500 Years of Scottish Printing

[shelagh]

Heard on the radio yesterday that Scotland was celebrating 500 years of printing and it set me to wondering what was the first herbal/gardening book published in Scotland.  Any ideas?

[ranunculus]

How about that wonderful book written in 1819 by Sir Walter Scott....



'Iveahoe'?   

[ranunculus]

Not an old one I realise, but Amazon are offering the following at the moment:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scots-Herbal-Plant-Lore-Scotland/dp/1873644604

.....might be of interest?

[Maggi Young]

It is indeed, Cliff. I'll be following up on that one.

I know that in 1568 the first medical treatise to be printed in Scotland, "Ane Breve Descriptioun of the Pest Quhair In the Causis, Signis and sum special preservatioun and cure thairof ar contenit ", written by an Edinburgh doctor, Gilbert Skeyne, whilst the town was plague-ridden, was printed and I would be surprised if there were not some botanical references therein, given the nature of medicines and treatments at that time. It may be that we can make a connection with this celebration of printing with an early book, to tie-in with the SRGC 75th Jubilee celebrations next year.

[SueG]

According to the a 'List of Books printed in Scotland before 1700' the first person to set up a printing press in Scotland was Walter Chepman, who together with A Myllar were granted a patent by James VI in 1507. The National Library of Scotland has some information about them http://www.nls.uk/firstscottishbooks/

Maggie your book is in the list  Skene (Gilbert). Ane breve descriptiovn of the pest... 8vo. Edinburgh: R. Lekpreuik, 1568.

Looking through their list of books published in Scotland, Aristotle's Natural history was printed in 1579, not quite gardening but getting there, the first gardening/horticulture book I can find reference to was printed in 1595  Napier (Archibald). The new order of gooding and manuring...field land... Edinburgh: R. Waldegrave. Tusser (Thomas). Fiue hundreth pointes of good husbandrie... 4to. Edinburgh: R. Waldegrave, 1599, again, not quite gardening.
There are one of two which use the word garden in their title but I suspect strongly they are religious books not flower books even the title ' a garden of goodly flowers' is most likely a prayer book or a set of meditations upon the saints or martyrs.
A book on trees I think, the first sign of scottish noblemen looking to upgrade their estates and plant trees for timber Barclay (William). Sylvae tres. 8vo. Edinburgh: A. Hart, 1619
I've looked through until 1640 but can't see anything obviously gardening, I'll have a look tonight at home as I know I have a couple of early scottish gardening books (in reprints).
Now I really must go home and have some tea!!

Sue

[SueG]

Digging around ( ) last night came up with what is described as the first scottish gardening book, written by a Scot for scottish conditions. It's called 'The Scots Gard'ner' and was written by John Reid, published in 1683. He was born in 1655 at Niddery Castle were his father was a gardener and moved around in Scotland as a gardener before sailing to America on 10th August 1683 and arriving at Woodbridge New Jersey on 10th Jan 1684, where he died in 1723 a prosperous landowner.
The introduction to the reprint of this book also mentions another 1683 book 'Hortus Medicus Edinburgensis', subtitled 'A catalogue of the plants in the physical garden at Edinburgh containing their most proper latin and english names: with an english alphabetical index'. I think this garden went onto become the Edinburgh Botanics?

The book is great fun and I now know how to make my own ruler and lay out a garden using the simplest of material - his description of how to lay out a fence line through a wood is worth the cost of the book alone! He's big on manuring and digging and weeding and finishes the book with a calendar of garden activities. Some of Octobers activities include (I've left his spelling alone)
Gather Winter Fruits, Prepare dungs and manures, Plant Hawthorn Hedges, Gather seeds of Hassell (hazel), Hawthorn, Plan, Beach, Oak, Aple. Plant Tulips, Anemonies and other Bulbs. Sow the seed of Bairs-ears (auriculas), Cowslips, Tulips etc. Finish your last weeding and mowing. Pickle and conserve Fruits. Make Perry and Cyder.

If anyone is interested his book was republished in 1988 with an introduction by Annette Hope, by Mainstream Publishing ISBN 1-85158-125-1. I bought mine second hand for just a few pounds.

I think his advice is pretty good and plan to follow it this weekend  

Sue

[David Nicholson]

How about that wonderful book written in 1819 by Sir Walter Scott....



'Iveahoe'?   

 

[shelagh]

Thanks Sue,  I knew one of the forum's intellectuals would seek out the answer.  The book by John Reid sound invaluable, perhaps it's one for SRGC archive?

[Maggi Young]

See this
http://www.nls.uk/scotlandspages/timeline/1683.html

http://www.rls.org.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-000-577-964-C&PHPSESSID=n56lhg6dmk7t2m11a465jvdjh6&scache=1lk8036nj9&searchdb=scran


In 1683 :
First written record of potatoes in Scotland by John Reid, gardener to Sir Goege Mackenzie of Rosehaugh in his book “The Scots Gard’ner” Reid recommends its use as a garden vegetable and gave instructions for its cultivation.

[Maggi Young]

This is a link to an page of Masonic history, detailing an early Scottish Gardeners "Lodge"
http://www.stbryde.co.uk/articles/order_gardners.htm

Fascinating the routes one can find oneself wandering, isn't it?

[SueG]

Sadly his recipe chapter seems to have missed out cake recipies. . . .
But it does have several for wine and liqueurs (hic)