Remembering the Pforzheimer 400 at the Battle of Wimpfen, 6th May 1622

Figure 1. Sebastiaan Vrancx - Battle of Vimpfen on 6 May 1622

 (From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository). 

(Please click on this image and any of the others for a larger image.)

Most families have a foundation myth. These can often be difficult to confirm the veracity of, however they will always contain at least some germs of the truth. 

For many years I have been slowly compiling a "family" chronicle which was originally intended for my children, but as I have now taken so long to write it, it must now be for my grandchildren. If I only tell the story of my ancestors, 50% of my children's history would be missing or 75% of my grandchildren's history. 

This has presented a major challenge as 50% of what is missing is central European in origin. No chronicle of my children's history can possibly be complete without the story of my in-laws-family.

My wife is originally from Hungary, and when I first visited her in the 1970's, I was taken to see an old pharmacy that had belonged to a forebear of her family who had arrived in Hungary as a refugee from Germany "during the Thirty Years War." It was during this trip that I first learnt the tale of Samuel Küttel.

It was while I was a young backpacker Interrailing during the 1970's, that I had first become aware of mainland European history, which is rarely taught in British schools, unless it involved our army actually fighting there. 

One of the most formative events in Germany and central Europe of the 17th Century was the Thirty Years War, which was barely mentioned in Britain when I was a schoolboy. This war was to have the most devastating impact on the populations of Europe leading to the movement of huge numbers of people across Europe, leaving enduring effects that persist to this day. 

Several years later after our marriage, my mother in law, gave me some copies of a photocopy of an article in Hungarian from the late 19th Century, and in subsequent years that set out the basic elements of the story as it was understood then. 

Since then I have slowly been able to piece together a far more detailed account of these events, overcoming the challenges of languages, and far distant archives. 

400 years ago this month (May 2022) events in the south-east of Germany in the Rhine Valley occurred that were to change my wife's Küttel family history dramatically. Up until that moment her ancestors had been living peacefully in Weiße Lederstraße in the town of Pforzheim. The town at that time had a population of less than 3,000 people, but had played an important role in developing Protestant learning in Germany, where it was situated close to major trade routes across the country. At one point the earlier Markgraf had tried to develop a university in the town that would have predated Heidelberg University.

Intended to teach the new Protestant learning, it had been crushed almost at birth in an earlier war, but many of the pioneering Protestant preachers from 1530 onwards had preached in the town, tolerated and encouraged by the local rulers. 

Had the Küttel sat through these sermons in their local church? Sadly, at present it is unlikely that I will ever know. 

Hans Küttel had become a member of the local part time cavalry unit raised in the town by their ruler Markgraf Friedrich V. von Baden. 

Family legend as told to me by my late mother in law, was that Hans Küttel had been caught up in the rout that had followed the explosion of the Protestant armies ammunition reserve during the battle. The powder had been held inside a wagon fortress that formed the core of the Markgraf's position.

The advent of the four hundred year anniversary of the Battle on the 6th May 1622, has led in recent weeks to a spate of articles and posts appearing online, in books and the media, which I have been tapping into. 

Unlike events in almost contemporary English Civil War, which have a huge literature about every single battle and campaign which is then described and analysed, there does not appear to be such a volume of research available on the events during the Thirty Years War as we are fortunate enough to have available here for the civil war. 

If you stumble on this post, and you are a German researcher into either local history in Baden or of the battles of this conflict, I would love to hear from you. My email is balmer.nicholas@gmail.com

In future posts I will explore aspects of how my own Welsh & English ancestors would themselves caught up in this terrible conflict in the middle of Europe. 

Sebastiaan Vrancx in his painting (Figure 1)  Battle of Vimpfen on 6th May 1622, which shows Tilly's Imperialist Army in the foreground, the huge explosion that took place inside the Protestant wagon laager can be seen. Ever since the days of the Hussite warriors, who were proto-Protestants from Bohemia had developed and deployed wagon forts to counter the massed cavalry of the Habsburg & German feudal armies, and wagon forts seem to have remained a feature of Protestant war planning into the Thirty Years War.  

The wagons of the Protestant army can be seen, in Vrancx's painting with their draw poles interlocked to form a formidable obstacle. The Pforzheim cavalry formed the Markgraf's bodyguard and reserve. Perhaps this unit can be seen at the extreme right of this painting drawn up just outside the wagon laager. 

Are those famous Spanish tercios arriving on the battlefield on the left?

The battle took place on a very hot day in early May, and during the morning on part of Tilly's Imperialist army had arrived on the battlefield. Tilly's crack Spanish tercios were still distance away, and would not arrive for some hours. 

The Margrave's army had been holding out well until the middle of the day. By lunchtime both armies had become exhausted by the heat and exertion, so that the fighting slowed down, and came to a temporary halt. The Protestants started to eat their supplies which were contained in the wagons kept in the wagon laager. 

As this was happening Tilly's Spanish elite infantry Tercios began to finally arrive on the battlefield and launched an immediate assault on the Protestant army. In their surprise at the renewed attacks being made on them, somebody in the Protestant army who was presumably trying to get more gunpowder from the powder reserve succeeded in dropping a spark into one of the barrels of power leading to a catastrophic explosion. 

Within moments the Protestant army began to collapse and flee. Presumably Hans was somewhere in the middle of this terrible event, and would shortly be rescuing Markgraf Georg Friedrich von Baden-Durlach by pulling him up onto his horse behind him.

