash picture by C.W. Radclyffe. Early 19th century. [Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery]

As a young boy, Charles liked going for long solitary walks and, on one occasion, was so absorbed with his thoughts that he walked off a footpath along the medieval town walls and fell seven or eight feet (about 2.5m.) to the ground. He recounted:

Charles considered that he had been a humane boy who hated cruelty to animals but he stated that he owed this entirely to the instruction and example of his sisters:

Strangely, he was more concerned about the worms used for bait when fishing than the fish that he was seeking to catch:

With regard to insect collecting he had similar concerns:

He also developed an interest in birds:

However, later, like many people who are interested both in wildlife and field sports, Charles became passionate about shooting birds:

This skill was to become a useful one when collecting birds and animals for food or specimens for study during The Beagle voyage.

He also continued to collect natural history specimens but with the acquisitiveness of a collector rather than a scientist:

Charles enjoyed the satisfaction of some scholastic endeavours during his seven years at Shrewsbury School but commented that:

He found chemistry experiments with his brother Erasmus far more stimulating than his lessons at school:

The fact that Charles and his brother worked at chemistry became known at the school. This was such an unprecedented activity that he was given the nick-name 'Gas' by his school friends. However, his teachers were not impressed and Charles was publicly rebuked by the head-master Dr. Butler for wasting his time over such useless subjects. It is not surprising that Charles did not flourish in such an educational environment.

Charles thought that, at the time when he left school, he was considered a very ordinary boy and rather below the average in intellect by all his masters and by his Father. He was deeply upset when his father told him: "You care for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rat-catching, and you will be a disgrace to yourself and all your family". However, in later life, Charles commented that his father "who was the kindest man I ever knew, and whose memory I love with all my heart, must have been angry and somewhat unjust when he used such words".

Figure 8: Dr Robert Darwin. c.1830. Oil painting by W.W. Ouless. From an original by J.C. Pardon. [Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery].

Charles Darwin's father, Dr Robert Darwin, was a remarkable man, loved by his patients, admired by his son and loved by him more as both of them grew older.

Charles's brother Erasmus "possessed a remarkably clear mind, with extensive and diversified tastes and knowledge in literature, art, and even in science. For a short time he collected and dried plants, and during a somewhat longer time experimented in chemistry. ... He read much, even whilst a boy, and at school encouraged me to read, lending me books. ... He was extremely agreeable. He was very kind-hearted; but his health from his boyhood had been weak, and as a consequence he failed in energy". Erasmus seems from later in Charles's account to have suffered from depression.

Charles considered that the minds and tastes of his brother and sisters were very different to his and to each other and commented that some of his sisters had strongly marked characters! However, all were extremely kind and affectionate towards Charles during their whole lives. He was inclined to believe that "education and environment produce only a small effect on the mind of any one, and that most of our qualities are innate".

Charles also enjoyed literature when he was a boy, including the historical plays of Shakespeare and poetry, but this was a pleasure that he lost in later life. However:

Early in his school-days, a boy had a copy of a book called the Wonders of the World, which he often read and disputed with other boys about the veracity of some of the statements. He believed that this book first gave him a wish to travel in remote countries, which was ultimately fulfilled by the voyage of The Beagle.

Charles had many friends at school and his propensity for making close friendships lasted all his life.

 

Edinburgh University 1825-27

As Charles was not doing well at school, his father removed him at an earlier age than normal and sent him to Edinburgh University in October 1825 to train as a doctor. His brother Erasmus was already there, close to completing his studies. Dr Darwin had prepared Charles for the transition to university by involving him in his surgeries and visits to patients:

Charles's sisters were important correspondents, keeping Charles in touch with news of Shrewsbury when he went to university - including news of developments in the garden at The Mount. Caroline sent him a letter on 26th February 1826:

Charles had to help with watering plants in the garden when he was home at The Mount and, in the same letter, Caroline tells him that:

