Anna (Worsley) Russell (November 1807 – 11 November 1876) was a British

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

. She has been described as "perhaps the ablest and most outstanding woman field botanist of her time".

Biography

Anna was born in November 1807 in

Arnos Vale, Bristol Brislington West is a council ward of the city of Bristol, England. It covers the western part of Brislington, together with Arnos Vale and Kensington Park. Brislington Brislington is one of the largest suburbs of Bristol, southeast of the ci ...

, one of at least seven children born to Philip John Worsley, who was a sugar refiner. Her family were

Unitarians Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present) ...

and several of them had scientific interests; as a child they encouraged her in her interest in natural history. At first she studied

entomology Entomology () is the science, scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such ...

(the study of insects), but later she turned to plants. Anna's brother-in-law, Thomas Butler, who would later be the rector of a parish near

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

and the father of the novelist Samuel Butler, himself had a strong interest in botany and may have influenced Anna to pursue it as well. In 1835, the first volume of H. C. Watson's ''New Botanist's Guide'' was published, containing substantial contributions from Worsley, namely a list of flowering plants in the Bristol area. This brought greater attention to her work and in 1839 she published her ''Catalogue of Plants, found in the Neighbourhood of Newbury'', which ran to thirty-one pages and included the first records in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

of over sixty species. She soon joined the

Botanical Society of London The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) is a scientific society for the study of flora, plant distribution and taxonomy relating to Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The society was founded as the Botani ...

and actively contributed to its specimen exchanges. She also developed an interest in

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

and

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

. Worsley married Frederick Russell in 1844. Russell was also a Unitarian and a botanist; they had been friends for several years, with Russell accompanying Worsley on plant gathering expeditions and collecting some specimens for her. At first they lived in Brislington, near Bristol, but in 1856 they moved to

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a ...

, Warwickshire. She studied the fungi in the local area, publishing a paper in the '' Journal of Botany'' on rare local species and preparing more than seven hundred and thirty drawings. Anna Russell died in Kenilworth on 11 November 1876. Her husband had died before her and she had no children. She left her drawings to the

British Museum (Natural History) The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum an ...

, where they are still kept, and her herbarium and collection of birds' eggs to the

Birmingham and Midland Institute , mottoeng = Endless Learning , established = 1854 by Act of Parliament , city = Birmingham , province = West Midlands , country = United Kingdom , president = Sir David Cannadine , vice_president = Dr Serena Trowbridge, Sami ...

Bibliography

* ''Catalogue of Plants, Found in the Neighbourhood of Newbury'', Mrs Anna Worsley Russell, Palala Press, 50p, ''2015'',

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Anna 1807 births 1876 deaths British botanists Women naturalists Scientists from Bristol 19th-century British women scientists British women botanists