Hooker, Sir Joseph Dalton (1817-1911)

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 0068 JDH
Held at	: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew   Click here to find out how to view this collection at http://www.kew.org/learn/library-art-archives ›
Full title	: Hooker, Sir Joseph Dalton (1817-1911)
Date(s)	: [1820-1920]
Level of description	: Collection (fonds)
Extent	: 4 series, 197 files
Name of creator(s)	: Hooker | Sir | Joseph Dalton | 1817-1911 | Knight | botanist

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

Joseph Dalton Hooker was born at Halesworth, Suffolk, on 30 June 1817, the second son of Sir William Jackson Hooker and his wife Maria, daughter of naturalist Dawson Turner. He was educated at Glasgow High School and later at Glasgow University, where his father was Regius Professor of Botany. He graduated M.D. in 1839. Hooker attended his father's university botany lectures from the age of seven and formed an interest in plant distribution as well as an early enthusiasm for travellers' tales such as Captain Cook's Voyages.

Hooker's passions for botany and travel were combined when he was appointed assistant surgeon aboard HMS EREBUS which - commanded by Sir James Clark Ross, and accompanied by its sister ship, the TERROR - was to spend four years, from 1839 to 1843, exploring the southern oceans. Although Ross was a friend of William Hooker, and encouraged Joseph's botanical work during the voyage, William's income would not allow Joseph to travel as a self-financed, gentlemanly companion to the captain - as Charles Darwin had done. Instead, Joseph sailed as assistant surgeon, subject to naval discipline and with many shipboard duties to perform. This Antarctic expedition took Hooker through Cape of Good Hope, Kerguelen Island, Tasmania, Auckland Islands, Campbell Island, Victoria Barrier, Sydney, New Zealand, Cape Horn, Falkland Islands, Hermite Island off Tierra del Fuego and it even gave Hooker the opportunity to experience his childhood dream of seeing Kerguelen Land. The sojourns ashore allowed him to collect plants in relatively unexplored regions.

When the EREBUS returned to England in 1843, Hooker needed to establish his reputation and find paid, botanical employment. Two years earlier, his father had been appointed first director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, which had just been brought under government control. However, while the prestigious appointment brought William Hooker to the centres of scientific life in London, it reduced his income and he was still unable to give his son much financial support. Fortunately William's influence was sufficient to secure an Admiralty grant of £1000 to cover the cost of the Botany of the Antarctic Voyage's plates, and Joseph received his Assistant Surgeon's pay while he worked on it. The book eventually formed six large volumes: two each for the Flora Antarctica, 1844-1847; the Flora Novae-Zelandiae, 1851-1853; and the Flora Tasmaniae, 1853-1859.

It was also in 1843 that Hooker's correspondence with Charles Darwin began. Whilst still a student, Hooker had read proofs of Darwin's voyage of the BEAGLE and this had fired Hooker's enthusiasm. They had first met just before Hooker left on the Antarctic voyage and now began a lifelong friendship during which time Hooker remained a staunch supporter of Darwin and his theories.

In 1845, he was a candidate for the chair of botany at the University of Edinburgh but after failing to win the professorship, he secured work at the Geological Survey. This lasted from 1847-1848 when he left to start his Himalayan expedition.

The imperial context and importance of Hooker's work is evident in his trip to the central and eastern Himalaya (1847-1849). Hooker obtained a government grant for the trip and the Admiralty gave him free passage on the ships taking Lord Dalhousie, the newly-appointed Governor General, to India. After visiting Calcutta, Hooker went to Darjeeling and then to Sikkim where he and his travelling companion were arrested for border violation. Following his release, Hooker spent 1850 travelling with Thomas Thomson in Eastern Bengal and the two returned to England in 1851. Together they wrote the first volume of a projected Flora Indica (1855) but this was never completed (although Hooker eventually produced the Flora of British India, 1872-1897). The introductory essay on the geographical relations of India's flora, however, was to be one of Hooker's most important statements on bio-geographical issues. Altogether Hooker collected about 7,000 species in India and Nepal and on his return to England, managed to secure another government grant while he classified and named them. His Himalayan Journals were published in 1854.

In August 1851, Hooker married Frances Harriet, eldest daughter of John Stevens Henslow, the Cambridge professor of Botany who had taught Darwin. Joseph and Frances had four sons and two surviving daughters, but Hooker's favourite daughter, Minnie (Maria Elizabeth), died in September 1863, when she was just six years old. Frances died in 1874 and two years later Joseph married Hyacinth, the only daughter of William Samuel Symonds, with whom he had two more sons.

Since William Hooker had been put in charge, Kew Gardens had increased from eleven acres to over 300 acres, containing more than 20 glasshouses and over 4,500 living herbaceous plants. Faced with this enormous expansion, the government finally agreed that the director could not cope alone and their decision brought a conclusion to Joseph's long search for secure, paid employment; he was appointed Assistant Director on 5 June 1855.

In 1865 William Hooker died and Joseph succeeded him as director of Kew, a position he held until his retirement in 1885. The public function of Kew became a source of controversy in various ways during Joseph Hooker's tenure as Director. He asserted that the garden's 'primary objects are scientific and utilitarian, not recreational' and complained about the need to create elaborate floral displays for those he regarded as 'mere pleasure or recreation seekers … whose motives are rude romping and games' (Desmond 1995: 230, 234). Given these views, it is hardly surprising that he continued the tradition of allowing only serious botanical students and artists to enter the gardens during the morning, and resisted all attempts to extend the garden's opening hours for the general public.

In 1865, Hooker also began work with George Bentham on the substantial Genera Plantarum, the three massive volumes of which provide a summary of all of the genera of flowering plants and gymnosperms known at the time. This work was completed in 1883.

Hooker was the President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1868 and, in 1873, he was elected President of the Royal Society where he instituted various reforms designed to broaden public participation in the society, including the ladies soirees. When he retired from the presidency in 1878, Hooker was particularly proud of the £10,000 he had helped raise which allowed the restrictively-high membership dues to be reduced.

According to his son in law, William Thiselton-Dyer, who was to take over as Director in 1885, Hooker was 'five feet eleven inches in height and spare and wiry in figure' and 'in temperament he was nervous and high-strung'. Thiselton-Dyer also attested to Hooker's capacity for hard work, a claim borne out by the full list of his publications, which fills twenty pages. As well as writing, he continued to travel and visited Syria and Palestine (1860), Morocco (1871) and the U.S.A. (1877).

Hooker was highly-regarded in his lifetime and received numerous honorary degrees including ones from Oxford and Cambridge. He was created C.B. in 1869; K.C.S.I. in 1877; G.C.S.I. in 1897; and received the Order of Merit in 1907. The Royal Society gave him their royal medal in 1854, the Copley in 1887, and the Darwin in 1892. He also received numerous prizes and awards from both British and foreign scientific societies.

In 1893, Hooker commenced his fourth major work - the Index Kewensis which was initially funded by Darwin. It provides an index of the names of seed plants to various levels and continues to be updated to the present day.

Hooker died in his sleep at midnight at home on 10 December 1911 after a short and apparently minor illness. He was buried, as he wished to be, alongside his father in the churchyard of St Anne's on Kew Green. His widow, Hyacinth, was offered the option of burial alongside Darwin in Westminster Abbey, but perhaps she understood that - despite the importance of his relationship with Darwin - it was botany, Kew Gardens and his father who should determine his final resting place.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Sir Joseph Hooker's papers comprise 4 series. The first series (JDH/1) is comprised of papers and correspondence relating to expeditions that J.D. Hooker was involved in, either as a direct participant or in an advisory capacity. The second (JDH/2) is a series of volumes of correspondence between J.D. Hooker and many other individuals on a variety of topics. The third series (JDH/3) contains papers relating to the published works of J.D. Hooker and other manuscript Flora. The fourth series (JDH/4) is comprised of papers and correspondence relating to a wide variety of societies and subjects in which J.D. Hooker had an interest.

JDH/1 : Expeditions: This series contains primarily bound volumes relating to expeditions that J.D. Hooker was involved in, either as a direct participant or in an advisory capacity. It includes some of Hooker's original expedition journals, correspondence, botanical manuscripts and notebooks. It also contains 3 sub-series covering J.D. Hooker's notebooks, the Voyage of HMS CHALLENGER letters and his Indian, Moroccan and Syrian journals which have been bound together with other unrelated subjects.