Figure 2. This painting shows Pieter Snayers (1592-1667) interpretation of the Battle of Bad Wimpfen.

Snayers was a painter who specialised in paintings of battles and sieges, who based at Antwerp where be became one of the Imperialist Habsburg main war artists. In 1628 he moved to Brussels, where he was closely associated with many of the Imperialist Spanish army officers. It is very possible that he had discussed the battle with either Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1585–1635) or Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly the two principle Imperialist officers present at the battle, many years later while these officers were in Brussels.  These paintings were intended to record the most significant events during the battles on a single canvas. This means that the painting is nearly always "very busy".  It is often also broken into two or three horizontal bands.

Snayers had access to very accurate maps of many of these battlefields and sieges, which when compared to modern maps are often recognisably accurate depictions of the area.  This painting lacks the upper part of most of Snayers works which are in effect maps.

The upper half of this painting shows the events from the battlefield, but misses out the Protestant wagon laager, but emphasises the Spanish Tercios. It is hard to be that this painting actually depicts the battle of Wimpfen.

The lower half of the painting from the battery of cannon downwards shows what may well be the Imperialist cavalry falling onto the fleeing Protestants.  The Spanish and Imperialist German cavalry can be seen caracoling on the left.  It is possible that the cavalry in the centre in disarray is the gallant Pforzheimer unit  going down while defending their rulers escape.  

Perhaps Hans Küttel is in the fleeing troopers on the right with the Markgraf on his horse with him? The swirl of cavalry at the top of this painting is an accurate depiction of a very well known Spanish tactic called the caracole or caracol (from the Spanish caracol - "snail"). The troopers in these units were armed with wheel lock pistols or carbines to fire in turn at enemy massed infantry. These wheel lock pistols could be re cocked by winding up a spring inside the weapon operated by a spanner that the trooper carried around his neck on a leather thong. He was able to reload, if he could find a sheltered spot on the battlefield. Failing that he had to thrown the wheel-lock into the face of his opponent, to gain time to draw his sword to slash his way to safety. 

Each trooper in turn advanced to fire with his loaded piece, which he discharged as close as possible to the faces of the pikemen as he could get, without being spiked, before wheeling away to allow the other troopers following him to fire in turn. The men who had fired would then reload their pistols as they retired to the rear of the formation, so that an endless stream of firing troopers would in theory occur until the infantry pike block started to break up as individual pikemen became wounded or died, and the others became disordered enough, to allow the pike block to be broken, or its men chose to flee.

Figure 3.  A contemporary engraving of the battlefield.

This engraving was made for the popular German market shortly after the battle had occurred, and would have been widely available in Germany in the years following the battle.  The map shows the battle as it was occurring, and the explosion towards the left of the engraving.  The River Neckar can be seen sweeping around the battlefield.

Like Snayers and Vrancx's painting, these engravings generally depict as many of the key manoeuvres as possible on a single sheet of paper. In practise each of the tactical moves took place in a sequence over many hours. Many of these prints like this one have a key on them, with small letters from the alphabet that were used to show the order of events.

I believe that the unit labelled "B" may be the Pforzheimer unit, perhaps with other Protestant cavalry units brigaded together. 

The battle field is still largely open fields to this day. The A6 Autobahn runs around the perimeter of the battlefield today.

It lies along on our route when we drove with our children on family holidays to Hungary, so we have visited the battlefield at Wimpfen several times over the years. 

When we first went there we were reduced to asking local farmers and villagers the way. Most had no idea what we were talking about, until we happened on to a potato farmer tilling his field.

He was really helpful, and I got the impression that he was only happy to find anybody else who had the slightest interest in the battlefield site.

He pointed out an overgrown bramble and thorn bush, which had grown up on a monument erected on the battlefield during the 19th Century.

In the last year or so some information boards have been erected.

Figure 4 showing the approach marches towards the battlefield recently posted @vor400

Figure 4. Map showing the moves by the opposing armies in the lead up to the battle at Wimpfen, being posted regularly by @vor400 on Twitter. This excellent map showing the approach routes taken by the forces during the days leading up to the battle. The author of this map @vor400 posts daily updates on Twitter. He started posting a few years ago, and intends posting every day until the end of the conflict. I  am unsure if I will still be around in 2048 to see his last posts.

If you would rather not reply in English to this blog, my wife is able to read German and Hungarian, and would translate for me.  I have a small basic knowledge of both languages, but am very far from being fluent.

Figure 5.  A map showing the approximate routes taken by the Küttel family from 1622 until the 1660's, intended to show the key locations in this blog. 

Most of what we know about the battle and the four hundred Pforzheimers comes from 19th Century books and plays, which are probably a bit misleading in places.

"Der tod der 400 Pforzheimer bei Wimpfen nicht eine sage sondern eine thatsache. Genaue untersuchung der streitfrag auf grund des ältesten hiesigen taufbuches mit benützung der ältesten geschichtlichen quellen"

 

Figure 6. Der tod der 400 Pforzheimer bei Wimpfen 

This title about the death of the 400 Pforzheimers by Ernst Ludwig Deimling was written published in 1873, and very probably drew on old archives that survived until then. Sadly during 1944 and 1945 a series of very heavy air raids by the USAF and RAF destroyed much of the centre of the city. Sadly, nearly all of the old town centre had to be redeveloped after the war, and it became a rather a soulless place. Ernst Ludwig Deimling includes a list of the 400 men in this unit. He marked the men who died with a cross. 

