Richard Weston (1733 – 20 October 1806) was an English

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 ...

Life and work

Weston was originally a thread-hosier of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, but in some of his anonymous works describes himself as "a country gentleman". In 1773, he was living at

Kensington Gore Kensington Gore is the name of a U-shaped thoroughfare on the south side of Hyde Park in central London, England. The streets connect the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal College of Art, the Royal Geographical Society, and in Kensington Garde ...

, but later was living at Leicester where he was secretary of the local agricultural society. From the number of his published works, it is evident he had a very wide knowledge of plants and plant literature. His first major work ''"Tracts on Practical Agriculture and Gardening"'', which contained a catalogue of English writers on husbandry gardening and botany, was published in 1769 and dedicated to the Society of Arts. He wrote two multi-part works with Latin names, the Botanicu Universalis and the Flora Anglicana and a number of smaller works, as well as articles in the

Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term ''magazine'' (from the French ''magazine'' ...

. He also published works on the history and literature of Leicester. In the 1804 ''Repertory of arts, manufactures and agriculture'', Weston published one of his latest articles on the "Valuable fossil as a manure", about the appearance of articles in the Annals of Agriculture on new manures based on the researches of Johann Friedrich Mayer, a German clergyman and agricultural reformer.Richard Weston
Observations on Alabaster or Gypsum as a Manure
in: ''Repertory of arts, manufactures and agriculture'' 1804. p. 420-6

Selected publications

In the second part of the 18th century, Weston published many writings. A selection:Gentleman's Magazine 1806, ii, 1080 *''Tracts on Practical Agriculture and Gardening'' 1769 *''Botanicus Universalis et Hortulanus'' - 4 volumes 1770 - 1777 *''Flora Anglicana...'' - 2 parts 1775 and 1780 *''The Gardener's and Planter's Calendar'' 1773, 2nd ed. 1778 *''The Gentleman's and Lady's Gardener'' 1774 *''The Gardener's Pocket Calendar'' 1774 *''Ellis's Gardener's Calendar'' 1774 *''The Nurseryman and Seedsman's Catalogue of Trees Shrubs, Plants and Seeds'' 1774 *''A New and Cheap Manure'' 1791 *''The Leicester Directory'' 1794

References

External links

* The Identity of ''Cornus citrifolia'' Weston {{DEFAULTSORT:Weston, Richard Botanists with author abbreviations 1733 births 1806 deaths 18th-century British botanists 19th-century British botanists