Amelia Egerton, also known as Lady Amelia Hume (25 November 1751 – 8 August 1809), was a British

horticulturalist Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

. She and her husband,

Sir Abraham Hume, 2nd Baronet Sir Abraham Hume, 2nd Baronet (29 February 1749 – 24 March 1838, in London) was a British floriculturist and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1774 and 1818. Life and Politics He was born the eldest son of Sir Abraha ...

, are best known for their rare plant collection at

Wormleybury Wormleybury is an 18th-century house surrounded by a landscaped park of 57 ha (140 acres) near Wormley in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, a few miles north of Greater London. The house was rebuilt in the 1770s from an earlier house built ...

and their introduction of many rare plant species into England.

Biography

Early life

Amelia Egerton, daughter of John Egerton, was born on the 25 November 1751. Her brothers were the

John Egerton, 7th Earl of Bridgewater John William Egerton, 7th Earl of Bridgewater FRS (14 April 1753 – 21 October 1823), known as John Egerton until 1803, was a British cavalry officer, and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1777 to 1803 when he succeeded to t ...

and

Francis Egerton, 8th Earl of Bridgewater Francis Henry Egerton, 8th Earl of Bridgewater, (11 November 1756 – 11 February 1829), known as Francis Egerton until 1823, was a noted British eccentric from the Egerton family and supporter of natural theology. Egerton was a Church of Eng ...

. She was granted the rank of earl's daughter in 1805 and was subsequently known as Lady Amelia Hume. She married Sir Abraham Hume in April, 1771. In 1772, Lord Hume inherited

, an 18th-century private house with a landscape park, from his father, Sir Abraham Hume, 1st Baronet, after his death in 1772. The house is located near Wormley in

Broxbourne Broxbourne is a town and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Hoddesdon, in the Broxbourne district, in Hertfordshire, England, north of London, with a population of 15,303 at the 2011 Census.Broxbourne Town population 2011 I ...

, Hertfordshire.

Wormleybury

Lady and Lord Hume were well known among leading 18th-century botanists and horticulturalists, both in England and abroad. Between 1785 and 1825, they introduced many rare plant species into England. Most of their plants came from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

. With the help of their gardener, James Mean, the exotic plants were maintained out in the open and in specially designed and constructed glass houses. The glass houses were installed with elaborate stoves to maintain the temperature and humidity of many exotic plants and trees. Lord and Lady Holmes were very successful in establishing and propagating the plants that were entrusted to their care at

. Lady Hume died in London on 8 August 1809. She was survived by her husband, Lord Hume, and her two daughters, watercolor painter

Amelia Long Amelia Hannah Long , Lady Farnborough (1772-1837) (née Hume) was a watercolour painter who specialised in landscapes and botanical subjects. Born in Wormley in 1772, Long would specialise in watercolours of landscapes depicting the Bromley ar ...

(1772–1837), and Sophia, Countess Brownlow (1787–1814).

Contributions

Botanist

James Edward Smith James Edward Smith may refer to: * James Edward Smith (botanist), English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society * James Edward Smith (murderer), American murderer * James Edward Smith (politician), Canadian businessman and mayor of Toronto * ...

, dedicated his book, ''Spicilegium Botanicum, Gleanings in Botany'' (1791) to Lady Hume. He discussed Lady Humes's contribution to English horticulture in his volume, ''Exotic Botany'', " Dr. Roxburgh ( Calcutta Botanic Garden, India) ... has sent Lady Hume a fine young tree of this species, ''Dellinia speciosa'', Malabar, which is now in a very thriving state. It is presumed to be the first ever brought alive to Europe". Lord and Lady Hume introduced many new plant species into England, including the first white

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall. The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...

(''Punica granatum'' fl. Alba) in 1796, the 'Maiden's Blush' (''Camellia japonica'') and the large Mandarin orange (''Citrus nobilis'') in 1805. The Hume's most important introduction, the first Tea Rose from China, 'Hume's Blush Tea Scented China Rose' (''Rosa odorata'') was planted at Wormleybury in 1810.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hume, Amelia British horticulturists Women horticulturists and gardeners 1751 births 1809 deaths Burials in Hertfordshire Wives of baronets