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RBGE Garden Guide Daily Diary volume 1
Daily Diaries kept by the RBGE volunteer Garden Guides to record how their tours went, and to make observations regarding the type of visitor on the tour; their interests and where they were from; what was discussed; the weather; plants in flower/looking good in the Garden, etc.

Plant Donation Ledger with 'Plants Received; Donations Book' on the spine. The ledger dates from 1810 to 1823 and documents donations of plants numbered 1-387 from around Britain and the World. Donations numbered 1-294 dating to between 1810 and 1820 are documented in the main body of the ledger. There is a chronological index at the back which lists the donors from 1-387 with a date range of 1810 to 1823.

RBGE Plants and Seeds Despatch Ledger with the label 'Plants Sent, 1827' on the spine; the ledger lists plants sent to various locations around Britain and the World between January 1827 and April 1845. There is an index, arranged chronologically, at the back.

Seed Donation Ledger which dates from 1810 to 1817 and documents donations of plants coded B-TE from around Britain and the World. There is a chronological index at the back.
The ledger appears to have been started by new Head Gardener William McNab and begins with an entry described as 'The following seeds were found in a Table Drawer in the Garden House when I came here, part of them I think have been rec'd from Mr. Donn of Cambridge. W. M'N'.

Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, no XII and XIII, published in November 1904 and containing information on the principal gardeners at RBGE, mainly John Williamson, Malcolm McCoig, Robert Menzies, John Mackay and George Don. The bulk of the document comprises George Claridge Druce's memoir 'The Life and Works of George Don' followed by Appendices A-E. Appendices F, G and postscript are in the following volume.

Seed Donation Notebook with 'Seeds received Jan'y 1863 to 1868' on the cover which dates from 1863 to 1867 and documents donations of plants from around Britain and the World. There is no index and the notebook seems to be a more informal version of the Seed Donation Ledgers; similar to ones seen in the Plant Donations Subseries; it may have belonged to John Hutton Balfour or James McNab, but has a number of different examples of handwriting inside.
There are a number of inserts including a pressed plant, a note from Dr Hugh Cleghorn and a letter from Jessie / Janet Mann to Hutton Balfour [at page 25-26] dated 28 March 1863 when she was a House Mistress of Campie House School in Musselburgh where she describes some seeds from Mrs Mockler that she is sending to Balfour. She goes on to say that Master Isaac [Bayley Balfour] is quite well and expecting a visit from one of his sisters. Jessie Mann is credited with being Scotland's first female photographer when she worked with David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson.

Seed Donation Notebook with 'Seeds received 1868-1875' on the spine which dates from 1868 to 1876 and documents donations of plants from around Britain and the World. There is no index and the notebook seems to be a more informal version of the Seed Donation Ledgers; similar to ones seen in the Plant Donations Subseries; it may have belonged to John Hutton Balfour or James McNab, but has a number of different examples of handwriting inside.
There are a number of inserts in a pocket at the back of the notebook. The notebook has been rebound in red buckram.

RBGE Plants and Seeds Despatch Ledger with 'Plants &c Sent Out' on the spine; the ledger lists plants sent to various locations around Britain and the World between March 1892 and March 1899. There is an index, arranged alphabetically, at the front.

RBGE Garden Guide Daily Diary volume 2
Daily Diaries kept by the RBGE volunteer Garden Guides to record how their tours went, and to make observations regarding the type of visitor on the tour; their interests and where they were from; what was discussed; the weather; plants in flower/looking good in the Garden, etc.