William Townsend Aiton

William Townsend Aiton
FRHS FLS
Born2 February 1766 (1766-02-02)
Kew
Died9 October 1849(1849-10-09) (aged 83)
Kew
NationalityEnglish
FatherWilliam Aiton
Scientific career
FieldsBotany

William Townsend Aiton FRHS FLS (2 February 1766 – 9 October 1849) was an English botanist.

Early life and education

He was born at Kew on 2 February 1766, the eldest child of the four daughters and two sons of Elizabeth (née Townsend) (c.1740–1826) and William Aiton (1731–1793). His younger brother was John Townsend Aiton (1777–1851), royal gardener at Windsor, and later Frogmore and Kensington Palace.[1][2][3]

Career

He brought out a second and enlarged edition of the Hortus Kewensis in 1810–1813, a catalogue of the plants at Kew Gardens,[4] the first edition of which was written by his father William Aiton. Aiton succeeded his father on his death as superintendent at Kew Gardens in 1793[1][5] and was commissioned by George IV to lay out the gardens at the Royal Brighton Pavilion and at Buckingham Palace Garden.[1]

Aiton was one of the founders and an active fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society.[1]

Later life

He ceased his role as superintendent at Kew on the appointment of William Jackson Hooker as Kew's first official director in 1841 but remained living at Kew, although passing much of his time with his brother at Kensington.[1] He retired in 1845 and died on 9 October 1849 at 199 Kew Road. He was buried at St Anne's Church, Kew.[2][1] He never married but his heir was his illegitimate son, William Atwell Smith (b. 1808).[2]

The standard author abbreviation W.T.Aiton is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Britten, James (1885). "Aiton, William Townsend" . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 1. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  2. ^ a b c "Aiton, William Townsend (1766–1849), horticulturist". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/262. Retrieved 12 May 2023. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ "Aiton, William (1731–1793), horticulturist". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/260. Retrieved 12 May 2023. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ^ "Travelling Plants: A Collaborative Project". Biodiversity Heritage Library. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  5. ^ Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1793). Kew Record Book (1793-1809). [unpublished: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  6. ^ International Plant Names Index.  W.T.Aiton.

Further reading

Wikispecies has information related to William Townsend Aiton.
Wikisource has the text of the 1885–1900 Dictionary of National Biography's article about William Townsend Aiton.
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