Alexander Lockhart, Sr. – his life
Alexander
Lockhart is was an enigma. He is was one of those rare men whose life’s story can
primarily be told through the life of his wife Marie whose own life is recounted
in Marie Richenet – from Switzerland to
Ireland – her Amazing Life Story. (His family of origin has now been located due to DNA testing - see article above).
A copy of his marriage in The Belfast Newsletter: ”At Armagh, on the 6th
inst. By the Rev. C.S. Mangin (sic). Mr Alex Lockhart to Miss Maria Richney(sic).”
[1] This marriage was
also located in the registers of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh: “Alexander Lockhart of this Parish of
Armagh, Gardener to His Grace the Lord Primate, and Maria (sic) (Marie) Richart
(sic) Richenet of this parish were married in this church by license with the
consent of "friends", this sixth day of May, 1826, by me Rev. Cosby
Stopford Mangan, Witnesses: William Penton, and James Smyth”.[2] Both witnesses were listed as seedsmen in Pigot's 1824
Directory.
Both Alexander and Marie signed the marriage
register themselves. This is the one and only time Alexander's own signature
has been seen, and it confirms that both were literate.
At
the time of the baptism of Alexander’s first son, John, in Armagh in 1827 [3]
Alexander Sr's residence was "the parish of Armagh" and his title was
Gardener to his Grace the Lord Primate. The father's abode was "Demesne”,
which is the property owned by the Archbishop around the Cathedral. Griffith's
Valuation for the parish of Armagh indicated a Townland called Demesne, the property
of the Archbishop for all of Ireland. It is described as consisting of
"The Palace, offices, gate-lodges, gardener's house and land". It is
therefore most likely that the Lockharts were living in the "gardener's
house" in the demesne of the Archbishop of Armagh.
The
next reference to Alexander was the 15 April 1829 baptism of their second son,
Alexander, in St. Marylebone Church, London, England. [4]
The family abode was Great Marylebone Street (now New Cavendish Street) and
Alexander’s profession was given as Gardener. This church and residence are directly
across Marylebone Road from the famous Regent’s Park which was being developed
at that time. This might suggest the reason for their move to London.
However,
no other records in London have been located to indicate how long they may have
lived there. In 1838 a New Testament was given to Marie in Rockingham, County
Roscommon, the residence of Lord Lorton. It is therefore probable that
Alexander was with her and was performing the role of gardener to this
aristocratic family. It is not known how long he and Marie spent at Rockingham.
At
some point in the 1840’s the family moved to Belfast where a reference is found
for Alex Lockhart on Shankhill Road in the 1846-47 Henderson’s Directory.[5] Griffith
Valuation for Belfast lists Alexander Lockhart as the immediate Lessor
(Landlord) in the Parish of Shankhill, Townland of Townparks, for 33 Church
Lane (Shankhill Parish, St. George’s Ward), shop and stores occupied by James
Killen & John P. Gibson.[6]
There
are no other known direct references to Alexander apart from the document
signed when his son Alexander entered his training for the practice of law on
19 March, 1856 Belfast by becoming an apprentice to William Michael Moore. The
affidavit of parent was signed by Marie Lockhart, of 34 Arthur St., Belfast,
Co. Antrim, widow, stating that she is the mother of Alexander Lockhart. Alexander,
also of 34 Arthur Street, Belfast, states that his father was Alexander
Lockhart, deceased, Gentleman.
