Botany

From Our History
Jump to navigation Jump to search

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. Botany was originally combined with Materia Medica, the latter being taught during the winter months, the former in the summer. Essentially Botany was seen as a medical subject and was thus based in the Faculty of Medicine.

During the term fifth Professor, John Hope (1725-1786), Botany and Materia Medica were separated into separate Chairs, Hope being retitled 'Professor of Medicine and Botany', with Francis Home (1719-1813) being appointed Professor of Materia Medica. Students in this period included William Roxburgh (1751-1815), later to be Superintendent of the Botanic Garden at Calcutta. Hope was succeeded by Daniel Rutherford (1748-1819), on whose watch Robert Brown (1773-1858) was to graduate.

Professors of Botany (and Materia Medica)

King's Botanist (Regius Professor) and Keeper of the Royal Botanic Gardens

Thereafter the two positions stayed combined as an automatic joint appointment.

Professor of Botany and King's Botanist (Keeper of the Royal Botanic Gardens)

Thereafter the Chair was once again separated from that of Keeper of the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Professors of Botany

Retrieved from ‘https://ourhistory.is.ed.ac.uk/index.php?title=Botany&oldid=1503’