WILLIAM CRAWFORD WILLIAMSON 



1816 1895 



By DUKINFIELD H. SCOTT 



Early exponents of Fossil Botany Witham of Lartington Edward William 

 Binney William Crawford Williamson early influences first contri- 

 bution to science studies medicine work on Foraminifera appointed 

 Professor at Manchester successful popular lecturer- his influence in 

 Natural History investigation of the Carboniferous Flora controversy 

 with French palaeo-botanists the magnitude of his output defects in 

 his work later work at Kew personal traits. 



During the last forty years the study of fossil plants has 

 come to be a specially vigorous and characteristic branch of 

 British botany. The proper subject of my lecture is Williamson, 

 the man to whom above all others the present strong position 

 of the subject is due. But " there were brave men before 

 Agamemnon," and there are two of the older masters, Witham 

 and Binney, whom I cannot wholly pass over. I ought really 

 to include others, and notably Sir Joseph Hooker, to whom we 

 owe our first clear understanding of Stigmaria and of Lepido- 

 strobus, but this course does not extend to those who, like Sir 

 Joseph, are still living among us and still in active work\ 



I am indebted to Mr Philip Witham, a member of the family, 

 for some information about Henry Witham, of Lartington, the 

 first Englishman to investigate the internal structure of fossil 

 plants. 



Henry Witham was, by birth, not a Witham, but a Silvertop, 

 having been the second son of John Silvertop of Minster Acres, 



1 Since these words were spoken the veteran leader of English Botany has passed 

 away. A notice of Sir Joseph's career will be found in this volume, and the present 

 writer has given some account of his work on fossil plants in an Atmiversary Address 

 to the Litmean Society, May 24th, 1912. 



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