MAJOR THOMAS BRETT COWBURN 



Major Thomas Brett Cowburn, J. P., was born at Syden- 

 ham, in Kent, on the i6th of November 1839. He came to 

 reside at Boughspring, Tidenham, near Chepstow, in May 1856. 

 He was gazetted to the 52nd Light Infantry, December 19, 

 1857; went to India at the time of the Indian Mutiny in 

 1858, landed at Kurachee, Bombay, and marched to Delhi. 

 He was in Central India five years, and came home with 

 his regiment, then ordered to Limerick. Major Cowburn left 

 the regiment in 1868, but in 1869 was appointed Adjutant of 

 the I St Monmouthshire Rifle Volunteer Corps (2nd Volunteer 

 Battalion of the South Wales Borderers), and continued Adju- 

 tant till 1885. He married Fanny Sophia Morgan, daughter 

 of Thomas Henry Morgan, Esq., in 1869, and went to reside 

 at Dennel Hill in 1869. 



Major Cowburn did not begin to grow Ferns until the 

 beginning of 1888, though he was passionately fond of them, 

 and used to express regret that he had not studied Ferns 

 when in India, as he was in the midst of these lovely plants; 

 he had been then more attracted by the flowering plants, and 

 had brought some home with him. His fine collection of 

 hothouse and herbaceous plants at Dennel Hill evidenced his 

 great love for flowers. Although British Ferns did not 

 occupy Major Cowburn's attention until 1888, he at once 

 threw his whole energy into raising crossed varieties, re- 

 peating and extending the author's experiments, and doing 

 this in so thorough a manner that, had his life been spared, 



great things would have been accomplished. Many of his 



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