Thomas Bruge Flower herbarium collection

Thomas Flower's herbarium (a collection of pressed plants) was one of the most important lost collections of British flowering plants. Its rediscovery in the 1980s was a major botanical event. There are approximately 2000 specimens in the collection, covering most species found in the British Isles in the early 19th century.

We still have no idea how this herbarium ended up in Plymouth. The history of the herbarium is by no means clear. Of the few papers written about Thomas Flower, one suggests that the herbarium was left to his family. His last surviving granddaughter, Miss Catherine Harper of Bath, is supposed to have claimed that she had a collection of Flower's. She later denied the statement. In the same article, it is reported that when someone tried to track down the herbarium in the 1940s they couldn't find it. The herbarium was last seen in Wiltshire in 1937, two years before its accession date at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery.

The mysterious appearance of the collection at Plymouth can be more easily explained though and is more due to world events than Museum policy. It is believed that the outbreak of World War II in 1939 interrupted the Museum's monthly Committee meetings. Usually during these assemblies, new items entering the museum would be recorded in the minutes. With no meetings taking place at this time, collections like Flower's were not recorded.

You can find out more about Dr. Thomas Bruges Flower, or return to the Natural History page for more information about the collections we hold.