Alexander died on 6 Jan 1848 at the age of 60 in Belfast, Ireland. The
burial records of Christ Church have not survived, and strangely no newspaper
carried his obituary or even a death notice. His death information was obtained
from his tombstone, erected probably a number of years later by his son
Alexander. The tombstone reads:
Lockhart
Family burying place of Alexander Lockhart. In memory of his father Alexander
who died 06 January 1848, aged 60 years. And his mother Marie who died 12
January 1862 aged 64 years. Also his daughter Margaret who died 17 January 1870
aged 2 years and 2 months. Also his son John who died 13 November 1886 aged 23
years. And also of his beloved wife Margaret who died 18 October 1887, aged 60
years. And of the above named Alexander Lockhart who died 31 August 1892 aged
63 years. Also his son Henry who died 18 January 1902 aged 36 years. Also his
son Alexander Agnew Lockhart who died 09 October 1925 aged 63 years. "I
know that my Redeemer liveth." Job 19, 25.[7]
Shankill graveyard adjoins St. Matthew's Church in Shankill Road, the area where Alexander and Marie first
lived when they came to Belfast. It is a very old cemetery and was the
closest cemetery to Christ Church where subsequent family records indicate the
Lockharts attended. The tombstone has not survived but fortunately the
inscriptions were recorded some years ago. Alexander’s burial in this graveyard led to Marie's there as well, and so it became the
future burial place of all of the 18th & 19th Century Lockhart and Agnew (his
daughter-in-law’s family) burials.
In the family’s possession is a small note book with entries starting in
1827. It very much appears to have been a gardener's note book, with references
to various bulbs and flowers, measurements, etc.
What strange mixed messages we appear to have been left with. No known
date or place of birth or family of origin. No records of the significant
education and training which would have been required for a gardener to rise up
through the ranks. Yet, Alexander reached the level of head gardener to the
Primate of all Ireland and thereafter in all probability held a similar or
substantial position with respect to the design and development of the famous
landscape at Lord Lorton’s estate at Rockingham. Those in such positions were highly educated
men and members of what we would call a professional class. His marriage was announced
in the newspaper, which is considered unusual and significant by John McCabe, a
leading Irish genealogist, and Alexander’s son became a solicitor in the time
when upward social mobility was not the norm.
During his life Alexander also knew or came into contact with several
notable people of high standing. This included Lord John George Beresford, the
Archbishop of all Ireland, his sister; Lady Anne, both of whom resided in the
Palace demesne in Armagh; Lord George Thomas Beresford, their brother, who
along with his daughters were frequent visitors to the Palace; Harriet
Beresford Dunbar, niece of the Archbishop and her husband, George Dunbar, and
finally, Henry Russell, founder of a well-known Belfast legal firm.
Additional on-going research, including DNA, may prove the current
hypothesis that Alexander was from Cumbria in northern England. But conjecture
cannot give us specific details about Alexander’s early life and family. What
will help, however, is an understanding of the world of gardening in the 18th
century, and the role which head gardeners played in society where they were highly thought of by
the upper class and were much in demand. A head gardener would not be equated
with a member of the labouring class and indeed often held a fairly esteemed
position in society. As a professional or landscape gardener Alexander may have
worked for his own account, or for a particular family or both. He might have moved around on a seasonal
basis which could explain why he has been so difficult to trace. The plethora of early gardening publications
and organizations should have made it easy to find Alexander – but – so many
potentially relevant records have been lost or destroyed. What can we therefore
learn that may help fill in the gaps in Alexander’s life?
It
will be helpful to keep in mind that at the time of Alexander’s marriage in
1826, where he appeared full-blown as a head gardener, he was 39 years of age.
This suggests a prior significant personal history of education, training and
experience. In the family today there is a miniature oil painting of a handsome
young Alexander Lockhart, very formally dressed in blue suit jacket and high
neck cravat. The style of dress suggests that it may have been painted about
1810 and would be an indication of someone of sufficient status to have been
able to afford to have such a painting completed.
It
is also helpful to known that extensive research in a wide range of available
records in Ireland, including wills, has never been able to connect Alexander
to any other Lockhart families in Ireland. At the same time, the Alexander
Lockhart from Cumbria above was born 1 April, 1787, the
son of John Lockhart, a prize-winning cottage gardener on the grounds of Netherby,
the estate of Sir James Graham in Kirkandrews-Upon-Esk, Cumbria, England.