JDH/1/1 : Antarctic Journal 18 May 1839-28 Mar 1843: This bound volume contains J.D. Hooker's original manuscript journal from his expedition to the Antarctic region on board the HMS EREBUS. The journal also contains a number of sketches. TRANSCRIPT TO BE PRODUCED OR MICROFILM, NOT ORIGINAL; JDH/1/2 : Correspondence from Antarctic Expedition 1839-1843; This bound, indexed volume contains letters sent from J.D. Hooker, primarily addressed to his parents, whilst on his expedition to the Antarctic. Most of the letters are manuscript copies and there are also two letters written by Sir J. Franklin and Captain Ross; JDH/1/3 : Letters and Journal 1839-1843; This bound, indexed volume contains manuscript extracts from J.D. Hooker's Antarctic Journal and copies of letters written by him, primarily to his family, whilst on this expedition. It also includes four letters written by other individuals; JDH/1/4: Antarctic Manuscript c 1839-1843: This bound volume contains an original manuscript which provides an account of the flora of the Antarctic region and New Zealand as observed by J.D. Hooker on his expedition of 1839-1843. This manuscript also contains some botanical drawings and the remains of some original specimens; JDH/1/5 : Antarctic Botany - Notes and Drawings c 1839-1840s: This bound volume contains an original manuscript of notes together with numerous botanical drawings, some of which have been coloured. It provides an account of the flora of the Antarctic region and New Zealand as observed by J.D. Hooker on his expedition of 1839-1843; JDH/1/6 : H.M.S. Erebus - St. Auckland's and Campbell's Islands - Botanic Manuscript [1840]; This bound volume contains original botanical notes and sketches by J.D. Hooker concerning the flora of St. Auckland's and Campbell's Islands which he visited in Nov/Dec 1840 during his Antarctic expedition aboard the HMS EREBUS; JDH/1/7 : Antarctic Expeditions 1842-1903: This bound, indexed volume contains the following documents: papers and correspondence dated c 1887-1903 relating the National Antarctic Expedition of the HMS DISCOVERY (1901-1904) including a photograph of the ship; correspondence dated c 1842-1843 by J. Davies, J. Savage and C.J. Sullivan whilst on HMS Erebus and HMS Terror (1839-1843) including some poetry by Sullivan; and a lecture (original manuscript and typed transcript) given by J.D. Hooker on this expedition at the Royal Institution of South Wales, Swansea on 17 June 1846.

JDH/1/8 : Notebooks 1840-1877; This sub-series comprises 5 files containing J.D. Hooker's original botanical notebooks from the expeditions he made to the Antarctic and India. Most of the notebooks contain botanical and scientific notes and many also feature pencil sketches of flora and of the local geographical area. JDH/1/8/1 : Notebooks - The Erebus Expedition 1840-1843: This is file 1 of 5 containing 9 of J.D. Hooker's original notebooks. The notebooks contain a mixture of some journal entries, scientific data and botanical notes as well a number of pencil sketches of plants and landscape; JDH/1/8/1/1 : Notebook - Cape Town Mar 1840; JDH/1/8/1/2 : Notebook - Cape of Good Hope, Kerguelen's and Van Diemen's Lands 1840; JDH/1/8/1/3 : Notebook - Miscellaneous, 'Erebus', sketch of Sydney 1840-1843; JDH/1/8/1/4 : Notebook - Bay of Islands, New Zealand, Mosses and Plants, sketch of the Falls of Keri Keri. 1841; JDH/1/8/1/5 : Notebook - Bay of Islands Mosses and Plants No.I 1841; JDH/1/8/1/6 : Notebook - Bay of Islands Mosses and Plants No.II 1841; JDH/1/8/1/7 : Notebook - Bay of Islands Mosses and Plants No.III 1841 ; JDH/1/8/1/8 : Notebook - Bay of Islands, New Zealand, Mosses No.IV 1841; JDH/1/8/1/9 : Notebook - 'Erebus' pencil sketch of the Ice Barrier Feb 1842.

JDH/1/8/2 : Notebooks - India 1847-1849: This is file 2 of 5 containing 8 of J.D. Hooker's original notebooks. The notebooks contain a mixture of some journal entries, scientific data and botanical notes as well a few sketches. JDH/1/8/2/1 : Notebook - Kew and the Voyage to India 1847-1849; JDH/1/8/2/2 : Notebook - Calcutta 1848; JDH/1/8/2/3 : Notebook - Sikkim 1848; JDH/1/8/2/4 : Notebook - Junnoo 1848; JDH/1/8/2/5 : Notebook - Tambur 1848; JDH/1/8/2/6 : Notebook - Tonghem 1848-1849; JDH/1/8/2/7 : Notebook - Shatiang 1849; JDH/1/8/2/8 : Notebook - Teesta River, Sikkim 1849.

JDH/1/8/3 : Notebooks - India 1849. this is file 3 of 5 containing 6 of J.D. Hooker's original notebooks. The notebooks contain a mixture of some journal entries, scientific data and botanical notes. JDH/1/8/3/1 : Notebook - Dorjiling Lachen 1849; JDH/1/8/3/2 : Notebook - Lachen 1849; JDH/1/8/3/3 : Notebook - Lachen and other places, 1849; JDH/1/8/3/4 : Notebook - Tungu chomiomo 1849; JDH/1/8/3/5 : Notebook - Choomtang 1849; JDH/1/8/3/6 : Notebook - Momay 1849.

. JDH/1/8/4 : Notebooks - India 1848-1850. This is file 4 of 5 containing 8 of J.D. Hooker's original notebooks. The notebooks contain a mixture of some journal entries, scientific data and botanical notes as well a number of pencil sketches, mostly of landscape. JDH/1/8/4/1 : Notebook - India 1848-1849; JDH/1/8/4/2 : Notebook - Tumloong 1849; JDH/1/8/4/3 : Notebook - Dorgiling Apr 1850; JDH/1/8/4/4 : Notebook - Khasia Mts July 1850; JDH/1/8/4/5 : Notebook - Khasia Jul - Sep 1850; JDH/1/8/4/6 : Notebook - Khasia Sep - Oct 1850; JDH/1/8/4/7 : Notebook - Khasia Oct 1850; JDH/1/8/4/8 : Notebook - India (primarily tables of data) May 1850.

JDH/1/8/5 : Notebooks - India and Miscellaneous 1850-1877: This is file 5 of 5 containing 7 of J.D. Hooker's original notebooks. The notebooks contain a mixture of some journal entries, scientific data and botanical notes as well a number of pencil sketches, mostly of landscape. JDH/1/8/5/1 : Notebook - India (primarily tables of data) November 1850; JDH/1/8/5/2 : Notebook - Chittagong 1850; JDH/1/8/5/3 : Notebook - Miscellaneous notes and some Swiss and Indian notes (no dates) c 1850s; JDH/1/8/5/4 : Notebook - Scotland - primarily pencil sketches (no dates) [1857]; JDH/1/8/5/5 : Notebook - Syria 1860; JDH/1/8/5/6 : Notebook - Morocco 1871; JDH/1/8/5/7 : Notebook - America, 1877.

JDH/1/9 : Travel Journals and Correspondence: India, Morocco, Syria, St Helena and Falkland Islands, 1842-1911: This sub-series contains journals and correspondence covering a number of different expeditions and other unrelated subjects which have been bound together in a single volume. JDH/1/9/1 : Indian Journal 1848: This is a typescript copy of part of J.D. Hooker's Indian Journal together with copies of letters from J.D. Hooker to Mr. Campbell, Mr. Darwin, Baron Humboldt and Dr. Wallich.

JDH/1/9/2 : Moroccan Journal c 1867-1871: This section contains J.D. Hooker's original journal together with a typescript copy. There is also some original correspondence including letters from J.D. Hooker together with typescript copies. In addition, there are various other papers including a passage written in Hebrew and a translation (possibly of the same piece), notes by Freeman Rogers from Tangier dated 10 Jan 1867 together with his observations on the 'Sultans and Dynasties in Barbary' and published notes by J.D. Hooker.

JDH/1/9/3 : St. Helena [1840]: This is an original Manuscript with a typescript copy describing some of the history and flora of the island of St. Helena, visited by J.D. Hooker in 1840 during his voyage on HMS EREBUS; JDH/1/9/4 : Syrian Journal Sept-Nov 1860: a typescript copy of J.D. Hooker's Syrian Journal; JDH/1/9/5 : Letters to O. Stapf 26 Jan 1909-11 May 1911: a collection of letters from J.D. Hooker to Otto Stapf, then Keeper of the Herbarium at Kew; JDH/1/9/6: Falkland Islands 5 Sept 1842: manuscript copy of a letter from J.D. Hooker to the Lieutenant Governor of the Falkland Islands, from on board HMS EREBUS, outlining the useful plants of the colony; JDH/1/9/7 : Copley Medallion c Nov 1887: manuscript draft of a speech made by J.D. Hooker when he was awarded the Copley Medal at the anniversary dinner of the Royal Society on 30 November 1887.

