| AdminHistory | Leslie Batten Currie Trotter (c. 1882 - 1964). Trotter was born at Coleford, Gloucestershire, a son of Dr. Leslie Batten Trotter (c.1850-1934) and Elizabeth (née Currie, 1858-1882). He practiced medicine at Ledbury from 1913-1939 and was also a keen member of the British Bryological Society for 11 years. Trotter was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1953 and was also President of the British Bryological Society from 1956 to 1957.
He worked on 2 main projects in his lifetime: the first took him 15 years and was to produce a card index of bryological literature, which remains at the British Bryological Society. The second, which took the last 20 years of his life, was to prepare a series of water-colour drawings displaying the histology of British mosses. This project was begun in collaboration with Professor Else whose miniature portraits of whole plants illustrate the earlier plates. Following Else's death, Trotter continued on his own and completed over 250 detailed plates himself. In 1959 the material was microfilmed by Micro Methods (Ltd) and in June 1964, he deposited the collection at the Linnean Society.
He married Hilda Mary Pierce in 1914 but his wife drowned in 1943. He died on 2 October 1964 in his 83rd year, and bequeathed his herbarium of Bryophyta to the Department of Botany in the University College of Cardiff, and £1000 to the Library Fund of the [Linnean] Society. |
Joseph Else (1874-1949) was a sculptor, modelling teacher, and Principal of the Nottingham College of Art. Born in Nottingham on 8 February 1874, he was the son of William Else (born c.1828 in Campton, Leicestershire), a leather cutter presumably working in the shoe industry. In the early 1890s Joseph was working as a lace designer. He studied at Nottingham School of Art between 1890-1900 and in the early 1900s attended the Royal College of Art, London. Else seems to have divided his time between London and Nottingham until 1915 when it is presumed that he was called into active war service.
From about 1919-38 Else taught modelling and sculpture at Nottingham School of Art where he was also principal from late 1922. His most important commission was for an extensive scheme of sculptural decoration for the exterior of Nottingham Council House (c.1927-9). This includes the lions guarding the entrance, the frieze above the Ballroom windows (representing ancient local industries such as bell-founding and alabaster) and for twenty-one figures depicting the arts and public service on the main pediment. He died 8 May 1955. |