RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1861.09.21. William has just returned from Leith Hill. CUL-DAR46.1.50. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 8.2022. RN1
NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volume CUL-DAR46.1 contains Notes for Natural selection chap. 5 'Struggle for existence'.
"Leith Hill Place, near Dorking, Surrey. 1842 Josiah Wedgwood [III] bought it, about 4,000 acres, on resigning his partnership in the family firm, home c.1847-80 Also home of Margaret Susan Wedgwood (Mrs Vaughan Williams), before 1944 and later. It was passed to Hervey Vaughan Williams, and in 1944 on his death to Ralph Vaughan Williams, who gave it to the National Trust. They leased it to Ralph Wedgwood, his cousin and close friend." (Paul van Helvert & John van Wyhe, Darwin: A Companion, 2021)
[50]
Sept 21. 1861. William has just returned from Leith Hill & reports that the spot about 4 ft square which was picked & repicked of heath some years ago, has now 3 or 4 5 or 6 plants of 2 Kinds of grass — 4 or 5 Potentillas & one Furze.— Hence apparently this barren land, if Heath Killed, would be excessively bare, but yet would have few scattered phanerogamic plants.—
Ch V.
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 28 August, 2023