JDH/1/10 : Indian Letters 1847-1851: This bound, indexed volume contains letters, primarily original, written by J.D. Hooker whilst on his expedition to India. There are also some small maps and sketches. An item level list is available for this volume. JDH/1/11 : Indian Journal c 1848-1852: bound volume containing papers relating to J.D. Hooker's expedition to India. These include his journal entries and a variety of correspondence including letters from Sir Andrew Scott Waugh, Director-General of the British Ordnance Survey of India, to Archibald Campbell, British Political Agent to Sikkim, who negotiated J.D. Hooker's admission to the area. Also included are pages of scientific geographical data, sketches and maps, extracts of Campbell's journal, lists of plants despatched to Kew and expenses accounts.

JDH/1/12 : Indian Journals mss. c Oct 1848 - Nov 1849: bound volume containing the original journal manuscript of part of J.D. Hooker's journey through the Himalayas. During the period covered by this journal, Hooker travelled to Sikkim where, in Nov 1849, he and his companion, Archibald Campbell, were arrested for border violation. It also contains letters to B.H. Hodgson.

JDH/1/13 : Hooker and Thomson - Itinerary - Catalogue of Indian Plants c 1850-1851: bound volume containing manuscript lists of plants collected by J.D. Hooker and Thomas Thomson during their expedition to India.

JDH/1/14 : Voyage of HMS Challenger Letters c 1872-1876: This sub-series comprises 2 files containing correspondence and other papers relating to the voyage of HMS CHALLENGER to the Antarctic region. Hooker was a member of the Royal Society's Circumnavigation Committee which proposed specific objectives for the expedition. JDH/1/14/1 : Voyage of HMS CHALLENGER Letters c 1872-1876: a file 1 of 2 containing ten bound bundles of papers and correspondence relating to the voyage of HMS Challenger to the Antarctic region (ff.1-147). This file contains documents relating to the expedition prior to departure as well as correspondence in alphabetical and chronological order. JDH/1/14/2 : Voyage of HMS Challenger Letters c 1872-1876: file 2 of 2 containing ten bound bundles of papers and correspondence relating to the voyage of HMS CHALLENGER to the Antarctic region (ff.148-300). This file contains correspondence in alphabetical and chronological order, observations on climate by Captain Nares, documents relating to the expedition after its return and documents relating to the botanical collections.

JDH/1/15 : Voyages of HMS ALERT and HMS DISCOVERY c 1872-1878:: This bound, indexed volume contains correspondence and other papers relating to the voyage of HMS ALERT and HMS DISCOVERY to the Arctic regions of Scandinavia and North America. It includes documents relating to the expedition prior to departure and after return, scientific observations and notes on the trial of arctic exposed seeds at Kew.

JDH/1/16 : Transit of Venus Expedition 1874-1875; This bound, indexed volume contains correspondence and other papers, including published articles, relating to the government-sponsored expedition to observe the astronomical transit of Venus. This voyage provided the Royal Society with another opportunity to study the fauna and flora of isolated islands, in this case Kerguelen's Island in the South Indian Ocean and Rodriguez Island, near Mauritius.

JDH/1/17 : Journey to America : c 1877; This bound volume is the diary of J.D. Hooker during his trip to America in 1877 when he covered 8000 miles including Colorado, Utah and California. At the back of the book there are manuscript copies of extracts from John Evelyn's Diary 1659-1702. The volume also contains an envelope in which is an assortment of papers relating to the trip for example receipts; travel details; two published articles on Mount Shasta and American Flora; a photograph of the peak of 'Old Baldy', Colorado; complimentary letters; and a hand drawn sketch of Gray's Peak, named after Asa Gray and possibly drawn by him.

Series 2 : JDH/2 : Correspondence; This series contains correspondence between J.D. Hooker and many other individuals. It includes letters relating to personal and family matters, business issues, botanical and scientific topics as well as correspondence resulting from the numerous positions held by J.D. Hooker and his various interests. It includes both inward and outward correspondence that has been previously identified and included in this collection. For details of further correspondence of J.D. Hooker, see related material. JDH/2/1 : Letters to J.D. Hooker c 1840s-1900s: a sub-series comprising 21 bound, indexed volumes of original correspondence addressed to J.D. Hooker. The letters are arranged in alphabetical order by correspondent. JDH/2/1/1 : Letters to J.D. Hooker ACL-BAL c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/2 : Letters to J.D. Hooker BAL-BIN c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/3 : Letters to J.D. Hooker BIR-BUS c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/4 : Letters to J.D. Hooker CAD-COL c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/5 : Letters to J.D. Hooker COL-DEN c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/6 : Letters to J.D. Hooker DAR c 1840s-1900s: This volume specifically contains letters from the Darwin family (not including Charles Darwin). It also contains J.D. Hooker's invitation to act as a pall-bearer at Charles Darwin's funeral; JDH/2/1/7 : Letters to J.D. Hooker DIC-EML c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/8 : Letters to J.D. Hooker ENG-GAG c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/9 : Letters to J.D. Hooker GAG-GRE c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/10 : Letters to J.D. Hooker GRI-HOR c 1840s-1900s;JDH/2/1/11 : Letters to J.D. Hooker HAR c 1844-1866; This volume specifically contains letters from William Henry Harvey, curator of Trinity College Herbarium, Dublin, from 1844 to his death in 1866. It also contains a few letters from other members of the Harvey family. JDH/2/1/12 : Letters to J.D. Hooker HOW-LEI c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/13 : Letters to J.D. Hooker KIN c 1840s-1900s: This volume specifically contains letters from George King, Superintendent of Calcutta Botanic Gardens; JDH/2/1/14 : Letters to J.D. Hooker LEI-LYO c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/15 : Letters to J.D. Hooker MAC-MUD c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/16 : Letters to J.D. Hooker MUE-PIT c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/17 : Letters to J.D. Hooker PLA-REE c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/18 : Letters to J.D. Hooker REE-SCO c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/19 : Letters to J.D. Hooker SCO-STR c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/20 : Letters to J.D. Hooker STR-WAL c 1840s-1900s; JDH/2/1/21 : Letters to J.D. Hooker WAL-YUL c 1840s-1900s.

JDH/2/2 : Letters to Lady and J.D. Hooker c 1840s-1900s: This sub-series comprises 4 bound, indexed volumes of correspondence to Lady Hyacinth and J.D. Hooker. The letters are arranged in alphabetical order by correspondent. JDH/2/2/1 : Letters to Lady and J.D. Hooker ABE-DAS c 1840s-1900s -the first of 4 bound, indexed volumes of correspondence to Lady Hyacinth and J.D. Hooker; JDH/2/2/2 : Letters to Lady and J.D. Hooker DAV-ITO c 1840s-1900s - the second of 4 bound, indexed volumes of correspondence to Lady Hyacinth and J.D. Hooker; JDH/2/2/3 : Letters to Lady and J.D. Hooker JAC-PUT c 1840s-1900s - the third of 4 bound, indexed volumes of correspondence to Lady Hyacinth and J.D. Hooker; JDH/2/2/4 : Letters to Lady and J.D. Hooker RAE-ZAV c 1840s-1900s -the fourth of 4 bound, indexed volumes of correspondence to Lady Hyacinth and J.D. Hooker.

JDH/2/3 : Letters from J.D. Hooker c 1830s-1900s: This sub-series comprises 14 bound, indexed volumes of correspondence from J.D. Hooker. The letters are arranged in alphabetical order by correspondent and are partly originals and partly typescript copies. JDH/2/3/1 : Letters from J.D. Hooker ADA-BAR c 1840s-1900s - primarily typescript copies; JDH/2/3/2 : Letters from J.D. Hooker BEN-BER c 1840s-1900s - both originals and typescript copies; JDH/2/3/3 : Letters from J.D. Hooker BOL-DAR c 1840s-1900s - primarily typescript copies; JDH/2/3/4 : Letters from J.D. Hooker DUT-GRA c 1840s-1900s - primarily originals; JDH/2/3/5 : Letters from J.D. Hooker GRA-HAR c 1840s-1900s - both originals and typescript copies; JDH/2/3/6 : Letters from J.D. Hooker HEL-HOO c 1840s-1900s - originals and typescript copies; JDH/2/3/7 : Letters from J.D. Hooker HOO c. 1840s-1900s - typescript copies to various members of the Hooker family; JDH/2/3/8 : Letters from J.D. Hooker HOO c 1830s-1840s - primarily typescript copies from Sir W.J. Hooker, J.D. Hooker's father; JDH/2/3/9 : Letters from J.D. Hooker HOO c 1840s-1850s - primarily typescript copies from Sir W.J. Hooker, J.D. Hooker's father; JDH/2/3/10 : Letters from J.D. Hooker JAC-LYE c 1840s-1900s - primarily typescript copies; JDH/2/3/11 : Letters from J.D. Hooker LYE-MAW c 1840s-1900s - primarily typescript copies; JDH/2/3/12 : Letters from J.D. Hooker MEL-PAI c 1840s-1900s - primarily typescript copies; JDH/2/3/13 : Letters from J.D. Hooker PAL-WRI c 1840s-1900s - originals and typescript copies; JDH/2/3/14 : Letters from J.D. Hooker Misc. c 1840s-1900s; the fourteenth of 14 bound, indexed volumes of correspondence from J.D. Hooker. These letters are primarily originals.