It can be seen that the publisher had overegged the title of this book. There is an interesting article here on the development of this legend of the 400. https://de.wikisource.org/.../2._Die_Sage_von_dem...

Figure 7. Hans Küttel listed amongst the 400.

Rather intriguingly there is a Michael Balmer also present on the list. This is not entirely surprising as there are far more Balmers in the old records from Switzerland and the Palatinate downstream of Switzerland than there are in Britain.

Most come from areas strongly associated with the Protestant reformation. While I can trace my Balmer ancestors back to about 1700, I cannot go any further back here unless my ancestors were a spelling mistake away from being Bulmer's.

Both the Küttel and the Balmer family feature in Swiss Chronicles fighting against the Austrian Habsburgs at the Battle of Sempach back in 1386. Both families were living near Interlaken at that time.

Many seem to have left Switzerland over time and many appear in lists of soldiers in the coming years, but who was who is almost impossible to work out currently.

Figure 8. Martin Balmer listed as a member of the 400.

Here is the Markgraf Georg Friedrich von Baden-Durlach (1573-1638). I hope that he hadn't had a full set of armour on when Hans Küttel had to pull him up onto his horse. The Markgraf had received a very nasty cut to his face and head caused by a lance during the battle, and this shows up in later pictures of him that can be seen here https://en.wikipedia.org/.../George_Frederick,_Margrave...

Figure 9. Markgraf Georg Friedrich von Baden-Durlach (1573-1638)

In the summer of 1627 the Markgraf was appointed lieutenant general of the Danish army by King Christian IV of Denmark, who was involved in the Danish-Lower Saxon War. 

Oddly enough another close member of kin to my ancestors Sir Charles Morgan, a Welshman in the service with the Dutch to English troops to fight on behalf King Christian IV of Denmark. Charles and his men had to endure a long siege at the port of Stade, living off the bodies of cats and dogs at one point.

Figure 10. "Die vierhundert Pforzheimer Bürger, oder die Schlacht bey Wimpfen ein vaterländisches Trauerspiel in 5 Aufz" By Ernst Ludwig Deimling · 1788

This earlier book was published in 1788 by Ernst Ludwig Deimling, who may have been father or grandfather to the author of the other book posted here. "Die vierhundert Pforzheimer Bürger, oder die Schlacht bey Wimpfen ein vaterländisches Trauerspiel in 5 Aufz" By Ernst Ludwig Deimling · 1788

This play presents the events surrounding the battle as a drama.

Figure 11. Sámuel Küttel in Hungarian early 20th Century documents

By the 1690's Sámuel Küttel who is seen as the founder of the Hungarian Küttel family had arrived in Köszeg, or Güns as German speakers called the town in those days. Here he married the daughter of the Protestant Apothecary called the Fekete Szerecseny Pharmacy, which the family owned until the early 1950's when it was taken over by the Communist authorities. They effectively stopped it developing, and by the 1970's it became a museum, which can be visited to this day. 

Figure 12. The Küttel family in Hungary contained historians in most generations, not least of which was my late mother in law, so that there are quite a few references to them in Hungarian.

Covent Garden & Sir John Baber, the Plague and a vanished monument

 

Fig. 1. Covent Garden in 1737 by Balthazar Nebot 

[Please click on image for larger version.]

The following blog is written in the hope that it might attract the attention of somebody with a deeper knowledge of events in Covent Garden during the period between 1650 and 1700 than I currently have, or who may have had access to records or accounts that I have yet to find. My interest in Covent Garden stems from the discovery that one of my great x 8 grandfathers, Sir John Baber was a physician living in Covent Garden at the time of the 1665 Plague and the 1660 Great Fire of London.

At the time he was one of three physician's to King Charles II, and it is clear that he played a leading role in events during the plague of 1665.

That his role had been very important is demonstrated by the gratitude of the local community expressed by the erection of a stone column that once stood in the centre of the Plaza at Covent Garden, and which can clearly been seen in Balthazar Nebot's painting and several other paintings from the period. The column was erected in 1668-9 and stood there in the square until about 1750. It was erected by a Mr. Tomlinson, a churchwarden using funds raised by the parishioners of Covent Garden.

Fig. 2. Extract from Nebot's painting showing the column.

“The churchwardens of St Paul's Church accounts record that "Upon due consideration of those many signall services, that the Honorable Sir John Baber hath don this Parish from Time to Time Wee thought it good to affix his Coate of Armes, in one of the Sheilds belonging to the Colume, as a Perpetuall acknowledgement of our gratitude, and to Refuse any present from him that should be tendered Towards the Charge thereof.”

 

                                Fig 3. Photo of a miniature of Sir John Baber by Gibson.

By 1665 Sir John Baber had been physician to King Charles II for about four years.  He was one of three physicians who took it in turn to attend at court on the King, for which he was promised payment for 112 days per year.

During October 1667, Sir John petitioned "for a warrant for payment from the Exchequer of 954l 4s. arrears of his pension of 12s a day, from 1st December 1662 to 16th April 1667, there being no fund at the Green Cloth from which it can be paid."

He annexed a  "Note of monies due to Sir John Baber; for 1597 days, total., 958l 4s." [2]

It is thought that Sir John had obtained this post through the recommendation of a near neighbour, Dr. Manton, rector of St. Paul's Covent Garden, who with other Presbyterian divines, had taken prominent part in the restoration Charles II. He had however had the honour of Knighthood being also bestowed on him 19 March 1660 at the Restoration, immediately after the King had returned from exile, which suggests that he had played some part in those events.

