26 May 2017
Cataloguing the Nathaniel Charles Rothschild archives
Read about the highlights of the fascinating Nathaniel Charles Rothschild collection of iris papers, written and researched by Archives graduate trainee Alice Evans.
As part of my traineeship here at Kew I have learnt about the many different aspects of working in an Archive, including spending a week cataloguing the papers of Nathaniel Charles Rothschild.
Despite following family tradition and pursuing a career in banking, Nathaniel also maintained an active interest in science and botany throughout his life. His particular botanical interest was in irises and his correspondence, maps and manuscripts relating to them are held in the Archives here at Kew.
A family of naturalists
Nathaniel Charles Rothschild, known as Charles, was born in London in 1877, the second son of the 1st Baron Rothschild. Charles studied natural sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge and like his elder brother, Lionel Walter Rothschild, went on to work in the family’s bank. Yet both brothers were able to pursue their own scientific interests in zoology, conservation and botany around their day jobs.
Walter’s passion was zoology and he was an avid collector, creating one of the largest private collections of zoological specimens in the world including 300,000 bird skins, 2,250,000 butterflies, and 30,000 beetles, at his museum at Tring, which is now part of the Natural History Museum.
Charles also pursued his own scientific interests, in particular entomology, conservation and botany, and his expertise in these fields was acknowledged through several prestigious positions he attained in scientific societies. He became a fellow of the Linnean Society in 1899, founded the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves in 1912, and became president of the Entomological Society in 1915–16.
This scientific inclination also continued on to the next generation of Rothschilds, as Nathaniel’s daughter Miriam studied zoology, entomology and botany, and became a world-leading expert on fleas.
The iris collection at Kew
Aside from Nathaniel’s other scientific interests, his particular botanical interests were in irises and orchids, and he created an impressive living collection of nearly all the known species of iris in his gardens at Tring Park, Hertfordshire and Ashton Wold, Northamptonshire.
His collections of living and pressed irises, along with related correspondence, plans, maps, catalogues and plant lists, were presented to Kew by his daughter Miriam after his death, and I have now catalogued the manuscript papers which are kept in the Archives.
The collection contains a great deal of correspondence with iris collectors and suppliers from around the world, and includes meticulous records, plant catalogues, and planting plans for both of his gardens..
More highlights from the collection
Alongside the correspondence and plans in the collection there are a series of beautiful watercolour sketches of irises by an unidentified botanical artist, as well as two glass-plate copies of the hand-drawn map in the image above.
This opportunity to get to know and research a collection in depth as part of the cataloguing process has been particularly exciting, especially as this collection contained such a variety of material, from correspondence to maps and illustrations.
Descriptions of the Nathaniel Charles Rothschild papers can now be found on the Archives online catalogue, and items can be requested to be viewed in the Reading Room at Kew.
Alice Evans, Archives Graduate Trainee
