- 3 letters with their envelopes written to Thomas Douglas Grieve relating to his career - 05 January 1928, William Wright Smith to Thomas Douglas Grieve offering him a place on the probationer course; 15 March 1937, Lord Alness to Thomas Douglas Grieve offering best wishes on his post in Jamaica; 03 April 1937, John Macqueen Cowan to Thomas Douglas Grieve congratulating him on his post in Kingston, Jamaica.
- Probationer Gardener Papers- 1 lecture synopsis and 7 exam papers sat by Grieve during his probationer gardener career at RBGE - lecture synopsis, 1929-1930; exam papers: Forest Botany, 03 April 1928; Botanical Nomenclature, 25 March 1929; Book-Keeping, 17 December 1929; British Timbers, 31 March 1930; Plant Propagation, 22 July 1930; Forest Botany (2), 30 March 1931; Plant Pathology, 13 July 1931;
- copy of Dobbie's Horticultural Handbook, 1898 that mentions James Grieve (pp15, 16 and 25 (and John Downie on page 11)) - this book is now in the library collection.
Copy of a watercolour painting of the view of the Edinburgh skyline from the garden / lawn of Inverleith House, sketched and painted by Isaac Bayley 'Bay' Balfour, Regius Keeper Isaac Bayley Balfour's son in aroun 1912. The copy was made for Peronelle Windeyer, Isaac Bayley Balfour's great-granddaughter after the original had been cleaned and conserved. The original is in possession of her brother. The annotation on the back of the original has also been copied - it was made by Agnes Balfour, Bay's mother and says 'The view from the foot of the garden at Inverleith House- sketched and painted by Bay Balfour around 1912'. Bay lost his life at Gallipoli in June 1915; (right click, open link in new tab: ) https://stories.rbge.org.uk/archives/16015
Sans titre10 folders of papers, and survey sheets relating to Monty Faithfull's survey work on Bass Rock (square 6087), Birk Cleugh Hill (square 6665) and Dunglass / Bilsdean (squares 7671 and 7672). Includes maps and was donated to RBGE in August 2022 by Monty's son John Faithfull along with Monty's herbarium specimens. Unfortunately, some of the herbarium specimens had to be destroyed as they were in a degraded state- there are scans of these amongst the papers, taken by RBGE Herbarium assistant Lesley Scott who transferred the papers to the Archives in March 2023.
- Bass Rock (square 6087) folders x 3; maps and diagrams (includes photographs taken by Faithfull and a collection of old postcards showing Bass Rock); 'Various docs' and Botany of the Lothians, 1982-, final survey sheets.
- Birk Cleugh Hill (square 6665) folders x 2; Old records now transferred, 1993, and Bot Soc Survey, Final Species Lists.
- Dunglass folder - 'Individual Dunglass Plant Records, 78-94 - includes correspondence regarding Mertensia.
- Dunglass Mains Estate (square 7671) folders x2; Old records, transferred, 1994; and Bot Soc Survey Final Species Lists
- Dunglass / Bilsdean (square 7672) folders x2; Old records; and Bot Soc Survey Final Species Lists
Box containing glass plate negatives, lantern slides and microscope slides relating to William Burns's time in India, 1908-1943.
Box of correspondence between Henry John Elwes and Isaac Bayley Balfour, to be added to Isaac Bayley Balfour's correspondence collection in due course.
There is a reference to John MacWatt and Lilian Snelling in letter 11 from 1915 (Snelling also in letters 3, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 21, 25, 24, 29, 36, 38, 40 - and again throughout 1916. Refs to Snelling coming to Edinburgh and Mrs Balfour getting her lodgings in November 1917. Ref to Snelling attending IBB's lectures, April 1918
Letter from Dr Homi (Yasuyoshi) Shirasawa in 1910.
