Botany

Origins

Botany has its origins in the gardens created by Sir Andrew Balfour (1630-1694) in 1668, assisted by Sir Robert Sibbald (1641-1722). They created a garden at Holyrood and charged James Sutherland (c1639-1719) to look after it. Sutherland procured additional land next to Trinity Hospital in 1675. A year later he was appointed to teach at the College though this was not fully formalised until 1695 when he was also appointed King's Botanist and Keeper of the Royal Garden at Holyrood.

Professors of Botany and Materia Medica

• James Sutherland (c1639–1719), 1676-1705
• Charles Preston (1660-1711), 1706-1711
• George Preston (1665-1749), 1712-1738
• Charles Alston (1685-1760), 1738-1760
• John Hope (1725-1786) 1761-1786
• Daniel Rutherford (1748-1819), 1786-1819
• Robert Graham (1786-1845), 1820-1845
• John Hutton Balfour (1808-1884), October 22, 1845
• Alexander Dickson (1836–1887), 1879-1887
• Sir Isaac Bayley Balfour (1853-1922), 1888-1922
• Sir William Wright Smith (1875-1956), 1922-1956

thereafter the Chair was separated from that of Keeper of the Royal Botanic Gardens

• Robert Brown (1908-1999), 1958-1977
• Michael Magson Yeoman, 1978-1993