- James Bateman
James Bateman (
July 18 1811 –November 27 1897 ) was an accomplishedhorticulturist and landowner. He developedBiddulph Grange after moving there around 1840, from nearby Knypersley Hall. He created the famous gardens at Biddulph with the aid of his friend and painter of seascapesEdward William Cooke .Born at Redivals near
Bury inLancashire , he matriculated fromLincoln College, Oxford in 1829, graduating from Magdalen College with a BA in 1834 and an MA in 1845."MA Magdalen College, Oxford, 1845, took great interest in collecting and cultivating tropical plants; FLS, 1833; FRS, 1838; fellow of Royal Horticultural Society; published writings on orchids and other horticultural subjects." [ "Concise Dictionary of National Biography," Oxford, 1995, p.169]
He was a collector of and scholar on
orchids , President of theNorth Staffordshire Field Society, and served on theRoyal Horticultural Society 's Plant Exploration Committee. He had a number of notable sons who grew up at Biddulph Grange, including the painter Robert Bateman.He especially loved
Rhododendron s andAzalea s. Bateman was "a collector and scholar on orchids," [http://www.flickr.com/photos/castrovalva/301925626/ Biddulph Grange Tunnels] Bateman "was one of the early developers of orchid culture. He sponsored expeditions toMexico andSouth America enabling collectors to gather rare specimens. He published three lavish books aboutorchids . He pioneered “cool orchid cultivation” which enabled the Odontoglossum to be cultivated inEngland , replicating the cool arid climate of the cloud forests inCentral America where these exotic flowers are found.Walter Hood Fitch , (1817–1892)...was employed by Bateman to create the paintings for his magnificent orchid books...exceedingly rare, A Monograph of Odontoglossum, is comprised of thirty large scale hand-colored lithographs." [ [http://www.audubonart.com/03_bat_text.asp original audubon prints,botanical prints,audubon paintings,audubon watercolors, Mark Catesby, botanical art Chicago, natural history, fine art, historical" ] ] Bateman "was also responsible for laying out the Arboretum atDerby , the first public park inEngland ." [ [http://www.francisfrith.com/search/england/staffordshire/biddulph/biddulph.htm Biddulph photos, maps, books, memories - Francis Frith ] ]His gardens are a rare survival of the interim period between
Capability Brown landscape garden and the High Victorian style. The gardens are compartmentalised and divided into themes. The naturalist, Charles Darwin "received a box of orchids from Bateman on 25 January 1862 (and) a letter from him dated 28th January 1862." [ [http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/darwinletters/calendar/entry-3356.html Darwin Correspondence Project - Letter 3356 — Bateman, James to Darwin, C. R., [1862 ] ]The novel by
Priscilla Masters , "Mr Bateman's Garden" (1987), is a fantasy set in the gardens.In 1861 Bateman and his sons gave up the house and gardens, and he moved to
Kensington inLondon . He later moved toWorthing inSussex , where he died in 1897.Publications
* "The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala" by James Bateman, c.1845 "Only 125 copies of this book were published. It is physically one of the largest botanical books ever published." [ [http://www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/engine/resource/default.asp?txtKeywords=bateman&lstContext=&lstResourceType=&lstExhibitionType=&chkPurchaseVisible=&txtDateFrom=&txtDateTo=&originator=%2Fengine%2Fsearch%2Fdefault%5Fhndlr%2Easp&page=&records=&direction=&pointer=221&text=0&resource=17318 Staffordshire Past Track -Cattleya skinneri - Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala ] ]
* "A Second Century of Orchidaceous Plants," by James Bateman, London: L. Reeve & Co., 1867. "Large-4to (315 x 245mm). pp. viii, with 100 beautifully handcoloured lithographed plates and descriptive text." [https://www.rockingstone.nl/antiquariaatjunk/secure/order.php3?bnr=7428]
* "A monograph of Odontoglossum" by James Bateman, London: L. Reeve & Co., 1874. [ [http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/b11825510 Biodiversity Heritage Library: Information about 'A monograph of Odontoglossum by James Bateman.' ] ] Facsimile of the title page [ [http://www.illustratedgarden.org/mobot/rarebooks/page.asp?relation=QK495F50B37471874&identifier=0007 MBG Rare Books: title page ] ]References
ee also
*
Edward William Cooke
*Biddulph Grange External links
* [http://www.orchids.co.in/orchidologists/james-bateman.shtm James Bateman's work on orchids]
* [http://www.botanicus.org/creator.asp?creatorid=266 View digitized titles by James Bateman in "Botanicus.org"]
* [http://www.miosjournal.org/journal/2007/01/JamesBateman.html James Bateman and Orchid Literature]
* [http://www.miosjournal.org/journal/2007/01/fig1.gifPicture of James Bateman]
* [http://www.illustratedgarden.org/mobot/rarebooks/structure.asp?relation=QK495F50B37471874 Missouri Botanical Garden - "A monograph of Odontoglossum"]
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