27 Sept 1913 - reference to Robert Moyes Adam's private work
31 Aug 1914 - reference to Isaac Bayley Balfour's thoughts on photography versus botanical illustrations
26 April 1915 - reference to Inverleith House being commandeered for military purposes
6 May 1915 - referreing to Snelling and Moyes Adam, "She is undoubtedly very clever - a fine colourist. I have given instructions to my photographer to photograph everything she does on the day she draws it so that we may have a sun picture of what she has drawn"
references to Col. F. Bailey's wounds, 1915
15 June 1915 - reference to L.B. Stewart enlisting
1915, 41 - copy letter from G.H. Cave
Correspondence, Photographs, Orders, Invoices and Plans to and from Mo Farquharson, David Mitchell (RBGE), Benjamin Tindall (Architect) and Clara Govier (RBGE) outlining the ideas and plans behind the sculptural installations of animals in the new Arid House at RBGE, 1998-2000. Includes 54 photographs taken in around 1999 by Mo Farquharson showing the installed sculptures in the Arid House.
Sans titreA collection of material from and relating to the plantsman and primula specialist Dr. John MacWatt including photographs, paintings, scrapbooks, papers, nursery catalogues, articles, medals and certificates.
Sans titresmall range of letters, photocopies of letters and references relating to William Jackson Hooker as follows:
- "For the Edinburgh Museum" - A selection of plants from the Arctic Herbarium put into Dr Hooker's hands by Captain Parry for publication in the Appendix to Captain Parry's second voyage - a considerable number of the cryptogamic plants mentioned in that Appendix only afforded specimens to identify the species by, and were not worth preserving in any of the collections being much injured or mixed with mosses and Jungermannia. Of several others, particularly amongst the Ph[illegible] Plants, there were only unique specimens which are deposited in the British Museum, dated April 5th 1825, W.J. Hooker, Glasgow
- letter from W.J. Hooker, Glasgow to Dr Gillies, Mendoza, South America, 18 September 1825 (Rec'd 19 February 1826, answered 7 April 1826) Beginning of letter missing, only last page here: "The Dr, however, works hard at Indian Botany, and is going on with his Commentary on Rheede and on Rumphius, the [illegible] printed in the Linnean, the other in the Wernerian Society Transaction. I beseech you to write to me when you have leisure. I take a great interest in all your pursuits and in the prosperity and welfare of your adopted country, of which your journal have conveyed to me much information. Continue your exertions too in favour of Botany. Collect all you can in the neighbourhood of Mendoza as well as at a distance from it and be assured what you so get together will prove valuable. I am, my dear Sir, with very sincere regard, your very faithful and obliged, W. J. Hooker - letter sent to RBGE by Mr David H. Peffers in 1935, see below.
- Photocopy of letter from John MacQueen Cowan, Assistant Keeper at RBGE to Mr David H. Peffers, Coldstream on Tweed, 10 January 1935 (original filed under Peffers in W.W. Smith correspondence; expressing gratitude for letter of 8 January 1935 with enclosures, including portrait of David Tod and thanking him for page of Hooker's correspondence to Dr Gillies.
- 2 letters - part of a gift to RBGE of letters (mostly to W.H. Campbell, Secretary of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh) by Dr David Mann, Secretary of the Bot Soc for safekeeping in the Archives. Letters originally came from Mr Edward Aglen - as follows- first is an original letter, dated 30 March 1836, from William Jackson Hooker, Glasgow to W.H. Campbell, agreeing to insert the notice of the new Botanical Society into the earliest number of the Companion to the Botanical Magazine: "I could have wished that you or Dr. Greville had drawn up any further semantic upon the subject that it is desirable to [illegible] because you are so much better acquainted with the nature of the Institution than I can [sensibly?] be. However, I shall very willingly say a few words in its favour. I could not myself undertake to perform the duties of a Local Secretary, nor do I know a single creature in all the west of Scotland who deserves the name of Botanist or who is fit to be charged with the Office in question, save Mr Gardner and he is going off in a few weeks to South America.... The other letter is a photocopy - W.J. Hooker to H.C. Campbell (but same address as W.H. Campbell - intended for him?) dated January 1837 - mention of announcing discovery of Erica vagrans in Ireland in his Companion - letter needs to be properly read.
