Discover how a 16th-century botanist’s observations continue to connect us with Northumberland’s landscapes today. From William Turner’s first record of Herb-paris to its survival in the Wansbeck woodlands nearly five centuries later, Mark Welfare explores the enduring relationship between natural history, place and people.
Walking in William Turner’s footsteps
It is natural to focus on the ‘Natural’ part of Natural History Society of Northumbria but the ‘History’ part offers many chances to cement our relationships with our place and environment too.
In 1547, the 9-year old Edward VI succeeded Henry VIII as King of England. The next year, the great local naturalist/herbalist William Turner noted that:
‘There are [two] kindes of herbe called Aconitum, the one kynde is called Pardalianches, whiche we may call in englishe Libardbayne or one bery. It is much in Northumberland in a wodde besyde Morpeth called Cottingwod. It hathe foure leaves lyke unto great lantaine, & in the overmost top a litle black bery lyke a blacke morbery, but blacker & greater’
And so the first record of Herb-paris (Paris quadrifolia) for the UK was made. Despite changes in land-use, climate and grazing it persists there some 478 years later.
Living in Morpeth, I have a strong kinship with the under-storey plants of the Wansbeck Ancient Woodlands. No plant links me to place more than Herb-Paris and I make an annual pilgrimage to check its population and admire it’s interesting form, feeling connected with Turner and the lineage of our environment. Herb-Paris requires wet seepages with complete canopy cover and I have only managed to find it at two new sites – right below the A1 and on a small stream near Pigdon but it likely occurs at other favoured spots that provide the wet boggy woodland conditions for its survival.
William Turner and NHSN’s Library Collections
Often referred to as the “Father of English botany”, William Turner (c.1509-1558) was an influential physician, naturalist, botanist and theologian born in Morpeth, Northumberland.
Throughout his life, Turner wrote broadly on topics such as medicine, botany and ornithology. His most significant publication, however, was his groundbreaking work A New Herball, published in three parts from 1551 to 1568, and we are fortunate enough to hold a copy of this influential work here in the collections at NHSN.
The sixteenth century witnessed an explosion in the publication of herbals, texts that helped readers to identify plants and explained their medicinal uses. Turner’s Herball is especially significant as it was the first to be written in English, rather than Latin, to make practical botanical knowledge more accessible to a broader audience.
NHSN’s copy, published in 1568, is just one of the fascinating rare and antiquarian books that make up NHSN’s North East Nature Library.
Could you help tell the story of north east Natural History?
As we approach our 200th anniversary in 2029, we are exploring whether member may have items that they would like to donate to help enrich our collections and celebrate this milestone.
What We Are Collecting
We are keen to hear from members who may wish to donate items that:
• Relate to natural history in the North East
• Connect to local naturalists, past or present
• Complement or strengthen existing collections
We are particularly interested in unique and original materials such as:
• Field notebooks, logbooks and records
• Illustrated journals or sketchbooks
• Correspondence and manuscripts
• Photographs
• Biographical material relating to naturalists
• Personalised maps
• Paintings, sketches
• Field Naturalist equipment
• Rare books or books with provenance about North East Natural History or naturalists
• Digital materials e.g., photographic libraries, digital journals
If you’d be interested in donating material, either now or as part of your estate, please get in touch at nena.nhsn@newcastle.ac.uk