The distribution of the Oxlip Primula elatior (L.) Hill in Essex
Acknowledgements
Many people have helped in the preparation of this paper. My greatest debt is to Chris Preston. The
project and much of its format were stimulated by his similar work in Cambridgeshire, and he made
many helpful comments on the draft under considerable time pressure. Arnold Cooke offered much
advice on the paper, particularly on those aspects relating to deer. His methods are regularly used on
the reserves of the Essex Wildlife Trust as a part of our deer management programmes. Ken Adams,
County plant recorder for Essex, without whose efforts Jermyn's flora may not have seen the light of
day, gave tremendous support to the project, including personal records, mapping, and historical data.
Many thanks must go to the individual recorders, Tony Morton, Peter Gomm, Anna Tilmouth,
David Corke, and Shirley Watson who all gave much of their personal time to carry out the survey
so efficiently. In particular I thank Charles and Shirley Watson for their meticulous historical records,
which gave the project such a good start. Reserve wardens Mike Rowley and Roy Norfolk gave
tremendous detail on their sites. Simon Leatherdale of the Forest Enterprise surveyed a number of
their sites and without his endless help and patience it would not have been possible to unravel the
complex situation at Hempstead Wood. Staff at Uttlesford and Braintree District Councils gave
enormous help in locating most of the owners of the sites we visited. Without the knowledge of Mrs
Elsie James and Doug Joice it would not have been possible to understand the position at Great
Bardfield. Thanks also go to all those who wrote to me with their observations and records on the
Oxlip - if their interest is anything to go by it should be the county flower of Essex!
I am grateful to the Saffron Walden Conservation Volunteers and to English Nature for the funding
that made the project possible.
Finally, but not least, many thanks to Peter Harvey, technical editor of the Essex Field Club's 'Essex
Naturalist' Journal, for getting the paper into print - his efficiency made everything very easy.
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