Eric Marsden Marsden-Jones

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Eric Marsden Marsden-Jones (8/5/1887-26/8/1960)

Biography

Born 8 May 1887 at Tilston Rectory, Malpass, Cheshire.
1923 established Pottern Biological Station which operated until 1940.
Collaborated with WB Turrill in research on the experimental taxonomy of species.
6th May 1926 changed name from 'Eric Marsden Jones' to 'Eric Marsden Marsden-Jones'. At the time his address was The Church House, Potterne.
1928 appointed Honorary Associate at Kew in Transplant and Breeding Experiments.
Published (Ray Society): British Knapweeds (1954) & The Bladder Campions (1957) both co-authored by Turrill.
Died 26 August 1960 at Bath. Buried in Potterne Cemetery with his wife Phyllis.

Transplant Experiments of the British Ecological Society

From 1928 to 1940 Marsden-Jones conducted Transplant Experiments on land at Potterne called "Mr Marsden Jones' garden", the grounds of The Church House.

Marsden-Jones and Turrill describe the layout of the 'Transplant Experiments of the British Ecological Society' in their first report J. Ecol. 1930. 18(2) 352-378 (JSTOR).

The experiments at Potterne were conducted in four raised beds (35x10x3ft, ~50tons of soil) one each of 'sand', 'clay', 'calcareous sand', and 'chalky clay'. Alongside was a fifth, less substantial, 'Potterne soil' bed. There was an equivalent to this latter at Kew, the 'Kew soil' bed. The following are listed as being grown: Centaurea nemoralis, Silene vulgaris, Silene maritima, Anthyllis vulgaris, Plantago major, and Fragaria vesca. The results are given in five further reports by Marden-Jones and Turrill in Journal of Ecology.

Sheets from herbaria@home (e.g. 376579) suggest that other plants were cultivated in 'Order Beds' similar to those at Kew.