Early Photographer and Housekeeper at Campie House School in Musselburgh (attended by Isaac Bayley Balfour)
John's career began at the Carlisle Parks Department followed by becoming a student at Askham Bryan in York and then as a student at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. He remained at RBGE as a foreman in the Alpine Department until 1975, moving to the Northern Horticulture Society at Harlow Carr, Harrogate until 1980. John then moved to become Curator of the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden at Wisley until 1988 at which point he returned to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh as Director of Horticulture until his retirement in 2000.
The Scotsman Obituary: (right click, open link in new tab) https://www.legacy.com/uk/obituaries/scotsman-uk/name/john-main-obituary?id=54619746
Born in Ireland in 1805, Madden was an Officer in the Bengal Artillery between 1830 and 1849. He sent seeds to Glasnevin Botanic Garden in Dublin between 1841 and 1849, and after this collected plants in Aden, Suez, Cairo and Malta. He became President of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh in 1853 and was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Source: Desmond