This is a very close approximation to the date of birth of 1788 suggested from the
Belfast tombstone of Alexander Lockhart.
This Alexander’s mother, Margaret Story, died 10 days after his birth
and he subsequently disappears from all local records. He was not found in any
further census, marriage or death records. This absence could tie him to the
Alexander who arrived in Armagh in 1826.
Of
even greater significance is that this would make him the half-brother of David
Lockhart,
the famous botanist, born 1786, whose early training is presumed to have
taken place in London’s Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. Perhaps Sir James Graham, who was also a
London MP, might have been instrumental in arranging contacts and
introductions. We know that in 1839 Sir James was very impressed by the later accomplishments
of David Lockhart and gave a glowing speech in his honour upon his visit from
Trinidad, where he had become Superintendent of the Botanical Garden.[8] This
possible link to David Lockhart and Kew Gardens was a helpful place to begin
our wider search into the world of gardening.
Chapter
two – Alexander’s Career as Gardener
“In
the first half of the nineteenth century the word ‘gardener’ did not simply
mean someone who enjoyed gardening; it invariably meant a professional
gardener, properly trained”. …Anyone other than a professional would be
described as simply ‘an amateur’ or be given a specific name in the context of
gardening, such as florist or botanist’. If the meaning of ‘gardener’ is not
understood much of what is written in gardening literature of the time may be
misconstrued”. Anne
Wilkinson, The Victorian Gardener: the
Growth of Gardening and the Floral World.
Head Gardeners – status and
role
Head
gardeners were generally regarded as men of great moral fibre and upstanding
character, according to Toby Musgrave who added that “the head gardener emerged as a man of influence within the spheres of
horticulture and botany during the seventeenth and ...the eighteenth century”.[9] The
aristocracy and the landed gentry had long used their estates as a means of
displaying their wealth, but the industrial revolution’s newly wealthy
industrialists, financiers and merchants led to the establishment of many more
large estates. In all situations the main aspect of these status symbols was
the garden which was a means of demonstrating one’s learning and financial
success. The responsibility to create and maintain such displays of
one-upmanship became the head gardener’s.[10]
Musgrave
further points out as the job of professional gardeners was an esteemed
position in society, any applicant would have required a sound reference, preferably
from a well-known head gardener or a recommendation from the current employer.
It was also not uncommon for visiting guests to poach their host’s head
gardener. Word-of-mouth recommendations became very valuable due to the landed
gentry’s extensive social networks. Most head gardeners’ pedigrees included training
in the most prestigious gardens such as a royal residence, an established stately
home or even a Botanic Garden. Gardeners with specific botanical knowledge were
a prestigious acquisition for any estate owner and an apprenticeship served at
one of the Royal Botanic Gardens meant that the fully qualified gardener would
be much in demand for his skill and knowledge.[11]
Responsibilities
The head
gardener was, in effect, the managing director of a small to medium-sized
complex business. He could appoint and manage his own staff over which he had
complete authority. He would not be seen participating in the hard physical
tasks of his staff. His job was to supervise and inspect and plan the grand
formal gardens, pleasure grounds and conservatories to ensure they were running
efficiently, to make sure they were productive and to maintain records of
planting and produce supplied to the house.[12] To
effectively and successfully manage a sizeable establishment required the
continued application of superb horticultural and management skills as well as
the self-discipline to continue to improve and develop one’s own skills. The wealth of new plants brought to
Britain by various plant hunters also presented regular new challenges as these
plants required careful and skillful nurturing to survive.
