Record

CodeDS/UK/13
NameBaker; John Gilbert (1834-1920); English botanist
Dates and Placesb.13 Jan 1834, Guisborough, Yorkshire; d. 16 Aug 1920, Kew, Surrey
SurnameBaker
ForenamesJohn Gilbert
HistoryBaker was born in Guisborough, Yorkshire on the 13th January 1834 and died at Kew, Surrey on 19th August 1920. His interest in botany may have been sparked when he studied at the Quaker school, Bootham in York in 1846, which encouraged its pupils to study natural history. At the age of 15 he also had a note about a boggy wood in Yorkshire, which he identified as Carex persoonii (now carex curta). He was involved with the national plant exchange scheme when following his suggestion the Thirsk Natural History Society of which he was secretary and curator took over the exchange after it was suspended by the London Botanical Society Exchange in 1859. Upon his move to London in 1866 to accept a job offer at RBG Kew made by Sir Joseph Hooker, the Thirsk Botanical Exchange Club was then taken over by the newly created London Botanical Exchange Club, with Baker as joint curator.

Baker worked at RBG Kew beginning as an assistant in the Herbarium in 1866 and finally progressing through the ranks to become principal assistant to the Keeper in 1884, before finally becoming Keeper himself in 1890. During his career he worked on taxonomic research including the completion of Sir William Hooker's Synopsis filicum, the publication of the Flora of Mauritius and Seychelles (1877) and the sixth volume of Flora Capensis (1896-7). He also gave botanical lectures at the London Hospital Medical School (1869-81), the Chelsea Physic Garden (1882-1896) and to student gardeners at RBG Kew (1874-1904). Throughout his career he was also a
regular contributor to the JOURNAL OF BOTANY, JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, GARDENERS CHRONICLE and the KEW BULLETIN. Baker's work as a botanist was awarded throughout his career as he received many accolades being made a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1866, Fellow of the Royal Society in 1878 and awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour in 1897. In addition the genuses bakerella, bakeria and neobakeria were named in his honour.
RulesInternational Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition - ICA 2004 ISBN 2-9521932-2-3

National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997
SourceRay Desmond's DICTIONARY OF BRITISH AND IRISH BOTANISTS AND HORTICULTURALISTS (1994)
ODNB http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/38296?docPos=38 (accessed 15/10/2019)
Archives associated with this name record
Reference TitleDate
MCR/1/1/41Great Britain: Miscellaneous1864-16 Sep 1916
MCR/1/1/33Chelsea Botanic Garden29 Apr 1845-14 Feb 1929
MCR/2/6/1Afghanistan: Botanical Exploration16 Sep 1879- 17 Sep 1888
MCR/1/1/42South Kensington Museum: Science and Art Department17 Dec 1855-1912
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