Anna Mildred Massyn Veitch B.A. (1 November 1889 – 1970) was a teacher and businesswoman, becoming the final member of the

Veitch Veitch or Vetch is a Scottish surname, and may refer to: Veitch * Arthur Veitch (1844–1880), horticulturist * Bill Veitch (1870–1961), New Zealand politician * Champion Doug Veitch (born 1960), Scottish musician and songwriter * Colin Veitch ...

family of

horticulturist 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 ...

s to manage the family business of

Veitch Nurseries The Veitch Nurseries were the largest group of family-run plant nurseries in Europe during the 19th century. Started by John Veitch sometime before 1808, the original nursery grew substantially over several decades and was eventually split into t ...

Family

Mildred was the daughter of

Peter Veitch Peter Christian Massyn Veitch (February 1850 – 1929) was a member of the family of horticulturists who established the renowned family business Veitch Nurseries. Early days Veitch was the son of Robert Veitch and was born in the Cape of Good Ho ...

and his wife, Harriett Drew.

Education

Mildred was educated at

The Maynard School The Maynard School is an independent and selective day school for girls aged 4–18 in the city of Exeter in Devon. Founded in 1658, the school is the second oldest girls' school in the country, only predated by the Redmaids' High School in ...

in Exeter, remembered as a 'star pupil' who excelled in tennis, history, French and maths. In 1909, she won a place at

St Hilda's College, Oxford St Hilda's College is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college is named after the Anglo-Saxon Saint, Hilda of Whitby and was founded in 1893 as a hall for women; it ...

to read history.

Career

Following her degree, she taught history at Queen Margaret School, Scarborough, and Syndenham High School, before returning to the family business in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

1919. Following her father's death in 1929, she took over the family business although she retained the business name, "Robert Veitch and Son". In 1931, she oversaw the nurseries moving from New North Road into larger premises in Alphington which were closer to another large site in Exminster. The interests in the High Street, Exeter were moved to Cathedral Close, and this shop and seed warehouse remained in business until the late 1960s. The independence of the Veitch Nurseries ended in 1969 when Mildred was forced to sell the company to

St Bridget Nurseries ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

due to ill health, with no other family members remaining to take on the business. The business of Robert Veitch and Son Ltd was run separately for nearly twenty years, but Veitch's is now a subsidiary of St. Bridget and no longer trades under its own name. Mildred is commemorated by a ''

Camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 described species, with some controversy ...

'' ''"Mildred Veitch"''.

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Veitch, Mildred English horticulturists 1889 births 1970 deaths Businesspeople from Exeter Veitch Nurseries