Musgrave
provided a more comprehensive description of the role of the head gardener: “ to ensure that the formal gardens juxtaposed
to the house and wider pleasure grounds looked at their peak whatever the
season or the weather…to ensure the grounds reflected or set the latest style
…to ensure the ornamental gardens were filled with the latest, rarest and most
expensive plants… to fill the glasshouses and conservatories with rare plants
in their prime…to ensure kitchen gardens produced the blooms and foliage that
he carefully transformed into elaborate decorations to grace the house..to
cultivate the greatest diversity of vegetables and fruits to the highest level
of perfection… in and out of season, so that the dining table …was laden with
the unusual and the tasty”[13]
The head
gardener had also, of course, to meet his employer’s expectations including designing
seasonal planting schemes for the formal beds and terraces. The year-round nature
of gardening required that all gardening activities would be carried out at the
appropriate time and to the expected standards. He was also responsible for
good relations with the domestic staff of the house. Because of his level of
education, expertise and independence the head gardener was considered a class
of servant above the rest and in the social hierarchy of an estate meant that
he ranked equally with the butler, housekeeper or cook.
Head
gardeners would normally have commanded the respect and loyalty of their
employers however they also often received far less than their due, given their
achievements and successes, and their high level of expertise, experience and
management abilities. The horticultural press wrote that a head gardener required “incomparably greater
application of mind than that of a butler, and a gardener is also expected to
have attained a greater stock of general knowledge than the other, and not to
be behind him or any servant in attention to his duty, fidelity to his master’s
interest and general trustworthiness”.[14] However, Musgrave indicates that “praise
for the moral fibre and intellectual standing of head gardeners was frequently
accompanied by complaints that they were not accorded their true position in
society, nor were they paid sufficiently well, often preventing their rise
through the social ranks”.[15]
Education and Training
This
highlights the question of Alexander’s whereabouts prior to 1826. Where did he
complete his training and his apprenticeship? It is known that David, his
supposed half-brother, had been connected to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew
from where he was sent on a plant-hunting expedition to the Congo in 1816. An
obvious source of information seemed to be these Kew records but their archivist
and librarian indicated that the news was not good. No records at Kew cover the
early period when David and Alexander might have been there. This is due to the
fact that at that time and until 1841 the gardens were still the property of
the Crown and therefore the records for the late 18th & 19th
century are held at the Royal Archives in Windsor. It was disappointing to then
learn that “unfortunately, the Royal Archives do not hold any records of gardeners
for this early period either. Sadly, the early staffing records from this
period – the papers related to Kew and its then Curator, William Townsend Aiton
were destroyed. The reason is unknown, but a later successor to the role of
Curator, John Smith, report that the papers were burnt by John Aiton, William
Townsend Aiton’s brother. However, this is not proof that he was not
there”. It certainly is a shame that the earliest records of Staff at Kew were
sadly destroyed. I am very glad to say however that we do hold quite a lot of
material related to David Lockhart. As you can no doubt see from his entry
in Ray Desmond's Dictionary of British and Irish botanists and horticulturists
he was clearly an important member of his profession”.[16]
Therefore,
Alexander may have trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew along with David
Lockhart, but we will never be able to prove or disprove this. However, to have
been acceptable to Kew or any other establishment he would still have had to go
to through a hierarchical training process. Dr. Charles Nelson, a well known
Irish horticulturist with whom extensive correspondence has been undertaken,
explained in several emails that there were no "schools" of gardening;
training was by serving time in large established gardens attached to a large
house or demesnes or in several botanic gardens. Only after those stages could
a man call himself a gardener, and he may have worked many more years before
becoming a head gardener.[17] Nelson indicated that Alexander would have
had to go through the three preliminary stages, and most probably did not begin
anywhere near Armagh. He even mused that he may not have been Irish at all.
Professor
Sir Roderick Floud in a June 2013 lecture pointed out that “the aspirant gardener, later to aspire to
the heights of a head gardener, was expected to become a skilled botanist and
horticulturalist. Employers were enjoined to provide a library of books on
plants and their cultivation, which the apprentices and junior gardeners were
expected to study in their spare time, after working hours…formal
apprenticeship was followed by jobs in a variety of gardens, gradually working
up through an hierarchy of posts…Biographies show gardeners moving all around
the country from job to job, before achieving their first post as head gardener
in their 30’s or 40’s. Many remained unmarried through their early careers.”
