“Beauty, for Beauty’s sake” – the story of the Ancient Society of York Florists

Penelope Dawson-Brown,

Chairman of the Yorkshire Gardens Trust & President of the Ancient Society of York Florists

This lecture will explore the history of the Ancient Society of York Florists, the oldest extant horticultural society in the world, founded in 1768 from an earlier society dating back to the reign of Queen Anne.  Floriculture was the art of growing beautiful flowers to perfection so that they could be shown at traditional "Florists Feasts".  At that time there were eight classic florists' flowers but Auricula, Tulip and Carnation were the most popular with the York florists.  The lecture will trace the origins of these flowers and look at the social aspect of the Society whose members were amongst the most influential men in York.  In those days the term Florist referred to someone who grew flowers for their beauty alone, a practice which was influenced by fashion in the age of enlightenment.  Previously plants were mainly the preserve of druggists and apothecaries.

REPORT:

Beauty for beauty's sake: the story of the Ancient Society of Florists Penelope Dawson-Brown FLS , Chair of the Yorkshire Gardens Trust, President of the Ancient Society of Florists Joint lecture with the Yorkshire Gardens Trust

Back in the 18th century florists were not, as we would think of them today, flower sellers, but flower growers – whose sole motivation was to cultivate the most beautiful blooms that they could. The Ancient Society of York Florists, founded in 1768, occasionally showed off their blooms at so-called Florist Feasts, the first of which, in 1777, is now commemorated by a plaque on the wall of its Colliergate venue.
In her lecture Penelope Dawson-Brown delved deep into the roots of this society and, illustrating it with numerous woodcuts, old drawings, maps and  hand-painted pictures of sometimes extinct flowers, she recounted the emergence of the Society from its predecessors, the Society of Gardeners at York and the even earlier Worshipful Company of Fruiterers.
She also paid great tribute for the continuance of the Society to its present secretary, Arthur Robinson, who was present in the audience at the lecture.

Report by Stephen Lusty.

Joint lecture with the Yorkshire Gardens Trust