I have no detailed knowledge of what this role during the period up to the Restoration had been.  Can anybody point me in the direction of any accounts that cover his involvement in these events, or which might have clues in them?

However, a fascinating clue survives in the following extracts from the Journal of the House of Common’s records a debate that took place on: -

"Saturday, March 10th, 1659; Afternoon.

London Militia.

A BILL for settling the Militia for the City of London; and Liberties thereof, was this Day read the First and Second time; and, upon the Question, committed unto Major-General Alderman Browne, Sir Wm. Wheeler, Mr. Attorney Lechmere, Mr. Pryn, Sir Walter Earle, Mr. Weaver: And that they do presently withdraw; and amend this Bill.

Resolved, That Alderman Major-General Browne's Name be placed in this Bill, next after Alderman Vyner.

Resolved, That the same Qualifications be inserted in this Bill, as are in the general Bill for settling the Militia.

Resolved, That this Bill shall continue for One Year, or until the Parliament take other Order.

 A Rider was tendered to this Bill, That Colonel Thomas Lister, John Baber Esquire, Thomas Bayles, Alexander Pym, Charles Pym, Ralph Halsell, Robert Payton, and Captain Thomas Wytham, be added Commissioners for the Militia for the City of Westminster, and Liberties thereof: Which was read; and agreed unto; and ordered to be Part of the Bill."

A role within the London Militia would have provided John Baber a very useful position from which to provide information to Royalist spies. The London Trained Bands who had made up the militia were the core of England's standing army.

It is a great pity that no accounts seems to have survived of Sir John’s role during the Great Plague. That he had played a significant role is however clear from the following document, which describes arrangements that were made so that the Court could return to London, from it’s self imposed exile to Oxford made to avoid becoming caught up in the epidemic.

December 19^th 1665. Westminster.

Edm Godfrey to Fras. Lann.  Memoranda to be imparted to Mountjoy Earl of Newport.

            The workhouse in the New Churchyard is finished, and the vault made the largest burying place in England.  The Lords Chamberlain’s letter, published by the King’s order in all churches near Whitehall, has been of great use to prevent the swarming of rascally lodgers, who, if they have not occasioned, have greatly spread the plague there, and brought more charge on the inhabitants than they are able to support.

            All the common Sewers and watercourses have been cleaned against the return of the King and Court.  Has paid Dr. Innard at the pest house 200l, for services till All Hallow’s Day.

            Since which he pretends to higher terms, on some agreement with Sir John Baber.  He and all his regiment are to be dismissed the pesthouse, except three warders and a nurse or two, to prevent its being pulled down as formerly.

            Has met Mr. Warcupp twice a week in Convent Garden Vestry Meetings; they have agreed well, and the people seem satisfied with there government, except some poor, who cry out through dearness of fuel, and want of employment because King & Court are away, and some of the nobility and gentry forget their debts as well as their charity.  They have ordered all churchyards where many have been buried to be filled up with fresh mould, and earth a yard high laid on the graves etc. etc.[4]

From the above text it would appear that Sir John must have been one of those people in authority, who had remained in London to battle with the disease amongst those who could not flee.

He is listed as one of only 27 doctors and physicians out of about 200 who had been resident in London who had remained in London throughout the plague. 

As both one of the local doctors and also a Justice of the Peace, I expect that he must have been amongst those who attended the meetings of the St. Paul’s Vestry which took twice a week. I expect that Sir John had had to promise Dr. Innard and his brave staff a great deal, in order to get them to remain at their post in the Pesthouse.

Sir John who had been born in 1625, had married during the early 1650’s, probably shortly before 1653 to Elizabeth Richards, who was the daughter of Sir John Richards, of Yaverland on the Isle of Wight.

Their first child Martha had been born in 1656.  John was born on 27th December 1656, followed by Francis on September 11th 1657, and William on or about October 1658. Sadly his wife had died the following year on 28^th April 1659, and was buried in Saint Paul’s Covent Garden.

As a widower Sir John must have been bringing up his children alone, probably with the aid of servants.  With plague breaking out so close to his home, he must have decided to send his children out to the countryside. Lady Richards who may have been the children's grandmother, took the children to their home at Yaverland on the Isle of Wight.

The islanders, by late August were very aware of the plague in London, and must have been terrified that people arriving from the mainland would bring the plague to the island.  They tried to prevent Lady Richard's crossing the island to her home in Yaverland.

Inhabitants of Yaverland to Sir W. Oglander.

The Humble desire of ye Inhabitants of yaverland August the 30th (65)

Sr
These few lines are to entreate yo^r wor^pp for to send to Bradinge yt they might sett a watch & ward to keepe out all newport people out of the towne wee are resolved to keepe a gard day & night att yarbridge & wee have beene with Major Holmes att the fort & he hath promise that none shall come that way & we doe understand that the Lady Richards is minded to come to Yaverland too morrow but we are resolved for to stop her & not to lett her come in & wee are fearfull if she might come in thorough Brading & soe to come over the wall by ye sluce therefore we thought fitt to acquainte your worshipp with it hopeinge that yo^r worshipp will send to Bradinge that they might secure that way 

[5]

This effort to stop Lady Richard cannot have been successful. 

