William Phillips (4 May 1822 – 23 October 1905) was a Wales-born 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 ...

and

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

Life

Born at

Presteign Presteigne (; cy, Llanandras: the church of St. Andrew) is a town and community in Radnorshire, Powys, Wales on the south bank of the River Lugg. Formerly the county town of the historic county of Radnorshire, the town has, in common with severa ...

Radnorshire , HQ = Presteigne , Government = Radnorshire County Council (1889–1974) Radnorshire District Council (1974–1996) , Origin = , Status = historic county, administrative county , Start ...

, on 4 May 1822, he was fourth son in a family of ten children of Thomas Phillips and Elizabeth, daughter of James Cross. After receiving some education at a school at Presteign, Phillips was apprenticed to his elder brother James, a tailor, in High Street,

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

, with whom and another brother, Edward, he went in due course into partnership. In 1859 he joined the Shrewsbury volunteers, and became a colour-sergeant. Phillips was elected a fellow of the

Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...

in 1875, and was fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

. He became a borough magistrate in 1886, and was presented with the freedom of the borough on 17 August 1903. He died of heart-disease at his residence in Canonbury, Shrewsbury, on 23 October 1905, aged 83, and was buried in the general cemetery in Longden Road, Shrewsbury.

Botanist

Phillips took up botany about 1861 at the suggestion of his friend William Allport Leighton the lichenologist. Beginning with flowering plants, Phillips turned to

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 ...

about 1869, first to the ''

Hymenomycetes Hymenomycetes was formerly the largest taxonomic group of fungi within the division Basidiomycota, but the term is no longer taxonomically relevant. Many familiar fungi belong to this class, including bracket fungi and toadstools. This class conta ...

'' and afterwards mainly to the ''

Discomycetes Discomycetes is a former taxonomic class of Ascomycete fungi which contains all of the cup, sponge and brain fungi and some club-like fungi. It includes typical cup fungi like the scarlet elf cup and the orange peel fungus, and fungi with frui ...

'', though other groups of

cryptogam A cryptogam (scientific name Cryptogamae) is a plant (in the wide sense of the word) or a plant-like organism that reproduces by spores, without flowers or seeds. The name ''Cryptogamae'' () means "hidden reproduction", referring to the fact ...

s were also among his interests. Between 1873 and 1891, with

Charles Bagge Plowright Charles Bagge Plowright (3 April 1849 – 24 April 1910) was a British doctor and mycologist. Plowright trained as a doctor at the West Norfolk and Lynn Hospital, eventually becoming a surgeon there. He was also a Medical Officer for Health for ...

, he contributed a series of notes on ''New and rare British Fungi'' to ''Grevillea'', and between 1874 and 1881 he issued a set of specimens entitled ''Elvellacei Britannici''. In 1878 he helped to found, and formed the council of, the Shropshire Archæological and Natural History Society, and in its ''Transactions'' (vol. i.) appeared his paper on the ferns and fern-allies of Shropshire, which he had printed privately in 1877; other papers followed in the ''Transactions''. In 1878 Phillips published a ''Guide to the Botany of Shrewsbury'', and before his death completed for the

Victoria County History The Victoria History of the Counties of England, commonly known as the Victoria County History or the VCH, is an English history project which began in 1899 with the aim of creating an encyclopaedic history of each of the historic counties of En ...

an account of the botany of the county. In 1887 he published his major work, ''A Manual of the British Discomycetes'', in the International Scientific series (with twelve plates drawn by himself).

Antiquarian

In later life Phillips engaged in archæological research, and made studies of the earthworks, castles, and moated houses of Shropshire. Many of his findings were published in ''Transactions of the Shropshire Archæological Society'', ''Salopian Shreds and Patches'', ''Bye-Gones'', or ''Shropshire Notes and Queries'', which he edited, and to a great extent wrote, towards the close of his life. ''The Ottley Papers'', relating to the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, which he edited for the Shropshire Society between 1893 and 1898, form a complete county history for the period; and he edited the first part of

John Brickdale Blakeway John Brickdale Blakeway (24 June 1765 – 10 March 1826) was an English barrister, cleric and topographer. Life The eldest son of Joshua Blakeway, of Shrewsbury, by Elizabeth, sister of Matthew Brickdale, Member of Parliament for Bristol, he ...

's ''Topographical History of Shrewsbury''. He took part in the preservation of the remains of

Uriconium Viroconium or Uriconium, formally Viroconium Cornoviorum, was a Ancient Romans, Roman city, one corner of which is now occupied by Wroxeter, a small village in Shropshire, England, about east-south-east of Shrewsbury. At its peak, Viroconium ...

; helped to arrange the borough records of Shrewsbury, and to prepare the calendar (1896); edited the ''Quarter Sessions Rolls'' of Shropshire from 1652 to 1659, and transcribed the parish registers of

Battlefield A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...

(2 vols. 1899-1900) and Stirchley (1905) for the Shropshire Parish Register Society. In 1896 Phillips, a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

and at one time a local preacher, published ''Early Methodism in Shropshire''.

Family

Phillips married in 1846 Sarah Ann, daughter of Thomas Hitchins of Shrewsbury, who died in 1895. Two sons and two daughters survived him.

Legacy

Miles Joseph Berkeley Miles Joseph Berkeley (1 April 1803 – 30 July 1889) was an English cryptogamist and clergyman, and one of the founders of the science of plant pathology. Life Berkeley was born at Biggin Hall, Benefield, Northamptonshire, and educated at R ...

dedicated to Phillips a genus of fungi under the name ''

Phillipsia ''Phillipsia'' is a genus of fungi in the family Sarcoscyphaceae. There are about 17 species in the genus, which collectively have a widespread distribution in subtropical and tropical areas. The genus was circumscribed by Miles Joseph Berkeley ...

''. Phillips was involved in the conversion of the Shrewsbury Free School buildings into

Shrewsbury Library Shrewsbury Library is housed in a Grade I listed building situated on Castle Gates near Shrewsbury Castle. The site was the home of Shrewsbury School from 1550 until 1882. The buildings were handed over to the town in 1882 and a free library a ...

(from 1882), and he became its curator of botany. Manuscript volumes by him on antiquarian subjects were preserved there. His botanical manuscripts and drawings, including his correspondence with botanists at home and abroad, were purchased at his death for the botanical department of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, William 1822 births 1905 deaths English botanists English antiquarians Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London People from Presteigne English mycologists Contributors to the Victoria County History