JDH/2/4 : Letters from J.D. Hooker c 1833-1910; This sub-series comprises 4 files of copies of correspondence from J.D. Hooker. The letters are arranged in alphabetical order by correspondent and are typescript copies. The original letters are contained within the sub-series JDH/2/3. JDH/2/4/1 : Letters from J.D. Hooker ASC-BEN c 1842-1893; JDH/2/4/2 : Letters from J.D. Hooker DUT-HAR c 1833-1910; JDH/2/4/3 : Letters from J.D. Hooker HEN-MUN c 1838-1866; JDH/2/4/4 : Letters from J.D. Hooker PAL-WIL c 1836-1908.

JDH/2/5 : Letters from J.D. Hooker c 1839-1889; This sub-series contains photocopies of letters written from J.D. Hooker primarily to other family members. The original letters are in the possession of the Hooker family. JDH/2/5/1 : Letters from J.D. Hooker c 1839-1889 - the first of 2 bound volumes containing copies of letters from J.D. Hooker; JDH/2/5/2 : Letters from J.D. Hooker c 1847-1851 - the second of 2 bound volumes containing copies of letters from J.D. Hooker.

JDH/2/6 : Business and Family Letters c 1840s-1910s: This sub-series contains 3 files of correspondence and other papers, primarily concerned with financial matters. JDH/2/6/1 : Business and Family Letters c 1860s-1910s - including correspondence regarding the marriage of Rev. Leonard Ramsay Henslow, son of John Henslow the botanist, J.D. Hooker being a trustee of the financial settlements. They also include papers regarding J.D. Hooker's provisions for his son Reginald's marriage to Miss Olive Rucker and correspondence between J.D. Hooker and various other parties regarding the MacGilvray family, primarily Maria MacGilvray, his sister. In addition, there are documents concerning J.D. Hooker's own financial dealings such as insurance, property, bonds, trusts and other investments as well as matters arising from the settlement of his father's will.

JDH/2/6/2 : Business and Family Letters c 1840s-1900s: This is the second of 3 files containing Hooker family papers, primarily of a financial nature. They include correspondence between J.D. Hooker and various other parties regarding the MacGilvray family, in particular Maria MacGilvray, his sister, and her daughter, also Maria. The correspondence about the latter is mainly concerned with her confinement as a result of mental illness. The box also contains further financial papers and correspondence pertaining to William Thiselton-Dyer and his marriage to Harriet Hooker, Mr. and Mrs. Henslow's Trust, annual statements of property and Elizabeth MacGilvray (another of J.D. Hooker's nieces). There are also typescript copies of letters from Lady Maria Hooker, William Hooker's wife, to her father, Dawson Turner.

JDH/2/6/3 : Business and Family Letters c 1840s-1910s: This is the third of 3 files containing Hooker family papers, primarily of a financial nature. The documents in this box include J.D. Hooker's will and associated correspondence, executorship accounts and J.D. Hooker's marriage certificate to Frances Henslow as well as other family wills, estate papers and bequests relating to J.D. Hooker's parents, Sir William and Lady Maria Hooker, in particular Lady Hooker's legacy to her great grandson William Jackson Hooker Campbell.

JDH/2/7 : The 'Lion Letters' c 1883-1891: This folder contains typed transcripts of the letters that J.D. Hooker sent to his son, also Joseph, born in 1877, who he referred to as 'Little Lion' and then 'Young Lion', calling himself, in turn, 'Old Lion'. These letters are personal in nature and full of family news as well as J.D. Hooker's observations on his travels and nature.

JDH/2/8 : Letters during a Tour in Paris c 1844-1845: This bound volume contains original and copy letters from J.D. Hooker to his family whilst on a trip to Paris and Leyden, Holland in the winter of 1844-45. As is stated at the front of the book, the letters are 'principally on the subject of the Botanists and the state of Botanical knowledge at that time in the French Metropolis' as well as comments on travel and domestic arrangements. It also contains a number of business cards pasted onto the boards of the volume.

JDH/2/9 : Miscellaneous Letters c 1850-1922: This file contains two folders of letters. The first folder is indexed and contains a variety of correspondence, both manuscript and typescript, which includes a draft of J.D. Hooker's last paper, published in the Kew Bulletin and papers relating to J.D. Hooker's funeral and estate. These papers are c 1850-1922. The second folder contains photocopies of correspondence covering a wide variety of topics including loans to the National Portrait Exhibition (1868) and to South Kensington Museum and also J.D. Hooker's personal financial matters including his superannuation. There is also a list relating to J.D. Hooker's Grammar School class of 1825 which contains the names of his classmates. These papers are c.1868-1910 and the originals are in the possession of Arthur Hooker.

JDH/2/10 : Correspondence Received c 1839-1845: This bound, indexed volume contains original letters sent by various friends and acquaintances to J.D. Hooker whilst on his Antarctic Expedition. These letters are mainly personal, containing news and comments on the expedition. This volume also contains some financial accounts for the voyage, a copy of an article from the 'Guernsey Star' and a number of sheets of scientific data taken in 1842 at Cape Horn.

JDH/2/11 : Letters to I. Palgrave c 1874-1911; This bound volume contains photocopies of letters from J.D. Hooker to Robert Harry Inglis Palgrave who was his cousin. Inglis was a banker and some of the letters are concerned with financial matters as well as more personal news and observations. The original letters are in the possession of G. Barker.

JDH/2/12 : Letters to La Touche and W.E. Darwin c 1871-1911: This file contains two folders of original letters from J.D. Hooker. The first contains letters to his friend James Digues de la Touche who was a clergyman and amateur naturalist. This correspondence covers the period 1876-1911 and mostly concerns personal matters, frequently relating to J.D. Hooker's son, Reggie, as well as discussions on books and botanical topics. It also includes three letters from La Touche to J.D. and Lady Hooker dated 6 Sept 1892 - 12 July 1896. The second folder contains indexed letters to William Erasmus Darwin who was the eldest son of Charles Darwin. This correspondence covers the period 1871-1909 and is also primarily personal in nature, including discussion of travels, the Index Kewensis and other literature and art as well as news of family and friends. There are copies of the letters in Vol.3 of sub-series JDH/2/3.

JDH/2/13 : Letters to T.H. Huxley c 1851-1894: This bound volume contains typescripts of letters from J.D. Hooker to Thomas Henry Huxley who was an English biologist. The letters cover a range of subjects including issues around various clubs, societies and other organisations, the future of naturalism, botanical matters and personal news about himself and others.

JDH/2/14 : Correspondence with General Strachey c 1858-1905: This folder contains typescript copies of letters from Lt-General Sir Richard Strachey, who was a British soldier and Indian administrator. The letters cover a range of subjects including personal matters, scientific topics, Royal Society proceedings and issues relating to the Indian administration. It also includes a copy of a return letter from J.D. Hooker dated c Dec 1899.

JDH/2/15 : Letters to George Engelmann c 1867-1883: This folder contains photocopies of letters from J.D. Hooker to George Engelmann, a German born American physician and botanist and includes one return letter dated 2 May 1879. These letters are primarily concerned with botanical matters.

JDH/2/16 : Letters to Thiselton-Dyer c 1870-1909: This bound volume contains original letters from J.D. Hooker to William Thiselton-Dyer, his successor as Director of Kew Gardens, who also became his son-in-law, marrying his daughter Harriet in 1877. It also includes the letter from Thiselton-Dyer to David Prain, Kew Director 1905-1922, in which he donates the collection of letters to the Kew Archives. In Thiselton-Dyer's words, the letters provide an "intimate picture … of J.D.H. himself, his straight and unflinching fervour in the interests of science, and his extreme modesty".

JDH/2/17 : Linnean Society Letters to J.D. Hooker c 1879-1886: This bound volume contains original correspondence to J.D. Hooker from individuals connected to the Linnean Society concerning the future presidency and other matters relating to council members. Early letters (1879-1880) are from G.J. Allman who was a zoologist and President of The Linnean Society of London during 1874-1881. Subsequent letters discuss administrative matters including possible successors to Allman and include a manuscript copy of a letter from Hooker, dated 7 March 1886, in which he declines the position himself.

JDH/2/18 : Royal Society Letters c 1870s-1900s: This bound indexed volume contains original correspondence and administrative papers relating to the Royal Society of which J.D. Hooker was President from 1873-1878. These include details of membership and financial matters for example funding and application for grants as well as the submission of papers. There are also some botanical notes and a letter submitted by Francis Darwin, the third son of Charles Darwin.

