RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1844[-1846]. Catalogue of Orchard Trees [and plants at Down House.] PC-California. Edited by John van Wyhe (The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/).

REVISION HISTORY: Scans provided by the owner of the manuscript. Transcribed and edited by Christine Chua and John van Wyhe 4.2020, revised by John van Wyhe 8.2025. RN5

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced by permission of a private collection, California, and William Huxley Darwin.
Aguttes 18 November 2019, Lot 41. From the auction catalogue: 200 x 159 mm. Leaves placed in a fitted green folder with modern description of content: 'Darwin’s Description and Enumeration of his Garden and Walk'. 'List of trees and plants for the orchards, walks and gardens at Down House as planned by Charles Darwin. Down House stands south of Downe, a village 14.25 miles southeast of London's Charing Cross. Darwin moved into Down House in 1842 and proceeded to make extensive alterations to the house and the grounds. In 1846, Darwin rented, and later purchased, a narrow strip of land of 1.5 acres adjoining the Down House grounds to the southwest. He named it Sandwalk Wood and had a wide variety of trees planted and ordered a gravel path known as the 'sandwalk' to be created around the perimeter. Darwin's daily walk of several circuits of his path served both for exercise and quiet contemplation. The present manuscript contains lengthy lists of a wide array of trees and plants for his expanding grounds. He begins with a large selection of trees for his orchard including apple, pear, apricot and cherry trees. Subsequent pages include a list of vines, shrubs and flowering plants to be situated against house beginning east side. The last two pages contain a list of plants, many flowering for the front of house garden and right or west side going along walk to garden. A lovely manuscript revealing Darwin’s great interest in his lush grounds at Down House and witness to the solace he found in trees and plants." The manuscript was sold at Sotheby's in December 1988 for £1,980 described as: "Autograph catalogue of fruit trees planted in his gardens at Down, headed 'Catalogue of Orchard Trees', with the trees listed under their locations, marked with numerous alterations, 11 pages, 4to". There are numerous faint or erased pencil words that can not be transcribed.

The original order of the leaves is unclear. There are other lists of the trees and plants at Down House by Darwin in CUL-DAR255, see especially CUL-DAR255.1 with lists of trees in rows.

Darwin's list details the wide variety of trees and other plants in the grounds of Down House around 1844-1846 when extensive planting and landscaping took place. See an overview of materials relevant to Down House here.

[1]

[erased pencil text, apparently reading: 'Day swing / MS 3485']

Catalogue of Orchard Trees

First row curved at western end at northern side & East End

1. Transparent Siberian Crab.

2. (Sept) Keswick Codlin.              Kitchen (1) x

[several words of erased pencil text in right margin illeg]

3 (March) Bedfordshire Foundling    K (Lee  [apple]

4 Decr Hawthorn dean Aston Town    K (1)

5 May Royal Russet                      K (1)

6 Wine Sour Shrewsbury

7 Dec. Haw thorn dean                   K (2)

8 Early Shrewsbury Pear

9 Magnum Bonum                        (Lee)

Second Row:  Always beginning East end, near House.

1 (Jan) Yorkshire Queening            K. (Lee)

2 Morello

3 (Jan) Golden Reinette                 Eat. (Lee) [apple]

4 (Sept) Dutch Codlins                  K. (Stoddolph), (1)

5 (April) Court of Wick Apple          Eat. (Lee)

6 Aston Town                            (Lee) [pear] 

7 (May) Golden Harvey Apple           Eat. (Lee)

8 (May) Royal Russet                    K. (2)

[James Lee (1715-1795) was a Scottish gardener and author of Catalogue of fruit trees, cultivated and sold by John and Charles Lee, nursery and seedsmen, Hammersmith, near London, 1843.]