[18]The
timing indicated here fits very well when we remember that Alexander would have
been 39 at the time of his marriage.
Musgrave
quotes John Claudius Loudan, the most- distinguished gardening author of the
age, who vehemently declared that “that
the good head gardener had to be possessed of a good and broad education in
addition to fine horticultural skills.”[19] He
said that a “gardener must not only be a
good practical botanist but possess some knowledge of chemistry, mechanics, and
even of the principles of taste...he must write a good hand, spell and point
correctly, and compose a good letter. Drawing... is indispensible...as well as
sketching landscape, and some knowledge of French”. [20]
Musgrave
elaborated that “To reach the elevated
position of a head gardener began aged twelve or fourteen when a young lad,
already in possession of a good primary education, embarked on a traineeseship”
that would moved through pot boy, then a year or so as an apprentice gaining an
understanding in the different divisions of the garden – the ornamental
grounds, the kitchen garden, the glasshouses, followed after four years or so
to the position of journeyman gardener. He could move from one establishment to
another , changing jobs to further develop skills in the various disciplines of
horticulture. After two or three years a talented journeyman could then take a
head gardener’s post in a small garden, perhaps with a staff or two or could
move to another large establishment as a foreman of one of the garden
departments. The next step would be that of general foreman or deputy head
gardener before being fully qualified as a head gardener”.[21]
Musgrave
explained that it was taken for granted that before entering a garden an
apprentice was possessed of a tolerable school education including writing,
arithmetic, geometry, drawing and some rudiments of Latin. Once in a position
during the day the apprentice and journeyman both had to work and master the
diverse practical skills of gardening taught by means of instruction and
experience – long ten hour days, six days
a week. Evenings were dedicated to self-improvement through the study of
both horticultural theory and foreign
languages, arithmetic and book keeping, mathematics, drawing, geography and
history, oral and political science, natural philosophy and chemistry, natural
history, general knowledge and professional books as well as general and
professional periodicals.[22]
Loudon, in 1845, laid out more topics such as geography of natural history, geology, meteorology and physiology, practical
geometry and trigonometry, hydrostatics and hydraulics, land-surveying,
levelling, planning and mapping, architectural drawing and perspective.[23]
Others insisted on English grammar, geology, botany, vegetable physiology,
horticultural chemistry, physical geography, entomology, land measuring,
architectural drawing, letter writing, and penmanship.
These
academic demands are clearly significant and indeed it is known that when David
Lockhart died he left £100 to his
home school in Kirkandrews-Upon-Esk, perhaps an indication that he (and
Alexander) had received a solid foundation upon which to build their subsequent
learning. Documents from the Netherby
estate also indicate that Sir James Graham was very supportive of educational
activities on his estate.
The Archbishop’s Palace in Armagh
Dr.
Charles Nelson is very familiar with the Archbishop’s demesne and garden in
Armagh. He indicated that the Palace
in Armagh was not a small house, nor would the archbishop's household
(including garden and farm staff) have been small. There was a large walled
demesne to look after, a large walled garden, and glasshouses. One man could
never have looked after such a place and never would have in those days. There
was a garden house and there would have been other staff accommodation,
including a gate-lodge. “The point is
this - the Archbishop's garden was not a small affair, and one man would not
have run it.”[24]
We know that Alexander
is described as Gardener to His Grace the Lord Primate in the baptismal and
church records. Although he is not described as the head gardener, the former
designation and title clearly indicate a specific position. Additional research
has located the names of the other head gardeners to the Archbishop in the
years up to 1826 and following 1829, so we can fairly safely assume that
Alexander was, in fact, the head gardener while at Armagh.[25]
Interestingly, in the 1834 obituary of James Elles, identified as gardener to the
Archbishop from 1830, his education was outlined. He had learned Latin and
Greek in grammar school, after which he became a botanist and a cultivator of flowers. He had
been gardener to the Marquess of Bath for ten years before coming to Armagh,
where he died four years later.[26]
Botanic
Gardens
Botanic gardens became
popular in the nineteen century when plant collecting occurred on an increasing
scale worldwide. There were other training or work opportunities within Ireland
for Alexander, for example, The National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin,
Dublin, also known as Royal Botanic Gardens, was founded in 1790. Dr. Charles
Nelson has researched its history and advised that no Lockhart was ever at the
National Botanic Gardens according to his Occasional Paper 4.[27]
There
was also Trinity College Botanic Garden in Dublin where Archbishop Beresford,
was, in fact, the Chancellor of the university from 1851 to 1862. They too do
not have early staff lists.