In a letter written to Charles by Caroline on the 22nd March 1826, she was clearly missing him:

Catherine and Caroline wrote again on 11th April 1826:

Charles found the lectures at Edinburgh "intolerably dull" with the exception of those on chemistry. He considered that there are no advantages and many disadvantages in lectures compared with reading. Both Charles and Erasmus apparently made more use of the university library than was usual among the students of their time. The anatomy lectures disgusted Charles and he attended two very bad operations in the operating theatre in the hospital at Edinburgh but rushed away before they were completed. Nor did he ever attend again,

Erasmus only 'overlapped' with Charles one year at the University,

He conducted some original research into marine creatures during this time and presented a paper to the Plinian Society in Edinburgh.

He was also a member of the Royal Medical Society and attended fairly regularly but as the subjects were exclusively medical he did not much care about them.

During his time in Edinburgh, Charles became acquainted with a black man called John Edmonstone who was a freed slave and who had travelled with the naturalist Charles Waterton, (1782-1865) in South America:

Later, during his time in South America, Charles was horrified by slavery and the way that negro black slaves were treated. Charles had been brought up in a family that campaigned against slavery and injustice but developing a personal relationship with and respect for this man must have affected him.

During his second year in Edinburgh, Charles attended lectures on Geology and Zoology but found them incredibly dull:

The Bellstone in Shrewsbury [photo by Peter Boyd]

(moved from its original location on the site of the present NatWest Bank at Mardol Head, where Darwin knew it, to the yard at the Morris Hall, Barker Street)

Charles was healthy and energetic when he was a young man - a stark contrast to his debilitating ill-health that he suffered later in life after the Beagle voyage:

The autumns were devoted to shooting

Charles very much enjoyed his visits to Maer with his uncle and cousins:

About ten years later, Charles married his cousin Emma at Maer.

 

Cambridge University 1828-1831

When Dr Robert Darwin realised that Charles did not wish to become a physician, he proposed that Charles should become a clergyman:

Charles rather liked the idea of life as a country clergyman. He probably thought that it would give him plenty of opportunity for country pursuits such as shooting, fishing and studying natural history! However, he asked his father for more time to consider the proposal more carefully because he had

He read some books about divinity and

Charles was sent to Cambridge University in early 1828 but his success was mixed: Although

However, he also had other friends with whom he developed a taste for Fine Art and music although he commented that

However,

He was very pleased to see one of the beetles that he caught during his time in Cambridge illustrated in a book:

Charles was introduced to serious entomology and supported in his beetle studies in Cambridge by his more knowledgeable second cousin, William Darwin Fox (1805-80) "a clever and most pleasant man". When Charles returned to Shrewsbury during the summer vacations, he clearly missed the stimulating conversation of his university friends. He wrote to William Fox on 12th June 1828:

The delightful drawings, around which Charles inserted various written comments, were probably made by his sister Caroline and actually rather skillful!

Figure 9: Detail from a letter from Charles Darwin to William Darwin Fox with drawings of beetles by his sister [Courtesy of Christ's College Library, Cambridge by kind permission of the Master and Fellows, Christ's College Cambridge].

In a letter from Charles, dated 30th June 1828, in which his sister contributes more charming drawings of his beetles, he tells William that regarding 'Insectology', his "ardour as it is I think redoubled; but my success does not equal what it did in Cambridge." Later in the same letter, he states:

Charles attended very few lectures connected with his formal studies but worked hard at the end of his second year to pass his examinations and, through concentrated effort in the third and last year, he achieved tenth place out of over 100 students in the final examination for the Ordinary Degree of Batchelor of Arts (BA) - a good result!

He seems to have enjoyed the various public lectures given in the university more than those that were necessary for his degree course. These included lectures on Botany given by Professor John Stevens Henslow 1796-1861

Professor Henslow had a profound affect on Charles:

Through his enthusiasm and prowess for natural history, Charles got to know a number of older distinguished men through Henslow. These men took take distant excursions into the country, which Charles was allowed to join and which he much enjoyed.

