32 
The Presidential Address. 
spuria ), 70 and Venus’ Comb (Scandix pec ten-veneris), 71 some of 
which are wild in Italy, whilst others they had themselves 
derived from the countries that fed the granaries of Rome. 
It is somewhat interesting that a species of Nettle still 
bears the name of Roman Nettle ( Urtica pilulifera), and 
haunts among other places the neighbourhood of Caesar’s 
landing, in connection with which we have a 17th century 
tradition 72 that the Roman soldiers sowed it that they might 
use it to beat then’ chilblains, having heard before coming of 
the rigours of the English climate. 
The Britons no doubt lost much of then’ culture on 
the withdrawal of the Romans, 73 nor is it likely that the 
English invaders introduced many new plants either in¬ 
tentionally or by accident. Their place-names, however, tell 
us much of the trees, animals, and general character of our 
county at the time. Thurrock and Oakley tell of the Oak, 
Bromley and Broomfield of the Broom, Maplestead, Elm- 
stead, and Aldersbrook of three other trees ; whilst Brox- 
bourne and Broxted tell of the Badger, Boreliam of Wild 
Swine, Cranham of Cranes, and the many bourns, fords, 
mers, marshes, wells, holts, and woods of the character of the 
country on their arrival. In the words of Professor Stubbs 
(loc. cit.) the “vast forests and unreclaimed marsh lands 
afforded to the new comers a comparatively easy conquest, 
and the means of reproducing at liberty on new grounds the 
institutions under which they had lived at home.” No doubt 
many of the Roman improvements had been neutralised by 
a period of anarchy, and the English soon showed then’ love 
of rural life in the numerous “ townships,” or “hams ” with 
the meadows and other inclosures, “leys,” “ ings,” and 
70 “ Seulement dans les terrains de champs en Angleterre, deja a 
l’epoque de Gerarde. L’espece est indiquee quelquefois en Italie, hors 
des cultures, par exemple a Rome sur les bords du Tibre et dans les 
montagnes.”— Ibid., p. 676. 
71 From Sicily.— Ibid., p. 666. 
72 John Parkinson, ‘ Theatrum Botanicum ’ (1643), p. 441. 
73 For example, large tracts reclaimed from the sea were again aban¬ 
doned to the waves. See Pearson, op. cit., p. 4. Stubbs (now Bishop of 
Chester) ‘ Select Charters,’ 1870, p. 1. 
