56 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
heated in severe weather by means of a four-wheeled fire 
basket filled with charcoal which was drawn backwards and 
forwards through the house by a gardener. 
One of the most famous of these early gardens and one 
which had perhaps the greatest influence upon the development 
of the materia medica of the period was the Chelsea Physic 
Garden, founded by the Society of Apothecaries of London in 
the year 1673. The Society of Apothecaries itself was formed 
in 1617 ‘‘that the ignorance and rashness of presumptuous 
empyrics and unexpert men might be restrained whereby many 
discommodities, inconveniences and perils do daily arise to 
rude and incredulous people.’’ The earlier garden of the 
Society had been at Westminster but this had no river front- 
age, and the grounds at Chelsea were leased as a convenient 
spot for building a barge house for the processional barge in 
which the apothecaries attended functions, as was the custom 
for city companies. The ground was leased from Charles 
Cheyne, Esq., who, under date of August 9, 1673, did ‘‘ devise 
and grant unto the master wardens and Society of the Art and 
Mystery of Apothecaries of the City of London, their succes- 
sors and assigns, a piece and parcel of ground and premises 
therein mentioned, to hold from Michaelmas then next ensu- 
ing unto the full end and term of 61 years, at a yearly rental 
of five pounds.”’ 
The name of the first gardener was Piggott, whose services 
were discontinued in 1677 and Richard Pratt was chosen to 
succeed him at a salary of thirty pounds per annum. In 1681 
a green house, or so-called ‘‘stove,’’ was erected adjacent to 
the river at a cost of 138 pounds. It is of interest to note 
that this house was probably one of the first to be supplied 
with so-called ‘‘subterranean heat,’’ conveyed by means of a 
brick flue under the conservatory. At about this time four 
small cedar trees were planted, the first to be established in 
England. Two lived for a century and the third for almost 
two hundred years, while the last one was not removed 
until 1903. 
A memorable date in the annals of the garden was the year 
1712, when Dr. Hans Sloane, a member of the Apothecaries, 
purchased the Manor of Chelsea from Lord Cheyne. Two 
years later the garden committee met with Sloane to ascer- 
tain his views relative to the future of the garden. From this 
