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The William Borrer Transcription Project

The Context

William Borrer was once described as the 'Nestor of British Botanists' by the Director of Kew Gardens, with a second stating that 'No one...has a critical knowledge of British plants superior, and scarcely any equal, to your own.'

​Read our article introducing William Borrer Esq.

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The Beginnings

In February 2020, as part of our focus on Henfield's green history, a research trip was made to the Department of Manuscripts and University Archives at Cambridge University Library to digitise 104 of Borrer's letters and notes, dating from 1815 - 1860. The bonus of the long unseen Regency era silhouette portrait displayed at right also came to light - perhaps it belonged to his wife Elizabeth.

​The first and largest part of these were written from 1842 to 1860 by Borrer to fellow botanist Charles Cardale Babington. The second part are a mixture of notes and letters to and from Borrer dating from 1815 - 1853.

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The Ongoing Project

Having been categorised, the transcription of these letters is now being divided out amongst volunteers. Once this process is complete (on course for 2020-21), we intend to make the transcripts available for botanical research, while identifying and publicising selected extracts which provide a more general insight into Borrer's life and times.
Picture
Silhouette portrait of William Borrer Esq, courtesy of Cambridge University Library
Picture
William Borrer Esq. (1781 - 1862). Image, Henfield Museum
​Website funded by the Friends of Henfield Museum, built & maintained by R. S. Gordon. Credit to Mike Ainscough for moving the website idea from discussion to reality.
Henfield Museum, 2023, All rights reserved except where stated otherwise.
  • Home
    • Our Vision
    • The History of Henfield Museum
  • Collections
    • The Marjorie Baker Photo Collection >
      • Those Who Served
    • Costume >
      • Costume: Current Exhibitions
      • Costume: Past Exhibitions
      • Costume: Features
    • Our Art Collection
    • Wade Family Watercolours
    • Historic Photograph Collection >
      • Henfield Past in Colour
      • Ghosts of the Past
      • Henfield's Royal Celebrations
    • Audio Library
    • Maps & Aerial Photos
  • Exhibitions
  • Henfieldians Past
  • Blog
  • Heritage Projects
    • Henfield's Natural History >
      • Arborea
      • The William Borrer Transcription Project
    • Oral Histories
    • A Favourite Object
    • Henfield Heritage Trails
    • Local History Research
  • Friends of Henfield Museum
    • Join Form: The Friends of Henfield Museum
  • Henfield History Group
  • Key Resources
  • Education & Outreach
  • Gift Shop
  • Contact Us and Opening Times