In the June 1905 issue of SDNQ (vol.9, p.270) there appeared an article by Weymouth solicitor, botanist and antiquarian, William Bowles Barrett (1833-1916).
In the article Bowles Barrett discussed the impact of enclosure on the Dorset countryside, with particular reference to the loss of the native flora, traces of which could then still occasionally be discovered in the hedgerows or in the unploughed corners of fields.
Reminders of Former Commons and their Flora, by William Bowles Barrett:
‘Considerable portions of Dorset 150 years ago, or less, consisted of open Commons; these have been aptly designated the peasants’ parks. Comparatively few now remain. Great indeed must be the alteration in the general appearance of many parts of the County, caused by the disappearance of the heath, furze and natural state of wildness, as well as by the multiplication of hedgerows and trees and the present high state of cultivation.
Well night gone, too, is the popular remembrance as to which particular lands were Common, and which old enclosures; those only know who have locally investigated the subject, by examination of the Awards of the Enclosure Commissioners, the maps which accompanied them, or old title deeds. A century ago, in many cases, the tale was, no doubt, told at sight by the newly planted hedges dividing the common lands, which still retained the appearance of youth in contrast with those of the old enclosures; now, these hedges are no longer distinguishable.
But it is interesting to note that where, as is often the case, old enclosures and lands formerly Common are intermixed, the latter, in what are now suburban districts, may frequently be distinguished , as well by the greater regularity of the fence divisions as by certain plants characteristic of Commons and the wilder districts, such as Erica cinerea [Bell Heather], Ulex Gallii [Western Gorse] and Serratula tinctoria [Saw-wort], which still occasionally linger on the hedge banks, as relics of by-gone days. Here and there, too, away from the wilder areas, and even close to the suburbs of our towns, a corner of a field may sometimes be observed where, fortunately for the Naturalist and the Antiquary, the soil is so poor that it has never been cultivated; being left in its natural state, it has become a refuge for the indigenous vegetation of the ancient Common which bordered the town; a valuable record has thus been preserved of a former state of things. Such instances are becoming increasingly rare, but we still have two or three quite near here.’
Who was William Bowles Barrett?
William Bowles Barrett was born at Wyke Regis on 17 March 1833, the son of William Barrett, a malster and coal merchant, and Martha Barrett (née White). In 1868 he was married at Dorchester to Maria Georgina Cowdell, and their son, William Edward Cowdell Barrett, was born in 1873.
In 1883, William Bowles Barrett was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society, and in 1888 he was one of the first subscribers to the newly-founded journal, Somerset & Dorset Notes & Queries.
William Bowles Barrett died on 17 April 1916, leaving effects to the value of £17,651.
The following obituary appeared in the Western Gazette, 21 April 1916:
‘DEATH OF MR W. BOWLES BARRETT.
Many readers will hear with profound regret of the death of Mr William Bowles Barrett, solicitor, of Weymouth, which sad event occurred suddenly at his residence on Monday morning, at 2, Belfield Terrace. The deceased gentleman was 83 years of age, and generally had enjoyed very good health. He was alert, upright, and active, and as recently as the Friday preceding his lamented demise he was at his office in St Thomas Street transacting business as usual. In the afternoon he did make complaint of not feeling as well as usual, but his condition was in no way so alarming as to justify the calling in of a medical man. In the course of the night, however, the symptoms he evinced became suddenly serious, and he passed quietly away from heart failure at half-past three o’clock in the morning.
The deceased gentleman was always of a retiring disposition, and took little or no part in any work of a public character. He was a consistent Conservative, and a Churchman, and was a regular attendant at St Mary’s, in which church he took a great interest. He also at one time was secretary to the St Mary’s Parochial Schools.
The Ecole Évangélique at Lille, France, was the scene of Mr Bowles Barrett’s early education, his headmaster being Monsieur Marzials, father of the well-known musical composer, Theo Marzials. On returning to England his education was continued by a private tutor. Subsequently he entered into articles of clerkship to the late Mr George Andrews, solicitor, of Weymouth. He took honours in the final examination of the Incorporated Law Society, and was admitted a solicitor in 1863. From that year up to the time of his death Mr Bowles Barrett was in practice in Weymouth. On becoming a qualified solicitor he went into partnership with the late Mr George Andrews, and the style of the firm became Messrs. Andrews & Barrett. Some years before the death of Mr George Andrews, in December 1993, his son, Mr George Andrews, had been taken into partnership, the firm being styled Messrs. Andrews, Barrett, & Andrews. The health of Mr George Andrews failed, and he retired, and Mr Wilkinson and Mr W.E. Cowdell Barrett were taken into partnership in 1897. Since then the firm has been known as Messrs. Andrews, Barrett, & Wilkinson. In 1902 Mr Geoffrey Plumpton Smith became a partner.
Up to the time of the failure of Eliot’s Bank in 1897 the deceased held the office (jointly with Mr George Andrews) of Borough Treasurer to the Corporation of Weymouth. At the time of his death he was Clerk to the Weymouth Waterworks Company, Chairman of Directors of the Weymouth Soda Water Company Ltd., and Hon. Clerk to the vestry of the parish of Melcombe Regis.
Natural science, particularly topographical botany, had strong attractions for the deceased, and he was elected a Fellow of the Linnaean Society. He compiled the flora of the deep, beautiful and fertile valley of the county of Brecknock, which has hitherto not been botanically explored in a systematic way. Mr Bowles Barrett also made a careful study of the flora of the district around Weymouth.
Archaeology too, had a deep interest for him, especially that associated with the county of Dorset, and the town of Weymouth and its neighbourhood. He possessed a large collection of old prints relating to Weymouth and the district. He was frequent contributor of papers at meetings of the Dorset Field Club. The deceased gentleman was also a numismatist of some note, and he possessed a large collection of ancient coins.
Mr Bowles Barrett married the eldest daughter of the late Charles Cowell, M.D., of Dorchester, in 1868. Mrs Bowles Barrett and their son, Mr W.E. Cowell Barrett, survive him.
The internment will take place at Melcombe Regis Cemetery on Thursday morning, at eleven o’clock, and by the deceased’s wish there will be no flowers.’
Archives:
The papers of William Bowles Barrett are held at the Dorset History Centre, ref. D-2879
Publications and articles:
W.B. Barrett, ‘A Contribution Towards a Flora of Breconshire’, Journal of Botany, 1885.
W.B. Barrett, ‘The Rebels in the Duke of Monmouth’s Rebellion, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History & Antiquarian Field Club ; vol.5, pp.99-135.
W.B. Barrett, ‘Notes on the flora of the Chesil Bank and the Fleet’, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History & Antiquarian Field Club ; vol. 26, pp.251-265.
W.B. Barrett, ‘The Pepys of South Dorset’, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History & Antiquarian Field Club ; vol. 28, pp.39-49.
W.B. Barrett, ‘Weymouth and Melcombe Regis in the time of the Great Civil War’, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History & Antiquarian Field Club ; vol.31, pp.204-229.
W.B. Barrett, ‘Contributions to a flora of Portland, with special reference to Limonium recurvum, C.E. Salmon’, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History & Antiquarian Field Club ; vol. 33, pp.96-143, 1912.
Visit the Dorset Nature website for more information about:
Erica cinerea (Bell Heather)
Ulex gallii (Western Gorse)
Serratula inctoria (Saw-wort)
Rachel Hassall
June 2020
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