JDH/2/19: Memoranda (Inward Correspondence) c early 1900s; This sub-series of 9 bound notebooks, which were probably compiled in the early 1900s, contains details of letters sent to J.D. Hooker c 1840s-1900s. The notebooks are organised alphabetically and contain the name of the writer, the date and a brief description of the contents of the letter. JDH/2/19/1 : Memoranda (Inward Correspondence) Aberdare - Berghaus c. early 1900s: This is the first of 9 bound notebooks, probably compiled in the early 1900s, and contains details of letters sent to J.D. Hooker c.1840s - 1900s; JDH/2/19/2 : Memoranda (Inward Correspondence) Berkeley - Colville c early 1900s - the second of 9 bound notebooks, probably compiled in the early 1900s, and contains details of letters sent to J.D. Hooker c.1840s - 1900s. JDH/2/19/3 : Memoranda (Inward Correspondence) Colville - Duthie c early 1900s - the third of 9 bound notebooks, probably compiled in the early 1900s, and contains details of letters sent to J.D. Hooker c 1840s - 1900s. JDH/2/19/4 : Memoranda (Inward Correspondence) Duthie - Gamble c early 1900s - the fourth of 9 bound notebooks, probably compiled in the early 1900s, and contains details of letters sent to J.D. Hooker c 1840s - 1900s; JDH/2/19/5 : Memoranda (Inward Correspondence) Gamble - Hirst c early 1900s; the fifth of 9 bound notebooks, probably compiled in the early 1900s, and contains details of letters sent to J.D. Hooker c 1840s - 1900s; JDH/2/19/6 : Memoranda (Inward Correspondence) Hobson - Masters c early 1900s -the sixth of 9 bound notebooks, probably compiled in the early 1900s, and contains details of letters sent to J.D. Hooker c 1840s - 1900s; JDH/2/19/7 : Memoranda (Inward Correspondence) Mattivolo - Read c early 1900s - the seventh of 9 bound notebooks, probably compiled in the early 1900s, and contains details of letters sent to J.D. Hooker c 1840s - 1900s; JDH/2/19/8 : Memoranda (Inward Correspondence) Richards - Walker c early 1900s - the eighth of 9 bound notebooks, probably compiled in the early 1900s, and contains details of letters sent to J.D. Hooker c 1840s - 1900s; JDH/2/19/9 : Memoranda (Inward Correspondence) Wallace - Yule c early 1900s - the ninth of 9 bound notebooks, probably compiled in the early 1900s, and contains details of letters sent to J.D. Hooker c 1840s - 1900s.

JDH/2/20 : Memoranda (In- and Out- Letters) c 1840s-1900s; This sub-series contains 7 bound notebooks and a bundle of unbound notebook leaves containing details of letters sent to and by J.D. Hooker c 1840s-1900s. The papers contain the name of the writer, the date and a brief description of the contents of the letter. There is no indication of when the lists were made. JDH/2/20/1 : Memoranda c 1870s-1900s - containing details of letters from Francis Darwin to J.D. Hooker. JDH/2/20/2 : Memoranda c 1870s-1900s - with details of letters from members of the Darwin family to J.D. Hooker. It also includes two loose leaves with dates of letters from Baron Von Mueller (1893-1896) and Sir John Lubbock (c 1860-1885); JDH/2/20/3 : Memoranda 1885-1910 - with details of letters sent by J.D. Hooker to Mitford (Lord Redesdale); JDH/2/20/4 : Memoranda 1869-1897 - with details of correspondence between J.D. Hooker, Sir Charles Lyell and other parties; JDH/2/20/5 : Memoranda 1899-1910 - with details of letters sent by J.D. Hooker to J.S. Gamble; JDH/2/20/6 : Memoranda 1854-1887 - containing details of letters sent by J.D. Hooker to Asa Gray; JDH/2/20/7 : Memoranda, 1840s-1900s - this notebook contains details of letters sent to J.D. Hooker by various individuals. The list is in alphabetical order and covers the names Hackel to Haughton; JDH/2/20/8 : Memoranda c 1840s-1900s: The remaining bundle of unbound notebook leaves relates to letters from J.D. Hooker and covers names alphabetically from Berkeley to Oliver.

JDH/2/21 'Benthemania' Correspondence and Papers relating to Samuel and George Bentham 1849-1897: Volume of correspondence, notes and press cuttings relating to Samuel Bentham, father of George Bentham, and George Bentham. Also contains documents relating to the death, estate and possessions of George Bentham with correspondence and notes from George Bentham himself. Included are numerous papers and correspondence to Joseph Hooker, who appears to have been George Bentham's Will and Estate Executor. There is also numerous correspondence with Hooker relating to a portrait of Samuel Hooker held at the National Portrait Gallery.

JDH/2/22 Two volumes of Correspondence from Joseph Hooker with Asa and Jane L Gray and others, including members of the Hooker family 1854-1905. This consists of two volumes of 272 letters altogether from Joseph Hooker to Asa Gray and other correspondents, including other members of the Hooker family. The letters up to twelve closely written pages each, share information, with extensive discussion of botanical matters, methodology, specimens, descriptive terminology and categorisation, their mutual research, and its scientific and "philosophical" implications, as well as their practical working circumstances, travels and occasional critiques of others' written works. Accession no. PrP 08-002. JDH/2/22/1 Volume One of Joseph Hooker's correspondence with Asa and Jane L Gray 1854-1905: This volume comprises over fifty autograph letters from Joseph Hooker, chiefly signed ("J.D. Hooker"), to Asa Gray, the letters up to twelve closely written pages each, share information, with extensive discussion of botanical matters, methodology, specimens, descriptive terminology and categorisation, their mutual research, and its scientific and "philosophical" implications, as well as their practical working circumstances, travels and occasional critiques of others' written works. Also contained within the volume are letters from Asa Gray to Jospeh Hooker (1881-1887) written from the Harvard'S University, Cambridge Botanic Garden, Mass. Finally, a third section consists of letters from Jane L Gray (1887-1905) addressed to Sir Joseph and Lady Hooker, some seventy-five autograph letters signed, up to eight pages each, written after her husband's death, chiefly to Joseph Hooker, some to his wife Hyacinth, Lady Hooker, with general news, including references to Sargent's bibliography of Dr Gray.

JDH/2/22/2 Volume Two of Joseph Hooker's correspondence with various correspondents, including members of the Hooker family 1854-1905: This volume comprises a first section of letters from J D Hooker to Lady Jardine about plants (18873-1876); a second section consists of some thirty-three autograph letters signed (c.1876-1890), to his wife Hyacinth ("Dearest Hyacinth" "my darling" "Dearest Wife" "Dearest H."), up to sixteen pages each in length, together with some copied extracts of letters, with detailed news of his travels in America and elsewhere (giving extensive impressions of the scenery and conditions in Nevada, California, etc.), of other people and other matters ("...I miss you awfully, I do not like this going about without you, at all..."). The rest of the volume consists of some thirty-five autograph letters (1864-1906), to various correspondents, a few marked "Private" including some to his uncle, some to Brian Houghton Hodgson (diplomatist and Nepalese scholar with whom Hooker stayed at his hill station in Darjeeling from 1848-50), a series of letters to A. Grant Duff (about Kew, political matters and his botanical work in India), and others, relating to his various activities, family news, and botanical subjects, including the death of Lady Lyell and his own marriage.

Series 3 : JDH/3 : Publications and Botanical Manuscripts c 1839-1906: This series is comprised of primarily bound volumes relating to the published works of J.D. Hooker and other Flora. The published works include Flora Antarctica, Census of Indian Flora, Flora of British India and Students Flora as well as other publications to which he contributed. The volumes contain correspondence from various parties concerning both content and publication.

JDH/3/1 : Flora Antarctica - Letters about Publication c 1845-1867: photocopies of correspondence concerning the publication of J.D. Hooker's manuscript on the botany of the Antarctic Expedition which he took part in from 1839-1845. This includes letters from Government and Colonial Offices and other interested parties regarding funding for publishing the book and subscriptions. It also includes letters from Lovell Reeve, the publishers. The original documents are in the possession of Arthur Hooker.

JDH/3/2 : Census of Indian Flora c 1840s-1850s: bound volume containing census lists of plants which, though undated, may have been completed by J.D. Hooker while he was on his Indian Expedition 1847-1851; JDH/3/3 : Flora of British India and Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1851-1906: This bound volume contains correspondence relating to production of J.D. Hooker's Flora of British India including content, publishing and financial matters. It also includes some letters relating to the Flora Indica - the work which J.D. Hooker had initially commenced in association with his travelling companion in India, Thomas Thompson, but which was never completed. In addition, the volume contains correspondence relating to the Imperial Gazetteer of India to which J.D. Hooker submitted a paper on Indian Botany. Included are letters from J.S. Cotton of the India Office who appears to have worked as a liaison between J.D. Hooker and the printers for both the Gazetteer and the Flora.

JDH/3/4 : Census Flora Indica c 1855-1859; This bound volume contains manuscript botanical notes on the flora of India which may have been intended for use in the Flora Indica, a project which J.D. Hooker began with his travelling companion in India, Thomas Thompson. This was, however, never completed although Hooker eventually produced the Flora of British India.