The
Belfast Botanic Gardens were established in
1827 but an examination of their available records has not located
Alexander Lockhart after 1829 when he may have returned to Ireland from
England. Interestingly, it has been learned that until 1864 the affairs of the
Company were run by a committee with headquarters at 47 Arthur St.[28]
Of note is the fact that Marie and her son Alexander lived at no. 34 Arthur
Street from 1856 to 1862.
Palm houses and hot houses
Hothouses, known as
conservatories, became popular everywhere. These greatly extended the growing
season and allowed for a wide variety of fruit and vegetables for the family
table as well as unusual flowers for decorating the house. [29]
A large glass house was built by the Archbishop at Armagh in 1826, the time of
Alexander’s presence there. Then, during the 1830’s and 1840’s, the time when it
is believed that Alexander was resident
gardener at Lord Lorton’s estate, Rockingham, some significant features were
added including a vast walled garden with extensive glasshouses. It appears
that Alexander had skills and experience in this area. The extensive gardens
and the attention paid to the importance of the demesne grounds of the
aristocracy reinforces the assumption that Alexander’s skills as a gardener
would have been the reason for a move to Rockingham. A recommendation from a
former employer such as the Archbishop would have carried weight with someone
like Lord Lorton.
At the same time large
palm houses made of glass and cast iron were developed and installed in rapid
succession in various parts of Ireland and England. Many of the individuals
involved in these developments would have been contemporaries of Alexander. The
Dublin based famous ironmaster Richard Turner completed the wings of the Palm
House at Belfast in 1840, the curvilinear greenhouses at Glasnevin 1848 and
also designed the iron work for the Great Palm House at Kew.[30]
In 1837 Joseph Paxton, head gardener to the Duke of Devonshire, built the
largest glasshouse in the world, 277 ft. by 123 ft. and followed this up in
1851 by what eventually became the Crystal Palace of London.[31]The
names of other individuals continue to crop up in the world of gardening from
this period, including the famous English architect and garden designer Decimus
Burton (1800-1881) who designed the Palm House at Kew and worked on Regent’s
Park. It must have been a stimulating time to be involved in the world of
gardening.
The literature of the
day indicates that there was a constant interchange of individuals in the
gardening world between England, Scotland and Ireland. Gardeners and gardening
writers in Alexander’s time, such as J.C. Loudon, travelled and wrote
extensively. There was very close contact between the great gardens in Britain,
notably Kew as well as Dublin and Edinburgh. Head gardeners also moved around
between the three countries. The majority of well-known gardeners and landscape
gardeners were Scottish, often from gardening families, and left a strong
legacy in places such as Glasnevin, Trinity College Dublin, Belfast Botanic
Garden. Landscape designers and
architects such as John Nash (1752-1835), and John Sutherland (1745-1826) left
their mark in all of these countries.
