Ellen’s letter: 9th April 1811
On 9th April, 210 years ago today, Ellen answered a letter that she had just received from Dawson Turner, written on 25th March. His letter to Ellen has survived and you can read it HERE.
Ellen’s letter written on 9th April 1811 is HERE.
This is letter three of a set of five letters. The next two letters are 7th May and 29th May.
If you are joining Ellen’s Story: On This Day 210 Years Ago with this post, you might want to look at the posts from 8th March and 23rd March with two letters and with notes that explain some of the people mentioned and themes covered.
In the post
In 1811 letters and parcels took some considerable time to get between Bantry, West Cork, Ireland and Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. Dawson Turner, writing on 25th March, was delighted to have received a letter from Ellen, written on 8th March. (Ellen’s letter of 23rd March crossed in the post with Dawson Turner’s of 25th March.)
‘Sir T Gage’
Sir Thomas Gage (1781-1820), whose family seat was Hengrave Hall, Suffolk, had married the daughter of Lord Kenmare (his seat was Killarney not Kenmare). Sir Thomas was a keen botanist, and was often ‘botanising’ in Killarney and we assume from references in letters that he visited Ellen in Ballylickey to compare and share specimens.
‘My new Jungermannia’
This is the one Dawson Turner refers to in his information about William Jackson Hooker’s forthcoming publication, British Jungermanniae. Dawson Turner wrote ‘at the head of which will stand the species that is honoured by your name’. Ellen had found the species in one of her favourite spots, by a waterfall in Glengarriff Woods and it was ‘new to science’. William Jackson Hooker would describe and publish it and had chosen to name it Jungermannia hutchinsiae after Ellen. He had also chosen to make it the first entry in his book ie ‘at the head of’ it. Both of these actions are evidence of the significance that fellow botanists gave to Ellen’s contribution to the understanding of the non-flowering plants.
‘I enclose you my best specimen’
Ellen’s generosity and her delight in being useful is shown here, in her willingness to part with her best specimen of something that was very rare. Specimens were the botanist’s most significant reference source, not just a collection for a collection’s sake.
Butterwort and Bladderwort
Ellen refers to seeing the leaves of Large Flowered Butterwort Pinguicula grandiflora (see image above). She is doubtful of finding the flowers of the Flatleaf or Intermediate Bladderwort Utricularia intermedia. These are both carnivorous or flesh-eating plants. Try a Google search or Wikipedia for how they catch and eat tiny creatures.
‘I had no hammer with me yesterday’
Lichenologists need hammers to be able to collect specimens of lichens that grow on rocks.
Madeline Hutchins
Researcher on Ellen and her great-great-grandniece