During his last year at Cambridge, Charles read with care and profound interest Humboldt's Personal Narrative.

Influenced by these books, he planned an excursion to Teneriffe in the Canary Islands "but the scheme was of course knocked on the head by the voyage of the Beagle".

Charles had to remain two more terms at Cambridge after passing his degree examinations before he could graduate. Professor Henslow persuaded Charles to begin the study of geology.

This was a valuable experience for Charles. A discussion about the significance of a shell found in a nearby gravel pit opened Charles's eyes to scientific method:

A geological tour of North Wales with Professor Sedgwick that followed

Eventually, Charles left Sedgwick and went in a straight line by compass and map across the mountains to Barmouth,

On returning home from his short geological tour in North Wales, Charles found a letter from Professor Henslow, informing him that

Charles was instantly eager to accept the offer,

Therefore, Charles wrote that evening and refused the offer. However, on the next morning he went to Maer and whilst out shooting, his uncle Josiah Wedgwood sent for him, offering to drive me him over to Shrewsbury and talk with his father.

It was agreed that he should go and Charles left for Cambridge the next day to see Professor Henslow, and then on to London to see Fitz-Roy. At a later date, Fitz-Roy told Charles that he was nearly rejected because of the shape of his nose!

This is not the place to discuss the subsequent voyage on the Beagle. The main purpose of this paper was to describe the circumstances of his upbringing as a child in Shrewsbury and a student at university which brought Charles Darwin to undertake a voyage that would change his life and eventually lead to publication of On the Origin of Species 150 years ago in 1859.

He was not the ideal student of the time at school or university. He was not supported by the education system of that time but his self-motivated research and support of family, friends and, finally, his university lecturers at Cambridge, gave him the opportunities to develop his particular skills.

 

Charles Darwin's Children

Charles married his cousin Emma Wedgwood (1808-1896) in 1839. Although they lived in London for a short time they moved to Down House in Kent which remained their home for the rest of their lives. They had ten children but only seven of them survived to become adults:

Charles was a loving father. He died in 1882.

Figure 10: Charles Darwin in 1840 at the age of 31 years. Watercolour by George Richmond.

[©English Heritage Photo Library. By kind permission of Darwin Heirlooms Trust].

 

The main publications of Charles Darwin (excluding his numerous scientific papers)

Charles Darwin was prolific researcher and writer. He wrote numerous scientific papers during his life after his return from The Beagle voyage but also many important books:

Charles Darwin died at Down, April 19th 1882.

 

Charles Darwin's autobiography and other sources of information for details of his early life

The main sources for an account of Charles Darwin's childhood and his life as a student have been published in print and online. Charles started his autobiography late in his life, adding to and correcting it over many years. It was written for members of his family and he did not intend it to be published. However, five years after his death in 1887, Francis Darwin (one of his sons) included an edited version of the autobiography in his book The life and letters of Charles Darwin, including an autobiographical chapter. Francis omitted sections of the original manuscript that other members of the family did not wish to be published. This book was republished a number of times and translated into different languages. However, in 1958, Nora Barlow, a grand-daughter of Charles Darwin, published the complete manuscript of his autobiography in The autobiography of Charles Darwin 1809-1882. With the original omissions restored. Edited and with appendix and notes by his grand-daughter Nora Barlow. This is available online in the invaluable website The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online at http://darwin-online.org.uk .

The voluminous correspondence between Charles and members of his family, friends and fellow scientists has been published as the Correspondence of Charles Darwin in several volumes by Cambridge University Press and online by the Darwin Correspondence Project at http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk . Charles would have loved email but we would probably know less about him if email had existed during his time - his emails would not have survived like his letters have!

The present author has carried out original research into the Darwin Family in Shrewsbury, particularly their gardening activities - available online at http://www.peterboyd.com/darwin.htm .