The Royal Horticultural Society
of Ireland (RHSI)
A
professional society known as The Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland was founded in
1816 by Dublin gardeners “to protect and
promote the science of horticulture” . From then till 1830 it was run by
gardeners of the gentry. In 1835 the professional gardeners formed their own
society, the Practical Floral and Horticultural Society because the gentry,
rather than the gardeners, had taken over the RHSI. It was different from its
counterparts in England and Scotland in that it was an association of “professional gardeners, not of amateur
horticulturalists or landed gentry”. [32]
Again,
there is no list of early members. The Archivist has indicated that the
earliest membership records are from 1897, and minute books up to 1842 are no
longer available.
The Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland was, like
everything else, affected by social, cultural and political changes in Ireland.
A very poignant story is outlined from the account of one of their shows:
“ At the Autumn Show of 1849 there was
unprecedented tumult. As the show came towards its end there was a sudden rush
toward the fruit and vegetable exhibits and a section of the attendance fought
with each other as they tried to grab as much of the produce as possible. The
Irish Farmers’ Gazette reported that “the scene of Thursday evening last
outbeggers description for vulgarity, ferocity and a total disregard to
anything approaching the most remote degree to decency and honesty…” “This was during one of the most calamitous
years of the ‘Great Famine’. During the week of the Society’s Autumn Show over
one million persons were being maintained in the Poor Law workhouses or on
outdoor relief because they would otherwise have starved to death. Yet whilst
the famine arose from the loss of the potato crop, the Freeman’s Journal
describing the exhibit at another of the Society’s shows during this period
pointed out that “…the specimens of the potato and the several varieties of table
succulents …were all of the best kind and in great profusion:. In the
circumstances it is easy to pardon the behaviour of the hungry citizens of
Dublin”. [33]
Alexander’s
time in London
We have already learned
that in 1829 Alexander and Marie were living in London. The reason for their
move is not known but an intriguing tidbit has been mentioned in a book written
at the Archbishop’s Palace in Armagh by Eleanor Alexander, the daughter of a
later Archbishop. The main character is Lady Anne, sister to Archbishop
Beresford from Alexander and Marie’s time. She is described as “a most autocratic personage; one who could
not get on with the head gardener, and had to have her own man, her own garden,
her own key, her own walk – everything for her very own proud self.”[34]
If this referred to Alexander it
could indicate why the situation might have become very unpleasant for him and
precipitated a move away.
Alexander and Marie
lived on Great Marylebone Street
(now New Cavendish Street) and Alexander’s profession was given as gardener.
This residence was around the corner from the famous Regent’s Park, originally
known as Marylebone Park. Within the inner circle of the park was a private
nursery known as Jenkins Nursery, the lease having been taken up in 1826.[35]
The park was commenced in
1812[36]
and during the 1820’s and 1830’s was under extensive development. The scope of the
activities being undertaken could certainly have provided a role for
Alexander’s skill and expertise.
In
1828 the Zoological Gardens were established
in Regent’s Park. We learn that “Apart altogether from the world-famous
collection of animals that is to be seen here, these grounds present a
remarkably pleasing and natural appearance, which is largely brought about by
the numerous well-arranged shrubberies and flower beds that confront one in
almost every direction”.[37]
The archivist of the Zoological
Society of London, Regents Park, London, Michael Palmer, advised that he could
not find anything about Alexander in the development of the Zoological Gardens
(1820’s – 1840’s) nor in any membership lists or employee lists (1820-1840’s).[38]
Once again we find Decimus Burton on staff as architect in 1832 where he was
commissioned to design some of the gardens and some of the buildings for the
animals.
In 1839 the Royal Botanic Society was founded in
the park. Eighteen acres which had been leased to Jenkins, the nursery gardener
who had supplied trees for the Park, were rented for the society, and again
Decimus Burton was the architect who laid out the Gardens.[39]
This was located in the Inner Circle, the former Jenkin’s Nursery and is now
Queen Mary’s Gardens (it is not related to Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew).