Over much of Europe there was a tradition of building ornamental columns to celebrate a city or towns deliverance from the Plague.  The Piazza at Covent Garden when it was originally laid out had an empty square.  At some point in the 1630’s a single solitary tree was planted in the centre of the Piazza surrounded by some wooden railings.  In 1668 it was decided by the parishioners that a column be erected to replace the tree which was not growing very well.  A Mr. Tomlinson, who was probably Richard Tomlinson, a churchwarden, proposed the erection of the column.  In 1668 he informed the vestry: -

“that he and his gentlemen had a desire to erect a Doricke columne of polished marble, for the support of a quadrangular dyall in the midst of the railes where now the trees are, it being very improbable that they should ever come to any maturity.” [6]

The Churchwarden’s accounts for 1668-9 record the receipts of gifts “towards the Erecting of the Columne - £20 from the fifth Earl of Bedford, and £10 each from Sir Charles Cotterell, master of ceremonies, and Lord Denzil Holles. 

£90 was paid to “Mr Keizar at the Sculpture of the Pallas for the Columne”, 8s. 6d. to Mr Wainwright for the four gnomons, and £2to Mr. Browne, “the mathematician, for his paines about the dial.”

10s. was paid for “ Drawing A Modell of the Columne to be presented to the Vestry.”

Then the churchwardens accounts go on to record that “Upon due consideration of those many signall services, that the Honorable Sir John Baber hath don this Parish from Time to Time Wee thought it good to affix his Coate of Armes, in one of the Heilds belonging to the Columne, as a Perpetual acknowledgement of our gratitude, and to Refuse any present from him that should be tendered Towards the Charge thereof.” [7]

John Baber had lived in the area from at least 1655.

The following entries in the cover page of the Overseers of the poor record that he was paying contributions for the poor, along with his neighbours.

Handberrye Overseers

For the Poore of the Parrish

Of Convent Garden [8]

Anno Dm

1655

Page 1

Poore of the Parrishe of Convent

Garden Anno Dm 1655.

West Division

Henretta Street

Imprimis
Right Honoble Earles of Bedford	03:00:00	02:10:00	0:10:0
Jerfox Braves	00:17:04	0:17:4
Honoble Lady Wootton	02:00:00	2:0:0
Will Lord Munson	02:00:00	2:0:0
Samuel Cooper	01:00:00	1:0:0
Mary Norfolk	00:10:10	0:10:10
John Jerman	00:10:10	0:10:10
Richard Doe	00:10:10	0:10:10
Abr Soaudebrug	01:00:00	1:0:0
Ralph Snillorke	00:08:08	0:8:0
Hugh Sharpington	00:10:10	0:10:10
John Baber	00:16:00	00:16:00
John Bradshaw	00:10:10	0:10:10
John Share	00:10:10	0:10:10
Edward Wallinger	00:10:10	0:10:10
Solloman Moore	00:06:06	0:6:6
John Staley	00:08:08	0:8:8

Fig. 4. An engraving dating from 1690 showing a bonfire next to the column in the Piazza at Covent Garden [9]

As Sir John did not die until 1704, it is very possible that he saw the events portrayed above in 1690.

He was buried in the St Paul's Church and the family erected a large monument to his memory. Sadly the church was burned out in the 19th Century destroying the interior and the monument.

Fig. 5. John Rocque drew the Piazza in 1742 when

 the monument can still be clearly seen.

Fig. 6. Covent Garden by Samuel Scott showing . Scott lived on the east side

of the piazza until about 1758 when he moved to Twickenham. 

[Click on image for a larger version] 

It is not known when the column finally came down, or what became of it. I don't suppose that anything survives, but it would be fun to find it hidden away like Temple Bar.

If you can add any thing to the information above, I would love to hear from you. I can be contacted at balmer.nicholas@gmail.com

[1] Survey of London, page 79, Covent Garden Churchwarden's Accounts
[2] C.S.P.D. Volume CXCVII paragraph 93
[3] C.S.P.D. Volume CXXXIX 1665-1666 paragraph 68
[4] Source: (OG/89/11) from http://www.btinternet.com/~rob.martin1/bem/plag.htm
[5] See “Survey of London, Volume XXXVI, page 79, and 331, originally from British Library scrapbook
[6] See “Survey of London, Volume XXXVI, page 79, and 331, originally from British Library scrapbook entitled “Gleanings relating to the Parish of Covent Garden Westminster” pressmark 1889 a 20
[7] Covent Garden Churchwardens Accounts, Westminster Records Office.
[8] House of Commons Journal Volume 7: 10 March 1660', Journal of the House of Commons: volume 7: 1651-1660 (1802), pp. 868-71
[9] See Survey of London, volume XXXVI, page xv.  Original is part of the Crace Collection in the British Museum, Views portfolio xviii.
[10]  entitled “Gleanings relating to the Parish of Covent Garden Westminster” pressmark 1889 a 20.

Botanical walks, can Linnaeus help trace ones ancestors?

Cardamine amara  (left hand plant) collected in June 1838 and Mildenhall now in Birmingham University Botanical Collection

A few years ago, I was the recipient of a totally unexpected email from Gigi Crompton [1] a researcher at the Cambridge Botanical Garden who had read an article that I had posted onto the internet about my great great grandfather, the Revd. Harry Baber. 

Did I know that he had been involved in botanical trips while at Cambridge University?

Harry Baber (1817-1892) in 1840.

The Botanical Garden has been engaged in a project for many years that is trying to measure the changes brought about to the flora of Cambridgeshire due to climate change, and mans modifications to the landscapes. They have been going back through the botanical collections and records held since the 1530's in order to try to determine how many plants had been lost, by comparing the lists with current survey details.

