HISTORY OF ESSEX BOTANY. 59. 



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 Hevhall, but having to take to flight on the 

 accession of Mary, the second part and the complete work in 

 three parts^ 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 Rusciis aculcatus, L., a Tilia, 

 a Hellebore, probably Hellehorus viridis, L., and to the Misseltoe 

 [Viscinn 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 Barbaras latin bruscus, in English kneholme, or knehull,? 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 iefe 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 verye plenteously in Essex 

 and in Kent, and in Barke shyre, but I could never se it in Germany."^ 



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 rnany 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 '' ; 



6 Cologne, 1568, tol. British Museum press-mark, 447. g.2. 



7 Still so called at Baddovv. 



•s Op. cit. part ii., p. 120. Previously recorded as English in the LibeUiis and from Kont 

 in the Names uf Hcrbes. 



9 Ray, Historia Plantarum, II. p. 1694. 