JDH/3/5 : Students Flora c 1870s-1880s: This bound volume contains original letters to J.D. Hooker and other papers relating to the Students' Flora of the British Isles, the first edition of which was published in 1870. The correspondence is concerned with further editions and contains manuscript notes of amendments and additions contributed by various botanists. Additional papers are primarily notes on plants together with some further amendments to the book.

JDH/3/6 : Insectivorous Plants 1875-1878: This bound volume contains correspondence and published articles by various botanists, including a number of letters from Charles Darwin, regarding the subject of insectivorous plants. It also includes some manuscript notes on experiments and some drawings. Hooker gave a lecture on the subject in August 1874.

JDH/3/7 : Floras of Burma, India, Eastern and Western Himalayas, Ceylon and Malaya - c 1890s-1900: This sub-series contains manuscript lists and correspondence related to the flora of various geographical regions. JDH/3/7/1: Malay Peninsula c 1890s-1900; JDH/3/7/2: India c 1890s-1900; JDH/3/7/3: Western Himalaya c 1890s-1900; JDH/3/7/4: Punjab, Sind, West Rajpootana, Kuram Valley c 1890s-1900; JDH/3/7/5: Western Peninsula, Ceylon c 1890s-1900 - containing manuscript lists of plants relating to Western Peninsula, Ceylon. It also contains a description of the area and a letter from H.L. Crawford, Colonial Secretary, Ceylon regarding Dr. Henry Trimen's Handbook of the Flora of Ceylon which was completed by J.D. Hooker; JDH/3/7/6: European Plants in Flora of India c 1890s-1900; JDH/3/7/7: Eastern Himalaya c 1890s-1900; JDH/3/7/8: Flora of Upper Gangetic Plain c 1890s-1900; JDH/3/7/9: Flora of Burma c 1890s - 1900; JDH/3/7/10: Ceylon Correspondence 1897-1900 - this file contains correspondence concerning J.D. Hooker's completion of Dr. Henry Trimen's Handbook of the Flora of Ceylon. It includes letters from a number of individuals, including J.D. Hooker himself, who contributed to the work as well as from the publishers, Dulau and Co. and the printers, Strangeways and Sons. It covers aspects of the content as well as printing and distribution.

Series 4: JDH/4 : Miscellaneous Papers c 1820s-1910s: This series contains papers and correspondence relating to a wide variety of societies and subjects in which J.D. Hooker had an interest. These include the Royal Society, of which he was president from 1873-1878, personal and social matters, exhibitions, botanical work and his role as advisor to many.

JDH/4/1 : Lecture Notebook c 1827: This small bound notebook is annotated at the front "Notebook for Dr. Scoaler's lectures" and appears to have been written by J.D. Hooker at a young age. It contains notes, primarily about animals, and at the back there are some drawings including a number of birds. Accession no. PrP-02-007.

JDH/4/2 : Diplomas etc. 1839-1912: This large bound volume contains documents relating to various awards that J.D. Hooker received throughout his lifetime. It includes original certificates, diplomas and awards of membership from organisations around the world including the UK., other European countries and the USA. It also includes associated correspondence and other documents such as papers concerning J.D. Hooker's appointments by the Admiralty and the Geological Survey and a copy of his entry in the Medical Register. There is also a list of J.D. Hooker's medals which were loaned by his widow in 1912 to the Linnean Society for an exhibition.

JDH/4/3 : Awards and Memberships 1839-1901; This bound volume, which has the title 'Where is it?' on the cover, contains manuscript lists of the awards and memberships attained by J.D. Hooker. There are three lists - the awards are given in alphabetical order by institute, in chronological order and there is also a geographical index. It is unclear when the lists were created but it was probably during the early 1900s.

JDH/4/4 : Botanical Sketchbook c 1840s: This bound volume contains 55 pages of detailed, annotated botanical drawings by J.D. Hooker.

JDH/4/5 : Testimonials 1845: This bound volume contains testimonial letters that were written in support of J.D. Hooker's candidacy for a position at the University of Edinburgh. In 1845, he accepted an invitation to lecture at the University and, when the Professor of Botany, Robert Graham, died, he applied for the vacant post, however his application was unsuccessful. The volume also contains lists of the individuals to whom copies of the testimonials were sent.

JDH/4/6 : Memoranda c 1845-1916: This sub-series comprises two files containing papers relating to a wide variety of miscellaneous topics such as biographical notes on the Hooker family, notes on speeches and scientific matters. JDH/4/6/1 : Memoranda c 1845-1916: indexed and includes biographical and autobiographical notes on J.D. Hooker and the Hooker family, notes on speeches, letters from a number of individuals and papers on various other subjects; JDH/4/6/2 : Memoranda c 1845-1916: The second folder also contains miscellaneous memoranda which are primarily scientific but also include a copy of a letter regarding a statue of Thomas Huxley, English biologist, written by his grand-daughter, and some biographical notes on William Thiselton-Dyer. A number of the letters and papers in this box are manuscript or typescript copies.

JDH/4/7 : Seeds, Plants and Museum Specimens from Dr Hooker 1847-1851: This bound volume contains lists of plants that J.D. Hooker sent back to Kew from his expedition to India. It also contains a list of the tools and other items that he took on the trip or had sent on to him. It is unclear when the lists were made as it does not appear to be in J.D. Hooker's own handwriting.

JDH/4/8 : Indian Herbaria c 1850s-1880s: bound volume containing rough manuscript notes which appear to relate to the distribution of specimens possibly to and from various individuals and Herbaria.

JDH/4/9 : Retirement Pensions; Royal Naval Exhibition; Spencer Portrait c 1851-1897: This sub-series contains correspondence and papers regarding three different areas of interest to J.D. Hooker, namely his claim to an Admiralty pension, his loan of items to the Royal Naval Exhibition of 1891 and his involvement in the proposal for the commissioning of a portrait of Herbert Spencer. These papers have been bound into a single volume. JDH/4/9/1 : Retirement Pensions c 1851-1887 - containing correspondence and papers regarding J.D. Hooker's claim for a retirement pension from the Admiralty at the rank of Assistant Surgeon. It also includes a printed list of Navy Officers holding civil appointments as at March 1876 and a published supplement to The London Gazette dated March 1870 which outlines retirement arrangements for Naval Officers; JDH/4/9/2 : Royal Naval Exhibition 1891 - containing correspondence relating to the repair of items which J.D. Hooker lent to the Royal Naval Exhibition, held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, from 2 May to 24 October 1891. The items damaged were bird cases and the letters include some from Rowland Ward, the taxidermist who performed the repairs; JDH/4/9/3 : Spencer Portrait 1896-1897: correspondence relating to the proposal for the commissioning of a portrait of Herbert Spencer, British philosopher and sociologist. The letters are largely concerned with subscriptions and do not reveal the ultimate outcome of the proposal.

JDH/4/10 : Dinners, Receptions and other matters ; Exhibition of Scientific Instrus.; Government Grant; Greenwich Observatory; Vivisection Bill 1858-1891. This sub-series contains correspondence and other papers, relating to areas in which J.D. Hooker was involved, which have been bound together in a single volume. It includes letters relating to dinners, primarily held by the Royal Society of which J.D. Hooker was president from 1873-1878 (papers dated 1873-1891); papers relating to an exhibition of scientific apparatus at South Kensington Museum (1875-1876); papers relating to a government grant to the Royal Society (1876-1877); papers relating primarily to the Board of Visitors to the Greenwich Royal Observatory (1858-1879); and papers relating to the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1876 (1876-1878).

JDH/4/10/1 : Dinners, Receptions and Soirees 1873-1891: This file is primarily comprised of acceptances and refusals of invitations to dinners, most of which are in relation to the Royal Society. There is also a printed catalogue which accompanied the Society's 'conversazione' of 1873 where an exhibition was open to the public, lists of attendees to other Society functions and a copy of the rules for the Society Club. There are also various invitation cards addressed to J.D. Hooker.

JDH/4/10/2 : Exhibition of Scientific Instruments, 1875-1876: This file of papers and correspondence relates to the organisation of the Exhibition of Scientific Apparatus at the South Kensington Museum which comprised around 20,000 items loaned from scientific establishments throughout Europe. It also includes papers, including a copy of a speech by J.D. Hooker as President of the Royal Society, regarding the importance of the establishment of a permanent scientific museum, a list of foreign representatives associated with the exhibition and also an extract from a printed article which lists some of the instruments held by the Royal Society.

JDH/4/10/3 : Government Grant, 1876-1877; This file contains papers outlining a proposal, in 1876, that the Government grant, awarded to the Royal Society annually to "defray the expenses of Scientific Investigations" be increased from £1000 to £5000. They also include correspondence discussing the distribution of these funds where there seems to be some controversy.