 

References and further reading:

Boyd, P.D.A. 2006. 'The Darwin Family and their Plants at The Mount in Shrewsbury'. NCCPG Shropshire Group Newsletter Autumn 2006. Available online at http://www.peterboyd.com/darwingard3.htm .

Boyd, P.D.A. 2003. 'Shrewsbury, Shropshire: Birthplace of Charles Darwin and Darwin Country'. In Special Publication of Darwin Day Program 'The Single Best Idea Ever' edited by Amanda Chesworth et al. Tangled Bank Press, 35-43. Available online at http://www.peterboyd.com/darwinshrews.htm

Boyd, P.D.A. 2000. Darwin Garden Project - Sale of The Mount in 1866. Shropshire Parks and Gardens Trust Newsletter. Available online at http://www.peterboyd.com/darwingard2.htm .

Boyd, P.D.A. 1999. Darwin Garden Project. Shropshire Parks and Gardens Trust Newsletter. Available online at http://www.peterboyd.com/darwingard1.htm

Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online at http://darwin-online.org.uk .

Correspondence of Charles Darwin Vol. 1 1821-1836. Cambridge University Press.

Correspondence of Charles Darwin Vol. 2 1837-1843. Cambridge University Press.

Darwin, F. ed. 1887. The life and letters of Charles Darwin, including an autobiographical chapter. London: John Murray.

Darwin, C. R. 1958. The autobiography of Charles Darwin 1809-1882. With the original omissions restored. Edited and with appendix and notes by his grand-daughter Nora Barlow. London: Collins. Available online at http://darwin-online.org.uk .

Darwin Country website at http://www.darwincountry.org (Shrewsbury Museums).

Freeman, R. B. 1977. The works of Charles Darwin: an annotated bibliographical handlist. 2nd ed. Dawson: Folkstone. Available online at http://darwin-online.org.uk .

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peter D. A. Boyd

Shropshire Museum Service, Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, Barker Street, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY1 1QH. United Kingdom;

peterboyd@btinternet.com

Peter Boyd is Curator (Shrewsbury Museums) for Shropshire Museum Service, responsible for the museum collections of three museums and the Darwin Country website at www.darwincountry.org . He was a naturalist, gardener and amateur archaeologist from an early age but he graduated with an Honours Degree in Geology from Aberdeen University in 1970 followed by four years of post-graduate research at Sheffield University on the palaeoecology and micropalaeontology of Middle Jurassic rocks in Scotland. He obtained a Post-graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with teaching qualification in Biology, Geology and Environmental Studies at the University of Sheffield in 1975 and taught in a secondary school full-time for two years and as a part-time tutor for The Open University, the University of London and the University of Exeter for several years. However, he was full-time Archaeological Scientist (Environmental Archaeologist) at the Department of Human Environment, University of London Institute of Archaeology/Department of Urban Archaeology, Museum of London 1977-81 and The Mary Rose Trust (the wreck of Henry VIII's warship)1981-82. He became Assistant Curator at the Chelmsford and Essex Museum 1983-86 and Museums Officer and Curator, North Devon Museums Service 1986-1993. He was Museum Collections Manager for Shrewsbury Museums Service 1994-2009 and Curator for Shropshire Museum Service since April 2009. He has published papers on a diverse range of subjects including Charles Darwin, Environmental Archaeology, Pteridomania, Scots Roses, Decorative Arts, Biographies, Garden History and database-driven websites (online versions of most at www.peterboyd.com ). He has lectured in several European countries and North America about Charles Darwin and also Scots Roses. He is writing a monograph on Rosa spinosissima and Scots Roses. He has advised at the Europa-Rosarium at Sangerhausen in Germany, the Roseraie du Val-de-Marne at l'Haÿ in France and elsewhere. He represents Northern Europe on the Heritage Rose Committee of the World Federation of Rose Societies and is a Member of Council of the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG) in the United Kingdom.

 

Publications

Home Page