But
it was the work of the Regent’s architect, John Nash, which was changing this
area even more significantly. His proposals for terraced housing led to
extensive upheaval in the park, and “for
several years after the spring of 1830 the public were restricted to the use of
the roads and paths only…while tree-planting and general ground-work
improvements were being carried out.” [40]
Alexander
could have been part of these activities. Alternatively, had he gone to London
to work in the Jenkins Nursery? No records have been found to substantiate
either concept.
Summary
The extensive appendix
and bibliography indicate the level and scope of research which has been
undertaken to try to learn more about Alexander Lockhart and his gardening
career. New record sources are becoming available frequently so a keen look-out
is being kept in this regard and we may hope to learn more about Alexander and
his life. In addition, the DNA research being undertaken may at least prove (or
disprove) the story of Alexander’s origins.
[1] Belfast
Newsletter, May 19th, 1826
[2] Marriages solemnized
in the Parish of Armagh, County Armagh, 1823-1826, Church of Ireland, Armagh
Parish records, MIC/583/12/138, Alexander Lockhart and Marie Richenet Marriage,
1826, Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)
[3] Baptisms,
Parish of Armagh, Armagh, County Armagh, 1823-1829, Church of Ireland, Armagh
Parish records, MIC/583/12/138, John Lockhart, Baptism, 1827, PRONI
[4] Parish
Register of Baptisms, St. Marylebone Parish Church, Saint Marylebone Road,
London, Alexander Lockhart, baptism, 15 April 1829, FHL 580,912
[5] Henderson’s Directory,
Belfast, 1846-47, 284-285
[7] R.S.J. Clark, Editor, Gravestone Inscriptions, Belfast, Vol.
1, (Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 1982)
[8] Carlisle Patriot, 23 September, 1839
[9] Toby Musgrave, The Head Gardeners, Forgotten Heroes of
Horticulture, (London: Aurum Press
Limited, 2007), viii
[14]
The Gardener’s Magazine, 1828,
vol IV, 32
[16] Helen Broderick,
archivist trainee at Kew Gardens, Email to author, 31 October 2006 & 2 November, 2006
[17] Charles Nelson and
Aidan Brady, ed, Irish Gardening and
Horticulture, (Dublin: Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland, 1979)
105
[20] Gardener’s Magazine, 1826, 1; 10-14, J.C.
Loudon, Self Education of Gardeners.
[24] Dr. Charles Nelson Email to
author, 2 December, 2006
[25] Bradshaw’s Directory, (Armagh, 1819), Charles Lamb, Gardener to His
Grace the Lord Primate, and Gardener’s
Magazine, Vol. 10, p. 412, James Elles, obituary, Gardener to His Grace at
Armagh, 1830-1934.
[26] Newry Commercial Telegraph, July 8,
1834.
[27] Dr. Charles Nelson Email to author, 27 November, 2006
[28] Eileen McCracken, The Palm House and Botanic Garden, Belfast (Belfast:
Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, Nicholson and Bass Ltd.,1971), 13
[29] Keith Lamb and
Patrick Bowe, A History of Gardening in
Ireland, (Dublin: National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, 1995) 59
[30] Nelson and Brady, ibid, 54
[31] Ronald Webber, The
Early Horticulturalists, (Newton Abbot: David and Charles) 1968,
25
[32] Garden History, Issue 3, Vol. 6
[33] Freeman’s Journal, 14 August, 1846. 3rd annual report
(1850), Irish Poor Law Commissioners, p. 4 as quoted in Nelson and
Brady, ibid, 80
[34] Eleanor Alexander, Lady Anne’s Walk, Edward Arnold, London,
1903
[35] Ann
Sauders, A Study of the Development of the Area of Regent’s Park from 1086 to the Present Day (Newton Abbot: David and Charles, 1969) 154
[36] A.D.
Webster, Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill,
History and Antiquities (London: Greening
& Co., Ltd. 1922) 11
[38] Michael Palmer,
Archivist, Zoological Society of London, Email to author 14 October, 2006
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