JDH/4/10/4 : Greenwich Observatory, 1858-1879; This file of correspondence primarily relates to the Board of Visitors of the Royal Observatory and includes an early warrant for the Board containing recommendations and dated 1858 as well as later correspondence regarding its management and activities. One letter contains a list of existing Board members as well as those individuals from the Royal Society who the author, G.B. Airy, feels might be appropriate to fill a vacancy on the Board.

JDH/4/10/5 : Vivisection Bill, 1876-1878: This file of papers and correspondence relates to the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1876, a copy of which is included. The correspondence is mainly concerned with the impact of the Act and individual applications for licences and certificates for which J.D. Hooker was asked to be a signatory.

JDH/4/11 : Botanical Magazine; Botanical Work Committee; Forbes Memorial Fund; Oxford Botanical Gardens c 1860s-1900s.This sub-series contains correspondence and papers relating to J.D. Hooker's association with a number of organisations which have been bound together in a single volume. J.D. Hooker had an editorial position with the Botanical Magazine, gave evidence to the Botanical Work Committee, was a trustee of the Forbes Memorial Fund and gave advice to the curators of the Oxford Botanic Garden on their proposed improvements.

JDH/4/11/1 : Botanical Magazine c 1860s-1900s: This file contains correspondence and other papers relating, not only to the Botanical Magazine, but also to a number of other publications. It includes notes on and correspondence with Walter Fitch, botanical artist for the magazine, letters concerning publishing matters, account sheets and agreements. J.D. Hooker had held an editorial position with the magazine and there is also includes correspondence regarding the future of this role which Hooker felt he was no longer able to sustain. Papers on other works include J.D. Hooker's Flora of India, Boott's Genus Carex, George Bentham's Handbook of British Flora and Hooker/Bentham's Genera Plantarum. There is also a manuscript of poetic quotes which may have been intended for inclusion in the magazine.

JDH/4/11/2 : Botanical Work Committee c 1900: This file contains a copy of the published paper produced by the Botanical Work Committee which investigated work done at the Natural History Museum and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. It also contains some related correspondence.

JDH/4/11/3 : Forbes Memorial Fund c 1870s-1880s: This file of correspondence relates to the management of the Edward Forbes Prize Fund of which Joseph Hooker was a trustee. It includes letters primarily about financial matters as well as trustees and awards.

JDH/4/11/4 : Oxford Botanical Gardens c 1892-1893: This file of correspondence relates to the proposed improvements to the glasshouses at Oxford Botanical Gardens. It also includes a comparison of proposed and existing measurements, draft letters from Hooker with his advice and recommendations and a printed paper giving a background to the proposals and requesting a grant from the University.

JDH/4/12 : A Brief History of the Botanic Gardens and Arboretum (Pleasure Grounds) of Kew 23 Jan 1878: an original manuscript, written by Joseph Hooker, on the history of Kew Gardens. The folder also contains a typescript copy.

JDH/4/13 : Genera Plantarum (Extracts) c 1888: loose papers of notes and lists primarily concerning American and Canadian plants. The front sheet is titled 'From Genera Plantarum Aug 1888'. The Genera Plantarum was published in 1883 so it is possible that these sheets contain extracts from that work.

JDH/4/14 : Banks' Journal: Notices and Reviews, 1896-1897: bound volume with press cuttings relating to the 1896 edition of Joseph Banks' Endeavour Journal which was edited by J.D. Hooker. It also includes some letters to Hooker in response to copies of the book that he sent out to various individuals.

JDH/4/15 : Victoria County History, 1899-1901: This file contains a published copy of an outline to The Victoria History of the Counties of England which was a "National Survey showing the condition of the country at the present day, and tracing the domestic history of the English Counties back to the earliest times". This document provides a brief description of the intentions of the work and calls for contributors on botany. Joseph Hooker was on the advisory council and this folder also contains correspondence concerning its content, particularly with regard to nomenclature.

JDH/4/16 : Impatiens c 1900-1910: two files containing manuscript notes on Impatiens. JDH/4/16/1 : Impatiens c 1900-1910: file 1 of 2 and contains folders of manuscript botanical notes with the following headings: Chinensis; India, China, Malaya (including published notes regarding Indian species); Indo-China; Insular Philippemenses; Japan, Formosa, Korea; Malay Archipelago; Malay Islands ex. Philippines; Malay Peninsula; Nepal and Sundries; Western Himalaya; Meeboldianae. JDH/4/16/2 : Impatiens c 1900-1910: file 2 of 2 and contains folders of manuscript botanical notes with the following headings: ms of Ic.Pl.Ser.4 Vol.X Pt.3.; Afric.Trop.; Ceylon ;China. It also contains a notebook of botanical notes which has, in the front, 8 cards on which specimens are mounted. It also contains a small amount of correspondence on the subject.

JDH/4/17 : Asiatic Species of Impatiens c 1900-1910: file containing folders of manuscript botanical notes with the following heading: Asiatic Species of Impatiens; E. Himalaya; Burma and Assam.

JDH/4/18 : Westminster Abbey Memorial, 1913-1914: This file contains papers relating to J.D. Hooker's memorial in Westminster Abbey. When Joseph Hooker died in 1911, his widow was offered the option of burial beside Charles Darwin in the Abbey. This she declined in favour of St. Anne's Church on Kew Green but it was decided that a memorial to Hooker should be placed in Westminster Abbey instead. This file contains a small number of letters regarding the proposal together with two receipt books for donations to the fund. For the more extensive collection of papers regarding the memorial, see JDH/4/19 Hooker Memorial Subcommittee 1913-1916.

JDH/4/19 : Hooker Memorial Subcommittee, 1913-1916: This bound volume contains papers relating to J.D. Hooker's memorial in Westminster Abbey. When Joseph Hooker died in 1911, his widow was offered the option of burial beside Charles Darwin in the Abbey. This she declined in favour of St. Anne's Church on Kew Green but it was decided that a memorial to Hooker should be placed in Westminster Abbey instead. The papers in this file include minutes of meetings of the subcommittee which was formed by the Societies with which he was closely involved to organise the memorial, as well as letters to the honorary secretaries and the treasurer. These letters cover issues such as the organisation of the committee, donations, the design of Hooker's memorial tablet and its location with other memorials in the Abbey including those of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace. It also includes a list of subscribers.

JDH/4/20 : Herbaria Indiae Orientalis (Distrib.), [1850]; sub-series of 10 bound volumes contains lists of plants probably relating to their distribution in east India. The date of these papers is unclear but they may have been compiled around the time J.D. Hooker visited India in 1847-1851. JDH/4/20/1 : Herbaria Indiae Orientalis (Distrib.) : Cruciferae - Connaraceae -lists of plants probably relating to their distribution in East India; JDH/4/20/2 : Herbaria Indiae Orientalis (Distrib.) : Leguminosae; JDH/4/20/3 : Herbaria Indiae Orientalis (Distrib.) : Rosaceae - Valerianeae; JDH/4/20/4 : Herbaria Indiae Orientalis (Distrib.) : Compositae; JDH/4/20/5 : Herbaria Indiae Orientalis (Distrib.) : Stylideae - Solanaceae; JDH/4/20/6 : Herbaria Indiae Orientalis (Distrib.) : Scrophularineae - Plantagineae; JDH/4/20/7 : Herbaria Indiae Orientalis (Distrib.) : Nyctagineae - Cycadeae; JDH/4/20/8 : Herbaria Indiae Orientalis (Distrib.) : Hydrocharideae - Eriocauleae; JDH/4/20/9 : Herbaria Indiae Orientalis (Distrib.) : Cyperaceae and Gramineae; JDH/4/20/10 : Herbaria Indiae Orientalis (Distrib.) : Filices.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

As set out in Scope and Content.

Conditions governing access:

Unrestricted - surrogates to be used where available.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Please contact the Archive for further information.

Finding aids:

Please contact the Archives for further information and listings.

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Whilst the provenance of this collection is uncertain, evidence suggests that the bulk of J.D. Hooker's papers were probably deposited in the Kew archives by his widow, Lady Hyacinth Hooker, and other members of the family subsequent to the research for and publication of Leonard Huxley's book Life and Letters of Sir J.D. Hooker (1918). Letters in the file JDH/2/9 from Lady Hooker and W.H. Hooker (J.D. Hooker's son) mention some specific documents and remark that the Kew archive is the most appropriate place for deposit. Some other volumes may have been created in situ at Kew in relation to J.D. Hooker's position as Director but this is likely to have been primarily the related Directors' Correspondence series.