Gunnera Nature Print and article relating to it (Gardenwise, v.48, Feb. 2017). The print was produced by Michele Rodda with help from Dr. Henry Noltie during the Flora Malesiana Symposium held at RBGE in July 2016.
Sans titreAround 40 ledgers were transferred from the RBGE Herbarium in October 2023, to which was added the earliest Donations ledger already in the Archives.
List of Ledgers transferred to Archives, October 2023
Accession RBGEA2023/019
Gifts/Exchanges
Donations to Herbarium, 1878-1914 (Feb) (commencing from the Donation List printed in Trans Edin Bot Soc v xiii pt2)
Collections Presented or Purchased, 1923-1930 – small notebook
Purchases / Gifts, 1956-1999
Donation Book – indexed by year – 1902-1958 – foolscap
Exchange book – 1956-1998 - arranged by institution we’re exchanging with – keeps track of exchange tallies to keep to and fro even. Some irregular exchanges listed here with note to see red Irregular exchange book for details (below)
Irregular exchanges, 1979-1999 – details (?) of irregular exchanges listed in above book. (looks like this book was meant for listing expedition accessions, but only 2 expeditions listed in 1998.
Incoming Loans
Loans Received 1956-1964 – small notebook
Loans Received 1964-1969 – small notebook
Incoming Loans (Store Copy) 1966-1986 – boards detached
Incoming Loans 1987-1999 – boards detached
Loans Record for RBGE staff, 1952-1999 – keeping track of what loans belong to RBGE staff members
Outgoing Loans ledgers
1: Loans from 1 April 1955 to 12 December 1958
2: Specimens on loan from 6 December 1958 to 1963, Nos 42/58 to 38/63
3: Specimens on loan, 1963-1965 - 39/63 to 20/65
4: Specimens on loan, 1965-1966 – 21/65 to 106/66
5: Specimens on loan, 1967 – 1/67 to 126/67
6: Specimens on loan, 1967-1969 – 127/67 to 25/69
7: Specimens on loan, 1969-1970 – 26/69 to 59/70
8: Specimens on loan, 1970-1971 – 60/70 to 89/71
9: Specimens on loan, 1972-1973 – 1/72 to 33/73
10: Specimens on loan, (Loans Out) 1973 – 34/73 to 137/73
11: Loans Out, 1974-1975 – 1/74 to 104/75
12: Loans Out, 1975-1977 – 105/75 to part loan 87/77
13: Loans Out, 1977-1978 – 61/77 and cont. loan 87/77 to 161/78
14: Loans Out, 1979-1980 – 1/79 to 177/80
15: Loans Out, 1980-1982 – 178/80 to 77/82
16: Loans 1982-1984 – 78/82 to 26/84
17: Loans 1984-1985 – 27/84 to 60/85
18: Loans 1985-1986 – 61/85 to 130/86
19: Loans 1986-1988 – 131/86 to 4/88
20: Loans 1988-1989 – 5/88 to 66/89
21: Loans 1989-1991 – 67/89 to 7/91
22: Loans 1991-1992 – 8/91 to 99/92
23: Loans 1992-1994 – 100/92 to 91/94(pt)
24: Loans 1994-1995 – 91/94(pt) to 134/95
Outgoing Loans – abbreviated Loan books
Loans Out, 1924-1976 – one-line summaries – fore-runner to day book?
Loans Out, 1977-1992 – one-line summaries – nos 1-134 1/77-134/92
Loans Out, 1992-1999 – 135/92 to 2493 one-line summaries – new numbering system starts in 1995 (no 2004) - next book in sequence - ‘Transactions’ or ‘Day Books’
Day Books / Transactions
Transactions, 1999-2007 – nos 2494-5239 – entries are now colour coded to denote what kind of transaction they are – black- loans out, red- loans in, blue- exchange in and out, green- gift in and out
Transactions, 2007-2012 – nos 5240-6766
Transactions, 2012-2019 – nos 6767-8331
Transactions 2019-2023 – nos 8332-8525, followed by Specify Numbers to 01555 at which point it was decided to discontinue paper ledgers as Specify now used to record all transactions.
Sans titre