Paul Scott, Curator, writes: Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. He accompanied Captain James Cook on his first voyage of discovery around the world, he also visited Newfoundland, Iceland, and Holland. He was responsible for the establishment of Kew Gardens and the development of its early collections.
The Banks family seat was at Revesby in Lincolnshire. Joseph Banks inherited the estate in 1761 and divided his time between Lincolnshire and his work in London with the Royal Society. His large Lincolnshire estates provided most of his substantial income, and as such much is known about the lands around Revesby. However, he also had extensive holdings in other parts of the county about which, less is known.
The Society's purchase of the Whaplode and Surfleet Allotment books are a valuable addition to our knowledge of Sir Joseph Banks’s land holdings in the South of Lincolnshire. They will provide rare source material for students and academics who are interested in the life and work of Sir Joseph Banks.
This generous contribution received from the Friends of the Nations' Libraries was critical in securing this acquisition. We are a small society/museum and therefore do not have extensive reserves to purchase items such as these. We will ensure that the information contained within these books are widely available to people via digitisation, our website, social media, and of course via public engagement. The estates held by Joseph Banks are of considerable interest to us and other academics, there is no doubt that this purchase will provide the basis for future learning opportunities.
