Nottingham Collector - Dr John Percy

[oldnick]

Dr John Percy who collected from around 1830 onward, seems to have been an important Notts collector; can anyone help to decide this, by finding a photo or other info? What I have searched for in vain is his full signature, as all I can find on H@H is initials - a distinctive JP. Only on one specimen is his actual name written - and that is in J C Melville's handwriting
http://herbariaunited.org/specimen/255484/?image.

The collections of J P and J H Balfour in PTH (Perth) unfortunately do not have photos, if these could be checked they might clinch it. Does the link 'show in Google Earth' lead to a photo? 'My computer and I' do not manage to access this.

There are initialled specimens collected by 'J P' and 'I P' scattered around H@H, from Notts, the Alps and elsewhere which, with this info, could easily be correctly catalogued; as well as specimens from his favourite locations which are not attributed to a collector.

[Mike d'Apice]

For info - Dr John Percy (1817-1889) M.D. F.R.S. if the same John Percy (1817-1889) listed in the dictionary of Botanists of UKetc is your one then he was principally a metallurgist and seemingly a very good one (His book on smelting seems pretty near encyclopedic) so not sure how he found time for Botany as well! See for a photo and biography:

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/about_us/about_the_museum/collections/about_the_collections/collections_snapshot/percy_collection.aspx

and for his writing and signature:

http://www.manuscripts.co.uk/stock/24520.HTM

Bet its a different one but if not hope of use! Mike d'A

[Tom Humphrey]

I've emailed Mark Simmons at Perth Museum to ask if he can confirm a match with his specimens attributed to John Percy, but to me the overlap of localities and dates is quite convincing.

regards,

Tom

[Chris Liffen]

There is a detailed obituary of John Percy in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London - which can be accessed here
http://www.archive.org/stream/proceedingsroya67britgoog#page/n635/mode/1up/search/percy
page 484n
also taken from the Botanical Society of Edinburgh
http://www.archive.org/stream/transactionsofbo17bota#page/520/mode/2up/search/percy :

Regards
Chris

John Percy (23/3/1817-19/6/1889)

name:	Dr John Percy
dates:	23/3/1817-19/6/1889
type:	person
external links:	Obituary Hand writing
message board:	message board discussion about this botanist

[oldnick]

e-mail received:

I’m afraid we can not help you with this query. We do not hold specimens for Chris tie Forbes and Edward Forbes. We do hold specimens for a collector by the name of J. Percy (collections from France and Italy 1836), but I can’t look out any of his specimens without having a plant name to search for, as none of those collections have been data-based. Sorry about that.

Best wishes,
Adele Smith, Assistant Curator, Herbarium, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh , 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR. Scotland
Telephone: (+44) (0)131 248 2992 Fax: (+44) (0)131 248 2901

[oldnick]

I think the fact that Percy's collections were from France & Italy 1836, is confirmation that he is the same as 'J P'

[oldnick]

From Mark Simmons, Principal Officer Natural History, Perth Museum & Art Gallery

'Like you I am certain this is the same John Percy (1817-1889) but there isn’t any real match between the Perth & Bolton herbarium sheets – most of ours are marked “Percy” and I don’t think by Percy himself. There is one with a printed label “Ex Herb J Percy”.

I’ve checked the obit in Trans of BSE Vol 17 - John Percy MD,FRS, the renowned metallurgist, was a very active member of our society during his pregraduate days from 1836-1842 ….at a meeting in 1836 he gave an account of an excursion in the south-east of France, made with the express purpose of examining the vegetation of that part of the continent. At the meeting of January 1837 he minutely described his plant-finds in the Jardin de la Mer de Glace. Percy contributed very largely to the University Herbarium fine plant specimens collected by him in Southern Europe. Etc etc.

After graduating from Edinburgh he became a physician in Birmingham and seems to have started his metallurgical interests then & not furthered his interest in or study of botany. No doubt there are many of his specimens in the herbarium at RBGE.

It all seems to match perfectly.'