A number of volumes, however, were presented directly to the archive:

JDH/1/17 : Journey to America; JDH/4/5 : Testimonials; JDH/4/4 : Botanical Sketchbook - these volumes were presented by J.D. Hooker in 1908. JDH/2/8 : Letters during a Tour in Paris - this volume was presented by Prof. Julian Huxley through Mr. J.S.L. Gilmour in May 1943.
JDH/2/9 : Misc Letters - Copies of letters from Andrew Sinclair to J.D. Hooker and from J.D. Hooker to Sir George Grey which were deposited by Mr. Garry Tee of The University of Auckland in November 1991; copies of 2 original letters from J.D. Hooker to Sir John Kirk which were offered for sale (not bought) by John Wilson, Witney in 1979; a copy of an original letter from J.D. Hooker to 'Grote' which was offered for sale (not bought) by Maggs Bros. in 1993; a photocopy and transcript of a letter from J.D. Hooker to 'Frere' (?) and the reply from Col. Younghusband which was deposited by Ms. Joan DeFato of the Dept. of Arboreta and Botanic Gardens, Los Angeles in June 1982; an original letter from J.D. Hooker to an anonymous addressee which was deposited by E. Clifton, High Wycombe in Aug 2003; a photocopy of a letter which was sold at Sotheby's on 23 July 1974 to the American Philosophical Society (possibly deposited by a Mrs. Mortimer?).
JDH/2/12 : Letters to W.E. Darwin - these letters were presented by G. Darwin in Oct 1976.
JDH/2/15 : Letters to George Engelmann. Accession no. QX-97-018. Found in archives room at Kew.
JDH/2/16 : Letters to Thiselton-Dyer - this volume was presented by William Thiselton-Dyer in 1921.
JDH/4/1 : Lecture Notebook c.1827. Accession no. PrP-02-0007. Found in library at Kew.
JDH/2/21: 'Benthamania' 1849-1897 was presented to Kew by Joseph Hooker in 1907.
JDH/2/22: Two volumes of Correspondence from Joseph Hooker with Asa and Jane L Gray and others, including members of the Hooker family 1854-1905 (Acquisition no PrP 08-002) were purchased with money donated to Kew for this purpose from the Mellon Foundation, the Friends of the National Libraries and a private donor, from Maggs Bros. Ltd.

Allied Materials

Related material:

Related Material at Kew:

Directors' Correspondence Series; This series contains letters sent to the Directors of Kew between 1841 and 1928. These volumes do not contain corresponding outgoing letters. The series is available to view on microfilm.

Miscellaneous Reports Series : This series is comprised of bound volumes containing printed reports, correspondence and miscellaneous items, c 1850 to 1928, relating chiefly to Kew's relations with botanic gardens and other organisations overseas, with an emphasis on economic botany. A number of these volumes contain individual papers relating to J.D. Hooker - see separate list for details.

J.D. Hooker correspondence and papers contained within other collections and volumes at Kew:

Letters to J.G. Baker - original letters c 1860s-1870s (L06/5)
Letters to M.C. Cooke - original letter 27 Aug 1881 (L08/8)
Letters to W.B. Hemsley - original letters 18 Jul 1908 - 7 Jul 1910 (L12/5)
Letters to D. Prain - original letters 17 Aug 1892 - 8 Dec 1902 (L14/2)
Letters to H.N. Ridley Vol.3 - original letters 9 Jun 1886 - 21 Jun 1911 (L15/2)
Letters to I.H. Burkill - original letters 8 Dec 1906 - 27 Feb 1908 (L06/7)
Letters to Sargent - photocopies 2 Dec 1872 - 29 Apr 1910 (L16/3)
Letters to Gunter - photocopies 8 May 1865 - 17 Jul 1909 (L12/1)
Letter to W. Mitten - original letters c.1854-1885 (L15/1)
Letters to Lindley Vol.1 - original letters c.1870s (L13/1)
Letters to H.N. Ellacombe - original letters c.1893-1894 (L09/4)
Munro Correspondence - original letters from J.D. Hooker c.1852-1875 (L15/3)
Sir William Jackson Hooker : Letters to J.D. Hooker - see W.J. Hooker's catalogue WJH/2/12 (L10/9)
Sir William Jackson Hooker : Letters from friends in India to W.J. Hooker primarily concerning about J.D. Hooker (M09/3)
Letters from T.H. Huxley - complete volume of typescript copies of letters from Huxley to J.D. Hooker 6 Nov 1854 - 26 Jun 1895 (L12/4)
Letters from C.R. Darwin - 3 volumes of manuscript copies of letters to J.D. Hooker 1843-1867 (L08/8)
Thomas Thomson - complete volume of original letters to J.D. Hooker 18 Dec 1843 - 8 June 1862 (L18/4)
George Bentham - complete volume of original letters to J.D. Hooker 1842-1884 (M21/3)
J. Ball - file containing original indexed letters to J.D. Hooker 1859-1898 (M21/4).

Misc. letters referring to W. Wilson's letters in the British Museum - This volume contains both original letters to J.D. Hooker and manuscript and typescript copies of letters to and from him relating to the deposit of W. Wilson's letters in the British Museum who had possession of his herbarium collection. c 1890s (L04/9).

Letter to Dawson Turner - this original letter is bound in the library volume Fuci, sive plantarum Fucorum generi by Dawson Turner Vol 1, 1808. (q265 ALGAE).

Welwitsch Collections Chancery Suit : Correspondence - This bound volume contains correspondence, including some relating to J.D. Hooker, concerning to the fate of the specimen collections of Dr. Friedrich Welwitsch who was sent on an expedition to Africa by the Portugese Government between 1853 and 1861. This correspondence is dated c.1872. (L04/9).

Kew Gardens Appointment of Assistant Directors 1874-1898 - The correspondence relating to J.D Hooker in this volume is c.1870s-1880s. (KG4) Kew Private Keys - This volume contains letters to J.D. Hooker regarding the provision of keys to individuals. C.1870s-1900s (KA) Herbarium Presentations (2 vols) - This volume contains correspondence, including letters to J.D. Hooker, regarding donations to Kew Herbarium, 1850s-1900s (KH4).

Hooker/Ayrton Contoversy - This bound volume contains typed transcriptions of correspondence regarding the controversy surrounding the future of the Herbaria at Kew and the Natural History Museum. [1871]-1872 (KG5).

Jodrell Laboratory - see the Kewensia Pamphlet Box (145) for photocopies of correspondence between J.D. Hooker, Thomas Phillips Jodrell and other individuals regarding the foundation of the Jodrell Laboratory.

East Africa. Kilimanjaro Expedition - This volume contains papers and correspondence relating to a committee, of which J.D. Hooker was a member, which was established in order to organise an expedition to Kilimanjaro and the surrounding area, [1881]-1889 (L20/2).

Letters concerning the sale of Sir. J.D. Hooker's set of the Botanical Magazine 1922. (M21/4).

Genus cover notes and annotations : Impatiens - This file of cards contains notes by J.D. Hooker (D17/2 : QX-92-016).

G.F. Newman - this file contains primarily letters to J.D. Hooker relating to research that G.F. Newman was conducting into the Hooker family to which he was related by marriage. (C36/1 : PrP-00-002).

Mea Allen : Research notes - Mea Allen produced a biography of the Hooker family entitled The Hookers of Kew (1967). These two files contain Allen's research notes and may provide further relevant information on J.D. Hooker. (C05/2 and C05/3 : PrP-87-051).

For other biographical papers, see Biographical Pamphlet Boxes in the Kewensia collection and Kew Library.

The Illustrations Collection at Kew contains 304 original drawings by J.D. Hooker. The illustrations are a mixture of pencil and watercolour, and appear in a variety of formats, from the small Curtis's Botanical Magazine drawings to items in the 'folio' collection. Hooker appears to have reproduced the specimens he was studying at life-size in the majority of his work. Of particular interest are the sketches made in the field of Rhododendrons, executed while travelling through the Sikkim region of the Himalayas. These watercolours were sent along with collected specimens back to Walter Hood Fitch (1817-1892), who worked from Hooker's drawings to produce the lithographic illustrations for the popular publication Rhododendrons of Sikkim Himalaya (1849-51). At present, the illustrations in Kew's collections are held both in the Main Library, and among the Herbarium Wings, where they are still used as a visual tool for Kew's botanists.

Microfilm: J.D Hooker letters to Asa Gray. This microfilm contains letters which are currently held at Harvard University (1884-1888). (Joseph Dalton Hooker Letters, Historic Letters File, Archives, Library of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A. - copyright holders). Positive 35mm copy.

J.D. Hooker letters to Charles Darwin. This microfilm contains copies of original letters. The origin of this film is unknown as the letters to not appear to be part of Kew's archive collection. It is possible that they are in the collection of the Darwin Project, Cambridge University. Negative 35mm copy.

See a website run by Jim Endersby of Cambridge University on Joseph Hooker http://www.jdhooker.org.uk.

The National Register of Archives - http://www.nra.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra; Kew library holds a number of volumes relating to J.D. Hooker, including biographies. To search the catalogue see www.rbgkew.org.uk/library/index.html.

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:
Entry transcribed by Geoff Browell, February 2011.

Rules or conventions:
General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
February 2011