A Belfast man often referred to as the ‘father of Irish botany’ and whose work has served as inspiration for generations of scientists, scholars and enthusiasts has been honoured in his home city.
Naturalist and botanist John Templeton, who turned down a voyage to Australia so he could study plants closer to home, was commemorated with a blue plaque at Botanic Gardens, for which he paved the way.
The Ulster History Circle tribute, unveiled at the Tropical Ravine by Templeton’s great-great-great granddaughter Rev Rachel Bray on Wednesday, celebrates his meticulous work as a natural historian and as a pioneering botanist.
“All I have learned about my great-great-great grandfather, John Templeton, has been both fascinating and a joy to discover,” she said.
“What an amazing man he was on so many levels.”
Born in 1765 in Bridge Street, he discovered many new species in the north east of Ireland, including a hybrid wild rose, Rosa Hibernica and Irish Rose, also known as the Templeton rose, which he found on the road to Holywood in 1807 and still flourishes in the Botanic Gardens.
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Other expeditions took him to the Belfast hills, Mournes and Ben Bulben in Co Sligo.
Sir Joseph Banks of Kew Gardens fame offered him money and land to accompany a scientific expedition to Australia, but Templeton turned it down as family and his home at Cranmore, where he farmed land that stretched to the Bog Meadows, meant more to him.
He kept detailed diaries and records, including water colours and drawings of plant specimens. These are among the treasures of the Ulster Museum.
“We recognise the profound significance of collecting and curating such invaluable artefacts,” says Rhonda Ridley, curator of botany at National Museums NI.
“These pieces not only provide an insight into the past, but also serve as beacons of inspiration for future generations of scientists, scholars and enthusiasts alike.”
Poet Michael Longley, who from his study has a view of Templeton’s Cranmore plantation and whom he wrote about in his poem ‘Dispersal’, also spoke at the blue plaque unveiling ceremony.
Templeton was a leading figure in the Belfast Enlightenment and joined her brother Henry Joy McCracken in the United Irishmen, but opposed the use of violence.
He supported the founding of Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI) with its playing fields at Cranmore containing the conserved ruins of his former home and also helped establish the institution that became the Linen Hall Library.
UHC chairman Chris Spurr said Templeton was “meticulous in his work as a natural historian, and as a pioneering botanist in particular he was held in high esteem”.
