William Jackson Bean (26 May 1863 in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
– 19 April 1947 in
Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
) 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 ...
and
plantsman
A plantsman is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable gardener (amateur or professional), nurseryman or nurserywoman. "Plantsman" can refer to a male or female person, though the terms plantswoman, or even plantsperson, are sometimes used. The word is ...
, who was curator of
Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...
from 1922 to 1929. He was responsible for some of the present collections of trees and woody plants there.
Bean began his career at
Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...
as a trainee gardener. He remained at Kew for over 45 years, reaching the position of curator in 1922. Bean wrote a history of Kew Gardens, which was published in 1908.
He wrote the first two-volume edition of the reference work ''Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles'', which was published in 1914. A revised four-volume edition of this work remains a standard reference work for
woody plant
A woody plant is a plant that produces wood as its structural tissue and thus has a hard stem. In cold climates, woody plants further survive winter or dry season above ground, as opposite to herbaceous plants that die back to the ground until sp ...
s grown in Britain today.
Bean retired from Kew in 1929. In his retirement Bean wrote three other books: ''Shrubs for Amateurs'' in 1924, ''Ornamental Trees for Amateurs'' in 1925, and ''Wall Shrubs and Hardy Climbers'' in 1939. He also revised and expanded ''Trees and Shrubs'' several times.
Bean was awarded the
Victoria Medal of Honour
The Victoria Medal of Honour (VMH) is awarded to British horticulturists resident in the United Kingdom whom the Royal Horticultural Society Council considers deserving of special honour by the Society.
The award was established in 1897 "in per ...
in 1917 and the
Veitch Memorial Medal
The Veitch Memorial Medal is an international prize issued annually by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
Goal
The prize is awarded to "persons of any nationality who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement and improvement o ...
of the
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...
in 1922.
2014 RHS Awards for Exceptional Contributions to Horticulture Announced
/ref> He was awarded the Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...
in 1936.
His son George Ewart Bean
George Ewart Bean (1903 – 7 December 1977) was an English archaeologist and writer who specialized in classical Turkey. His father William Jackson Bean was a botanist, author, and curator of Kew Gardens. Bean was educated at St Paul's School, ...
(1903-1977) was a leading authority on the classical heritage of Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
References
Bibliography
1863 births
1947 deaths
British botanists
Botanists active in Kew Gardens
Victoria Medal of Honour (Horticulture) recipients
Veitch Memorial Medal recipients
{{UK-botanist-stub