Harry Baber was recorded by Charles Cardale Babington (1808 – 1895), the author of "Flora of Cambridgeshire" (1860)making many trips together out into the Cambridgeshire countryside botanising.

Charles Cardale Babington (1808-1895)

Babington was nine years older than Harry Baber, and had been studying botany under Professor John Stevens Henslow (1796-1861), who was professor of Botany at Cambridge. Henslow had also mentored Charles Darwin, and it is this work that he is best remembered for these days.

It had been Henslow who had put forward Darwin's name as being a suitable companion and botanist for Captain Fitzroy who was about to depart on HMS Beagle.[2]

Records exist both on the notes written on the back of the pressed plant specimens preserved in the Cambridge Botanical Garden and also in sources like the diaries of Charles Babington and notes made by Professor Henslow, which record that Harry Baber had been on some of the trips that Henslow and Babington had made, and these describe the locations and the finds they had made.

The Flora survey listed University Database included details of the following excursions.

Chenopodium rubrum Stretham, H. Baber (Hb CC Babington), Oct.1838, CGE.

Lamium purpureum  Grantchester, H Baber, 6.1837, CGE.

Lythrum hyssopifolia L. Stretham, H Baber, 9.1837, E.

Myosotis ramosissima Pit beyond Observatory, as M.collina flore albo., [var mittenii Baber added in pencil], H Baber, 6.1837, CGE.

Mentha x gentilis var cardiaca (Baber), Marshy field by Finch¹s Walk, Cambridge,.

Rorippa amph. Stretham, H Baber, 7.1838, CGE; near Ely, H Baber, n.d. (but Babington label), CGE;

Trifolium subterraneum Gamlingay, Prof Henslow, H Baber (in pencil), HB Churchill Babington, 1836, CGE.

Sparganium emersum Stretham-fen, as S.simplex, H Baber, 8.1837, CGE.

Veronica agrestis Stretham, H Baber, 30.9.1837, CGE.

Veronica polita Stretham, H Baber, 30.1837, CGE.

Lycopodium clavatum Stretham, H Baber, 9.1837, E.

Minuartia Went with Baber to Madingley...We noticed...Arenaria tenuifolia just come up, in the gravel pit near to the Observatory. 29.5.1837 Bab.Mem.62.

Muscari neglectum Hinton, H Baber, 5,1859, BM.

Oenanthe

Oenan pimpinelloides Wilburton, H Baber, Hb JA Power, 7.1838, 'I call this pseudanifolia, Poll. CE Salmon', & pimpinelloides crossed out. RTE.

Potamogeton compressus Stretham fen, H Baber, 6.1839, det. Dandy & Taylor, UCNW.

Potamogeton gramineus Stretham, H Baber, 1837, det. Dandy & Taylor, CLE.

Pulsatilla vulgaris Gogmagog Hills, H. Baber, May 1837, BM. Cambridgeshire, H Baber, Hb JA Power, 5.1838, RTE.

Gogmagog Hills, H Baber, 1839. ex Hb. F Tansom [?spelling.], YRK:6.

Gogmagog Hills, H Baber, Hb JA Power, 1839, RTE.

Gogmagog Hills, Mr H. Baber in Hb Mrs Atkins, 1839, BM.

Taraxacum palustre Ely, H. Baber, 1839, BM.

For a long time I have been waiting for an opportunity to see if I could repeat some of these trips. It would be important to choose the same time of year as the earlier trips otherwise many of the plants would be dormant and invisible.
Harry Baber had been educated at Westminster School, and matriculated at Michaelmas 1834. He was admitted to Trinity College Cambridge on the 13th of June 1834. He became a Scholar in 1835, and a Bachelor of Arts in 1839 and an MA in 1842.

Although he had gone to Cambridge University in order to take his degree so that he would be able to qualify to go on to take Holy Orders, he does not appear to initially have been intending to study botany. In this he was not alone as Charles Darwin, when he had gone up to Cambridge in 1828, it was only in his second year that he began to attend Professor Henslow's lectures.

These lectures did not form part of the curriculum for either student's degrees, and would have to be paid for separately. The core of the degree course in those days mainly revolved around mathematics largely based on Newton's Principia, or Newtonian Physics and moral philosophy.

Henslow's lectures soon became very successful drawing 60 to 70 people to each event. The attendees included not just students but many senior members of the university, including Adam Sedgwick, and William Whewell. [3]

Babington had attended the lectures for three years, paying for each year, but when he reappeared for the fourth year, Henslow relented and he was awarded a free course.

Carex obrubae, or False Fox-sedge collected at Stretham in June 1838

Professor Henslow was in the habit of holding an annual excursion for the students and other members of the audiences of his lectures which would go to Gamlingay Heath which is located about twenty miles west of Cambridge. Carriages were hired to transport the members of the botany club out to Gamlingay, for those members of the party who did not themselves ride. Wives and sisters of the members were also able to join the excursions, that had a strong social aspect to them.

They became a social highlight of the early summer when the lectures and exams were coming to an end.

Gamlingay Heath from the 1900 Ordnance Survey Map. In the 1830's the heath was more open, with few of the hedges shown, or indeed the brick works.

As the day drew to a close a meal was laid on in a nearby inn, and a band was hired to help the evening festivities along. Between sixteen and twenty people generally attended, at a cost of 12 shillings each. These trips which started in 1827 were so popular that they continued every year until 1852. Other trips were made taking advantage of the River Cam down towards Ely, which would have passed Little Thetford and Stretham, which was Harry Baber's family home.