[2]

Third Row

Jan:    1. (?) New English Pippins    K. (Stod)(January St. Gags)

2 (May) Alfriston Apple        K. (Lee)

3  Magnum Bonum

4 (April) Court Pendu Plat    (Eat) (Lee) [apple]

5. ⸮ Cres Golden Drop? Shrewsbury (Sturmer Pippins)

6  Green Chisel Pear           (Lee)

7 (Jan) Beauty of Kent        K. (Lee) [apple]

8 (?) Pearson Plate Apple     (Eat) Lee

9 (Sept) Summer Golden Pippin (Eat) Stoddolph

Fourth Line

1 (March) Herefordshire Pearmain  (Eat) Lee [apple]

2 Swan's Egg (1)

3 Nov (?) Knights Downton Pippin   (Eat) Lee

4 Hacon's Incomparable Pear         (Lee) [pear]

5 Breda Apricot Apricot in the Orchard in Brussells (Lee)

6 (April) Scarlet nonpareil              Eat (Lee)

7 (Dec) Hawthorn dean Imperial Plum Shrewsbury K (3) (Sturmer Pippins)

8 (?) Winter Queening                   K (Stoddolph) (1)

[3]

South of Walk, round north orchard

Sales Field Beginning at Eastern ends of rows

[William Sales was a neighbour and landowner.]

First Row

Magnum Bonum, Shrewsbury

Green Gage Standard. Cattell

Damson

Orleans Standard

Second Row – irregular

Christmas Woodstock Ap. (after Christmas)

June French Crab.              Dwt.- (June)

March Codlin                      Sept

(Jan) New Eng. Pippins        Dwt. (Jan) 

Ribston Pippin

March Cod.                       Dwt.

April Northern Queening       (April)

Winter Queening

March Codlin                      Do. to south of line

White Hart Cherry

"Cattell, John, 1786/7-1860. Nurseryman of Westerham, Kent. CD often ordered seeds and plants from C. Many records in CD's Account book (Down House MS). 1860 CD to Maxwell Masters, the nurseryman CD generally dealt with. CCD8:147." (Paul van Helvert & John van Wyhe, Darwin: A Companion, 2021)

[4]

Third Row

Marie Louise Pear Standard

(May) Royal Russet  DwP.-

Gausell Bergamot

Jargonelle Dw'.

Apricots, Turkey.—

Chaumontell

(June) Norfolk Beaufin [apple]

Fourth Row

April    Alfriston                  April

(Feb)  Blenheim Orange      Feb    

Scarlet Pearmain                Dwt

Dec Hawthornden               Dwt

Keswick Codlin

Dec: Hawthornden              Dwt

(Jan) New English Pippin. (3 trees))

[5]

Fifth Row

(I believe Gausell Bergant

⸮⸮⸮ Pear Napoleon & Silver Beaumes (from Mr Haycock)

Crofton Pippin (Shrewsbury)

[6]

Field one Bigarreau White Hart Cherry and two Standard apples from Cattell, the smaller southern one.

Northern Queening (Jan) (April) & the northern one Northern Winter Queening (2) [apple]

In the N W corner beyond walk a Bigarreau Cherry.

In Field; beginning at West End

1 Catillac Pear Autumn Bergamot  Sh Cattell (Lee) (Stewing)

2 (June) Norfolk Biffin   K. Std [apple]

3 Feb Blenheim orange [apple]          K. do (Feb:)

4 (Sept) Keswick Codlin [apple]         K. do (2) / 3 Codlins /

5 (June) French Crab. Apple                    K. do

2d Row

1 Winter Queening

2 Pear Napoleon & Bergamott Cadet. from Mr Haycock

[Edward Haycock was Shropshire County Surveyor and the leading architect of the region (Correspondence vol. 2: Hobbs 1960).]

3 Catillac Pear                 18. Kitchen Apples

                                      14. Eating      do

                                       8   Pears

                                      15  Plums, beside Damson

3d Row

French Crab Apple

June 1844

[7]

Fifth Line

1 Morello cherry

2 Swan's Egg (?) [pear]

3 (March) Ribston Pippin 1 [apple]

4 Coe's Golden Drop (Shrewsbury) x [plum]

5 Ribston Pippin (1) 2 x

6 Ribston Pippin (1) 3 x

Place for Green Gage [plum]

Standard greens

Sixth Line

1. Wine Sour (Shrewsbury) x [plum]

2 Jargonelle Pear Std Glout Mosceau Cattell [pear]

3 Imperatrice Plum. (Lee)

4 Orleans Plum (Lee)

5 Magnum Bonum (Shrewsbury) [apple]

 

