Item 1 - Cystopteris dickeana

Contains a historic plant specimen collected in 1847 & a letter.

Letter from Robert Sim to Robert Scott, Chatsworth gardener. Letter with frond believed to have been taken by R. Scott to Calcutta when he became curator. The specimen was sent to R. Sim by George Dickie (Prof. of Botany at Aberdeen University)

Sim described Cystopteris dickieana in Gardeners’ and Farmers’ Journal, series 2, 2: 308. 1848. This appears to be a rare publication, with no online version currently available.

Envelope annotated by Christopher Fraser-Jenkins (c 2005) and sent to Dr Mary Gibby.

[FROM ENVELOPE: For E herbarium. Letter from R. Sim (Nursery) to Robert Scott, Calcutta Bot Gard. in 1847 sending a Cystopteris fragilis subsp. dickieana that he was sent by Dickie (rescued from pile of dumped old papers, thrown out for burning, at Calcutta in an outhouse)]

[Transcription of Letter by H. Nolte]

10th Novr. 1847

Dear Sir,

I have this day again forwarded my bill to Mr Paxton hoping he will think of it.

I shall herein inclose a priced list of my Lady ferns, according to your request.

Many thanks for your trouble respecting foreign Lichens &c. Mr Gibson’s promised ones will be truly acceptable.

Enclosed in this you will find specimens of a new British Cistopteris (Dickiana) forwarded to me by the discoverer Dr Dickie of Aberdeen, & which I consider to be very distinct.

I remain Dear Sir

Very sincerely yours

Robt. Sim

Mr R. Scott

[END]

Address mainly concealed but presumably reads [Mr R Scott, Chatsworth Gard]ens, Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Foots Cray postmark and Penny Brown stamp

[END]

Docketed on verso: Cistopteris Dickiana. Postmarks for [illeg] and Chesterfield

• English

• Latin

Handwritten.

Folded letter [in poor condition, with old paper adhering to and concealing most of the address, but otherwise legible].

Created: April 2026, C. Kemnitz & Dr. H. Nolte

• English

• Latin