John Stevens Henslow, (1796-1861)

From 1828 until 1837, Professor Henslow held "Friday Evenings" at his home in Cambridge at which many of the most highly regarded scientists of their day were frequently in attendance as well as his students.

The Modern track onto Gamlingay Heath. In the 1830's the Heath would have been much more open, and was probably given over to common grazing.

Trifolium subterraneum

As Gamlingay is only about 14 miles away from my home and with restrictions on travel slowly starting to lift, I decided to make the journey on Monday 25th May 2020.

I was in search of..

"Trifolium subterraneum Gamlingay, Prof Henslow, H Baber (in pencil), HB Churchill Babington, 1836, CGE"

This is where my difficulties began, because clover in its many forms is very common in England, but this one is different from all of the others in only one key respect only. According to Wikipedia, it is alone amongst all the other clovers in that it seeds under ground.

"Trifolium subterraneum", the subterranean clover which, is a species of Clover "native to northwestern Europe, from Ireland east to Belgium". The plant's name comes from its underground seed development geocarpy, a characteristic not possessed by other clovers. It can thrive in poor-quality soil where other clovers cannot survive, and is grown commercially for animal fodder. There are three distinct subspecies used in agriculture, each with its own ideal climate and soil type, allowing for wide distribution of the plant over varied environments.
 
Subterraneum is the generalist subspecies, and it can be grown in the widest range of environments,is grown in moist areas that are prone to flooding.T. subterraneum brachycalycinum is a more sensitive plant, requiring dry, cracked soil for its germination." 

Plants on Gamlingay Heath in May 2020

While very success as a pleasant walk in a remote part of Cambridgeshire, I am afraid that my skills as a botanist are strictly limited. Lacking the skills of a Babington or a Henslow, I have no idea if the clover I saw was the correct one.

In my defence,  Trifolium subterraneum has become very rare these days.  The reason for these is that wide scale advances in agricultural improvements during the 1840's and into the 20th Century have altered the soil pH. and fertility out of all recognition since 1839. The soil at Gamlingay is very sandy, but it is a cap only a few feet deep over lying clays. This is evidenced by the presence of 19th Century brick pits and the sites of former kilns on three of the four sides of the woods.

Improving farmers during the 18th Century like my four x great grandfather Josiah Rodwell had already worked out that by digging up the underlying clays, and mixing the clays with the sands they would produce a very great improvement to the soils fertility, and this increase in fertility wiped out many of the highly specialised plants that had formerly grown on this heath.

In 1837 Henslow decided to move his permanent place of residence to Hitcham in Suffolk, only travelling back to the University at Cambridge for the Spring Term, when he gave his lectures.

It is not known when Harry Baber first began his interest in botany, however it probably arose from his living in an apartment attached to the British Library where his father the Rev. Henry Hervey Baber was Keeper of the Printed Books at the British Library until 1837.  Harry's father also had responsibility for the natural history collection.

At that time there was no Natural History Museum, and a natural history collection had formed part of the British Museum's collection since 1758 when the Rev. Andrew Planta who had come from Switzerland was appointed Assistant Librarian of Natural History.

Planta's son Joseph, also worked on natural history as an Assistant Librarian in the Department of Printed Books. In 1814 Joseph Planta accompanied Henry Hervey Baber on his trip to Munich where Baber purchased a major botanical collection from Baron Von Moll.

The Apartments in the entrance quadrangle to the British Library where Harry Baber lived with his father.  The museum and library entrance was just off to the right of this picture. 

Both the British Library and the British Museum were located in a single building that stood on the site of the existing British Museum, and Harry who was born in 1817, would have lived with his parents in a flat built in the courtyard to the front of the museum that came with the post of Keeper of the Printed Books.[4]  This would have allowed Harry access to one of the largest collections in Britain at that time.

The earliest collecting expedition in which Harry is known to have taken part in, that we are aware of took place in April 1837, when he found and example of Arabis turrita which is preserved in the Herbarium at the Perth Museum in Scotland.

"The Perth collection also includes an example of Grape-hyacinth Muscari neglectum which is recorded as having been collected in Cherry Hinton, in May 1837.

On "May 29. [1837, Babington] Went with Baber to Madingley.  Lamium Galeobdolon was just come into flower.  We noticed Cerastium arvense in flower, and Arenaria tenufolia just come up, in the gravel pit near to the Observatory.  Leontodon palustre was in flower in Madingley chalk pit."

The gravel pit at Madingley subsequently became abandoned and overgrown. It now forms the eastern most point in the grounds of the American War Cemetery at Madingley.

During June 1838, Harry appears to have been staying in his father's rectory at Stretham near Ely, where he was able to collect an example of Carex obrubae, or False Fox-sedge.  He then pressed the sample to dry it. Harry then arranged for the sample to be sent to his friend at the Royal Botanical Garden at Edinburgh, where it survives to this day. [5]

Stretham is located in the Fens directly to the north of Cambridge, on the main road towards Ely.  During the winter, the village was almost an island, as the surrounding area became flooded by winter runoff from the catchment of the Ouse.  Harry was witnessing one of the last summer's before the installation of a major new steam pumping engine at Stretham would draw down the waters, destroying the wetlands for every, and allowing most of the land to be turned over to arable land.

Cardamine Amara collected by Harry Baber, July 1838, Mildenhall.

Harry Baber's time at Cambridge began a year or more after Charles Darwin left.  It is largely due to modern interest in Charles Darwin that the records that allow me to follow Harry Baber's botanical interests have survived.