6 Marie Louise (out of line) [Pyrus communis, pear]

Seventh Line. Four Green Gages & One Orleans & standard Gansell Bergamott

In S. West corner, two standard (Western one from Cattell & Eastern one from Stoddolph

Shropshire Damsons. (3) (5) [prune] 

South of walk where Damsons & Magnum Bonum stood in S

[8]

Against House beginning East side

Caprifolium flexuosum

menispermum canadense

Pomegranite

Isle de Bourbon Mad. Despres

Banksian yellow

Vine Royal Muscardins White

Bignonia radicans sugeta

Glyceria sinensis

Aristolochia siph

Magnolia grandiflora

Clematis florida (Shrewsbury)

Caprifolium gralum

Caprifolium youngii

Bignonia radicans major

Cap flexuosum

Clematis azurea grandiflora

China Rose Mandarin du Levenberg (also against that wall

magnolia conspicua

Rosa sulphurea double yellow

Mag. purpurea

North of House China Blush.—

[9]

(Catalogue)

Rhod. Bed under Portugals Laurel

R. Magnoliafolium

2 = R. Catawbiense

others common Poticum from Maer.

Round bed. at end of azalea Bed. R. port. [Ros.] R. Port. albom.

Rhod nachum

Azalea Bed. beginning at South end near walk, following that side & working Round

Azalea pubescens grandifl

—  bicolor                 do

scarlet

A. portica

- nudiflora

A. fragrans

Rhododendron hirsutum Shrewsbury

Paeonia moutan

Paeonia whitleyi

— Albiflora fragrans

St. Bruno's Lily, Catty

Wild [Mule] Pink, do

[10]

Trees

Round plantation in Field      Cockspur Thorn – 2 single (shorter)

Scarlet. = 4 ilex = 1 Acer Plalanides. 3. A. nubrum

1. A Striatum (green bamboo). Pineaster 

Front of Flower Gardens

Clethra alnifolia

Rhamnus alnifolia

All Spice tree

Lilac. Charles 10th

Thorn coccinea

— nubra

Larch mound

Crataegus pyracantha                   Scarlet arbatus

Deutzia scabra                            Photinia serrulata

Ilex balearicum

Cotonaster nicrophylla

Berberis dulci

Right or Left West side going S. along walk to Garden

Waterers laburnum

Double Pink Thorn

Ribonia large flowered

American Mountain Ash

Thorn odoratissima

oviculalus sanguinea

Liquidambar (bush)

Lilac dark (var)

[11]

Purple Laburnum                          Juniperus sinensis

Evergreen Thorn                          Cupressus thyoides

American Mountain Ash                 2. Arbor vitae Tartaricus

Venetian Sumach                         1. — Chinensis

Rhus from Mr. Hussey                  (Thugia zepaul Long mound)

Cockspur Thorn                           Pinus pumilo munghus

Left side of do walk going S

Maple leaved thorn                       laricio [pine] (behind laurel)

Syringa grandiflora                       Abris morinda

Crataegus pyra centifolia              Cedar of Lebanon

Riber sanguinea                           P. pumilo

Laburnum sweet scented              P. laricio tarica

[Conesta frigida]                        P. pinea.

SyringaJosœhœa                    P. tarica (in corner)

Spizœa aviœfolia                       P. Laricio (dead?)

Thee-thorned acacia                     — austriacus nigricans -not straight line

Berberis perhaps aristata                  (2) P. laricio penultimate east

1 Thorn coccinea (?)                     (11) P. austriacus nigricans

4 Narrow leaved Thylleraea           furthest east

2 Ilex opaca

3 - thick leaved

— perado

Coniferous Trees                                   Rigel heard going south more in

Taking parallel lines from S. to N.             Liquidambar tree styraciflua

beginning near walk.                              Platerus orientalis

Juniperus Hibernicus                               Juglan nigra           West?        East?

—— Savier                                             Juercus coccinea,  palustus & Macrocarpon

—— succica                                             like those in road plak

—— sepandus                                          Acer nubrum.  A. opulus. A nubra A. platamus

Cupressus torilosus [torulosa]                  Ailantus glandulosus

sempervirens

[written in central margin:]

Pinus excelsus

Abies cephalonica  Sir John L. [Lubbock]

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Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

File last updated 3 August, 2025