HISTORY OF ESSEX BOTANY. 60
about Syon, and none referring to Essex. In 1550 Turner was
appointed Prebendary of York, and soon after Dean of Wells,
being at the same time incorporated M.D. at Oxford. He was
only ordained priest in 1552, by Ridley. In 1551 he published
the first part of his Herball, but having to take to flight on the
accession of Mary, the second part and the complete work in
three parts6 appeared at Cologne in 1562 and 1568 respectively.
They thus had the benefit of the woodcuts made for Fuchsius'
octavo herbal of 1545, which probably belonged at that time to
Arnold Birckman. In this Herbal of Turner's appear the first
Essex records I have. They refer to Ruscus aculeatus, L., a Tilia,
a Hellebore, probably Helleborus viridis, L., and to the Misseltoe
(Viscum album, L.). Thus it happens that the little Butchers'
Broom, which is so frequent in the Forest and in our other
woodlands, is the first scientifically recorded Essex plant, and, as
all four of these species occur in the second part of the Herbal,
Essex Botany dates from 1562—exactly three centuries before
the publication of Mr. Gibson's Flora. These four records of
Turner have considerable botanical accuracy and interest.
"Ruscus," he says, "is named in Greke myrsine agria, that is myrtus
sylvestris, in Barbarus latin bruscus, in English kneholme, or knehull,7 and of
other Bucher broume, and of som Petigre. I never sawe it in Germany,
therefore I know not the Dutche name of it. Ruscus called of Dioscorides
Myrtus sylvestris hath a leafe lyke unto a myrtell tree, but broder, lyke in
fashon unto a lance, sharp in the top. It hath a rounde fruyte in the middes
of the lefe rede, when it is ripe with a harde kirnel within. The twigges are
bowing lyke vinde braunches, which come out of the route, they are tough a
cubit high, full of leaves, the routes are lyke unto grasse binding, tarte in
taste and somthing bitter. This bushe groweth verve plenteously in Essex
and in Kent, and in Barke shyre, but I could never se it in Germany."8
There is a figure of the plant annexed. He also gives
(on p. 153) a very poor figure of a lime tree, with this text :
" Tilia is named in Greke philyra, in Duche ein Linden baume, in English
a Lind tre. It groweth very plentuously in Essekes in a parke within two mile
from Colichester, in the possession of one maister Bogges, it is also very
comon in high Germany and it groweth so far abrode ther that men set
tables aboue in it, whereof som are so long that ten men maye sit well at one
table, and yet roume remaynyng inough for many other besyde the table."
Ray points out that Turner was in error in terming the
species now known as Tilia vulgaris, Hayne, a native of Essex 9 ;
6 Cologne, 1568, fol. British Museum press-mark, 447.g.2.
7 Still so called at Baddow.
8 Op. cit. part ii., p. 120. Previously recorded as English in the Libellus and from Kent
in the Names of Herbes.
9 Ray. Historia Plantarum, II. p. 1694.