It is at this point that from the records of Charles Darwin, that a really intriguing set of connections begin to emerge, and these have deep roots into the Suffolk countryside.

Some of the most interesting records of Darwin's time at Cambridge come from the anecdotes recorded by my great x 4 uncle the Revd. John Medows Rodwell who was a student at Cambridge at the same time as Darwin. I will further explore these connections in a second blog post which hopefully will follow shortly.

After leaving University Harry was Ordained as a Deacon at Norwich Cathedral on the 26^th of July 1840.  On the following day, 27^th July 1840 Harry was appointed curate of Barham in Suffolk.  He had been nominated by the Revd. William Kirby Rector of the adjacent parish of Claydon.

Revd William Kirby by Spence

The selection of the Rev. William Kirby as a suitable mentor for Harry Baber as he took up his new role as Curate is an interesting one.  The Revd William Kirby was a very highly regarded lepidopterist.

Natural History was also a professional interest of Henry Hervey Baber, especially when they were attacking his precious religious texts, his primary interests, as the following letter in John Freeman’s book Life of Rev. William Kirby M.A. Rector of Barham, published in 1852 demonstrates. In this letter dated April 25th 1817, Dr Leach wrote to Rev. Kirby: -

“Mr Baber also Director of the library in the British Museum, sent me another species that had perforated a manuscript from Mount Sinai”

The insect was apparent a Dermestides [6] of a type that was hitherto unknown, and it had shot out of the bindings of an ancient text that had been collected from the famous library at St. Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai.

The Dr Leach who wrote the letter was William Elford Leach (1790-1836) Assistant Librarian of Natural History from 1813 to 1822, who worked under Henry Baber at the British Library. [6] 

The recipient William Kirby of the letter was a natural historian of great ability, who was a member of the Royal Society and the Linnaean Society.  From his rectory in Suffolk he corresponded with naturalists in Sweden and South America. It is not clear from the letter how well if at all he knew Henry Baber, but he was later to become closely related to Henry Baber, when Henry’s son Rev. Harry Baber married Sarah Rodwell. Kirby’s second wife was Charlotte Rodwell, Sarah’s aunt.

Henry’s daughter Anne Maria was to marry the Rev Philip Freeman the younger brother of the Revd. John Freeman, the author of Kirby’s life. This earlier link is probably how Henry’s children came to meet their respective wives from the Gipping Valley in Suffolk.

The close nature of the friendship, and that it was maintained over many years is suggested by the following codicil in William Kirby's will (from the Suffolk Record Office) as follows:

"to my dear friend Ann Maria Baber, daughter of the Revd H. H. Baber late of the British Museum Ten Pounds as a token of my regard" Jan 10th 1844 [7]

William Kirby and his wife Charlotte paid a social visit to Cambridge and Stretham in January 1841. This is recorded in Freeman's Life of Kirby.

“After spending a week at the latter place (Cambridge) and Stretham very pleasantly, we packed ourselves into the Ipswich Coach.”

Edward Stanley, (1779 – 1849) [8] Bishop of Norwich

That the Bishop of Norwich was involved in Harry Baber's early career as a curate is interesting.
Harry Baber's father Henry Hervey Baber occupied a living that was in the Diocese of Ely, and was located within sight of Ely, which was only about six miles from Stretham. However for reasons that are unclear, Harry was ordained by the Bishop of Norwich located much further away.

Botany may well have been the reason for Bishop Edward's interest in Harry Baber's career. The Bishop was a very keen botanist.  He became President of the Linnean Society in 1837, and remained so until his death in 1849.  He was also the original Patron of the Ipswich Museum and presided at its opening in 1847. 

The printed licence from Edward Stanley, (1779 – 1849) [8] Bishop of Norwich appointing Harry Baber to his first curacy is endorsed in handwriting: -

“You residing at Claydon about half a mile distant being allowed to reside out of the parish of Barham aforesaid on account of the Rector being resident in the parsonage house there.”

I am by no means an expert on either botany or on the history of natural philosophy as it was described at the time. If you are aware of other information on this subject, or know more about aspects of the above, I would very much like to hear from you.  My email is balmer.nicholas@gmail.com

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[1] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/17/gigi-crompton-obituary Mrs Crompton sadly died early in 2020.

[2] Janet Brown, Charles Darwin, Voyaging, pages 117-140.

[3]http://venn.lib.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search-2018.pl?sur=&suro=w&fir=&firo=c&cit=&cito=c&c=all&z=all&tex=BBNN825CC&sye=&eye=&col=all&maxcount=50

See also S.M. Walters & E.A. Stow, Darwin's Mentor, John Stevens Henslow 1796-1861.

[4] The apartments were all located in two wings of red brick buildings that lined either side of the courtyard in front of the museum. Before the existing library was built, these blocks of apartments were demolished. 

[5] See http://herbariaunited.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12933

[6]Dermestidae are a family of Coleoptera that are commonly referred to as skin beetles. Other common names include larder beetle, hide or leather beetles, carpet beetles, and khapra beetles. There are approximately 500 to 700 species worldwide.

[7] Doctor Leach who was six years older than Henslow had recognised Henslow's abilities as a naturalist before Henslow went up to Cambridge. It is very possible that Leach would have shown Henslow the botanical collections inside the British Library.

[8] E-mail from Greg Finch 02/2001, original of Kirby’s will in Suffolk Record Office.

[9] Edward Stanley, Bishop of Norwich was also President of the Linnaean Society.