William Wilshere: a Hitchin lawyer and his garden

This talk is based on William Wilshere’s Farm and Gardening Memoranda, spanning the years 1809 to 1824, supplemented by information from his cash books, bills and a journal and planting book started by his gardener, James Bowie, in 1812. The talk includes brief biographies of Wilshere’s gardeners, notably James Bowie who in the autumn of 1814 was sent by Sir Joseph Banks on a plant hunting expedition to Brazil.