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Tradescants' Tomb
The two John Tradescants, father and son, were among the earliest English botanists, plantsmen, travellers, collectors and all around polymaths.
John the Elder began his career as head gardener to the Earl of Salisbury at Hatfield House. The Earl initiated Tradescant in travelling by sending him to the Low Countries in search of fruit trees. On later trips John the Elder journeyed as far as Algiers and Arctic Russia in search of new plants and collectables.
Tradescant bought a house in the parish of Lambeth, London in 1625 when he was gardening for Charles I. Here he began cultivating his own botanical gardens introducing many plants that have become staples of the modern garden. He called his new home The Ark because, although it was a family home, the idea was that it was also a place he could keep the collection of curiosities he had gathered from around the world. This attracted so much interest that they opened part of their home as a museum.
It was the first public museum in the country, called Musaeum Tradscantianum. The museum was understandably very popular, with such rarities from around the world as never before encountered or even heard of by virtually any of the visitors.
John the Younger replaced his father as gardener to King Charles when he died. He is accredited with introducing to English gardens great American trees, like Magnolias, Bald Cypress and Tulip trees, and garden plants such as Phlox and Aster. He also added to the cabinet of curiosities his American acquisitions such as the ceremonial cloak of Chief Powhatan.
Both father and son were buried in the churchyard of St-Mary-at-Lambeth, which is now the Museum of Garden History. They are the subjects of two novels by Philippa Gregory, ‘Earthly Joys’ and its sequel ‘Virgin Earth’.
John the Elder also has a genus of plants named after him, called Tradescantia.
Epitaph on the Tradescant Tomb:
"A world of wonders in one closet shut,
These famous Antiquarians that had been,
Both Gardiners to the Rose and Lily Queen,
Transplanted now themselves, sleep here."
Where can it be found? The Museum of Garden History, London.
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