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William Sole (1739–7 February 1802) was a
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William Sole made his will shortly before his death on 15 January 1802 and left his estate to his siblings living in Cambridgeshire. There is no evidence that he married. He died on 7 February 1802, aged 63, and was buried at Church of St John The Baptist, Batheaston, Church of St John The Baptist, 
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
apothecary
''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Ameri ...
and 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 ...
.
The ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' states that William Sole was born in 1741 in Little Thetford
Little Thetford is a small village in the civil parish of Thetford, south of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England, about by road from London. The village is built on a boulder clay island surrounded by flat fenland countryside, typical of sett ...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
,The current 2004 edition of the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'' gives Thetford in Norfolk, but older editions and contemporary documents state that Sole was born in Cambridgeshire. However, evidence suggest that he was born in 1739 and Baptised on 28 September in Witchford
Witchford is a village and civil parish about west of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,385.
History Anglo-Saxon cemetery
When the site of RAF Witchford was being cleared a bulldozer drive ...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
.
William Sole was the first son of John and Martha Sole. Sometime after his birth, the family moved to Little Thetford
Little Thetford is a small village in the civil parish of Thetford, south of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England, about by road from London. The village is built on a boulder clay island surrounded by flat fenland countryside, typical of sett ...
. John and Martha had a further six children. John (baptised 14 June 1741), Sarah (baptised 15 May 1743), Elizabeth (baptised 24 February 1744), Francis (baptised 19 February 1748), Robert (baptised 13 May 1750), Martha (baptised 1752 3 October). In his will dated 15 March 1802, Sole mentions all of his siblings, with the exception of Elizabeth.
Sole studied at the King's School, Ely
King's Ely (renamed from "The King's School" in March 2012),The School's Terms and Conditions and the Companies House registration would suggest that the School's legal name remains "The King's School, Ely" is a co-educational public school ...
, then served an apprenticeship as an apothecary
''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Ameri ...
in Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
. On qualifying, he moved to Bath,Sole, William, ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
''. where he practised is profession from premises in Trim Street with partner Thomas West. During their partnership, Sole and West brought at least five apprentices into their business.Rogers, T., 2020. ''William Sole: his life and published work'' nline University of Bath. Available from: https://library.bath.ac.uk/ld.php?content_id=33352155 ccessed 1st February 2021 This partnership ended in 1895 and Sole continued to work alone until his death in 1802.
It is Sole's botanical research that he is most noted for. He specialised in the study of mints
A mint or breath mint is a food item often consumed as an after-meal refreshment or before business and social engagements to improve breath odor. Mints are commonly believed to soothe the stomach given their association with natural byproducts ...
, in his garden and by the specimens he collected from a number of places in the United Kingdom. In 1798, he published ''Menthae Britannicae'', and this was the publication that he became most known for. He also researched grass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
es and the local flora of Bath, and was elected as one of the first associates 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 ...
.
Sprengel named the genus ''Solea'' for Sole, although this was later merged into ''Hybanthus
''Hybanthus'' (green-violet) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Violaceae. This genus name is Greek for "humpback flower", referring to the drooping pedicels of plants that are part of this genus. The genus is grossly polyphyletic and m ...
'', or into ''Pombalia, in recent studies.Juliana de Paula-Souza, Harvey Eugene Ballard, Jr.
Re-establishment of the name Pombalia, and new combinations from the polyphyletic Hybanthus (Violaceae). Phytotaxa. volume 183. number 1. pages 11-15/ref>''
William Sole made his will shortly before his death on 15 January 1802 and left his estate to his siblings living in Cambridgeshire. There is no evidence that he married. He died on 7 February 1802, aged 63, and was buried at Church of St John The Baptist, Batheaston, Church of St John The Baptist, Batheaston
Batheaston is a village and civil parish east of the English city of Bath, on the north bank of the River Avon. The parish had a population of 2,735 in 2011. The northern area of the parish, on the road to St Catherine, is an area known as No ...
. His grave is unmarked.
References