Rev Thomas Salwey (1791-1877)

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Rev Thomas Salwey (1791-1877)

Thomas Salwey was a member of the old established Salwey family whose roots can be traced back to 1216 and the reign of Henry 111. He was born at The Lodge, Richards Castle near Ludlow in Shropshire on 19th October 1791. He was the second son of Theophilus and Anna Maria Salwey, youngest daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Hill, MP for Shropshire. He came from a large family of five brothers, Edward, Henry, Arthur, Richard and Erasmus and six sisters, Anna Maria, Margaret, Elizabeth, Octavia, Jane and Francis.

Thomas was educated at Eton and then went on to study for the church at St. John’s College, Cambridge from which he became a fellow in 1824. He later became a Fellow of the Linnaean Society in 1826. He married Francis Maria Gibbons in 1829 and over the next few years had eight children, two of which died in infancy. His six surviving children were all sons, Edward, Arthur, Henry, John, Alfred and Herbert. Henry, John and Herbert also entered the Church.

In 1833 he became rector of St. Oswald’s Church in Oswestry in the north west of Shropshire. Here he stayed for nearly 40 years and it was during this time that he developed a serious interest in botany. In his spare time made detailed studies of the flora and lichen species in the area and as his knowledge grew he began to make significant botanical finds such as Rock Cress (Arabis hirsute) and the Frog Orchid (Coeloglossum viride). Other notable recordings include the Birds Nest Orchid (Neottia nidus-avis) and the Yellow Mountain Pansy (Viola lutea). In 1841 he discovered the Knotted Pearlwort near Oswestry, which was a rare find in Shropshire and then in1855, found the Pale St. John’s Wort (Hypericum montanum) in the same area. He contributed a lot of his botanical work to William Leighton’s famous botanical books, ‘Lichen-Flora of Great Britain’ and ‘Angiocarpous Lichens’. From 1846-1863 he also contributed papers on the lichen species of Shropshire to the Edinburgh Botanical Society.

In 1847 Salwey made a long trip to Guernsey where he studied the flora and collected specimens. Here he discovered the strongly garlic smelling Allium triquetrum or Stinking Onion. He reported its white flowers as;

‘Abundant in the hedges all over Guernsey’

In 1855 he published a comprehensive list of the plants found in the Oswestry area.
Salwey also botanized extensively on the Isle of Wight where he collected specimens for the Bromfield Herbarium in Hampshire. He also made trips to the Welsh coast and in 1863 published ‘A List of the Plants of Barmouth’ in the ‘Visitors Guide to Merioneth’
He was also for a time rector of St Florence in Pembrokeshire. He resigned from the church in 1872 and went to live in Worthing, Sussex in the south of England where he lived with his wife until he died on 3rd December 1877 aged 86. Francis died a few years later 1881 also aged 86 years.

To honour Salwey and his contributions British Botany the lichen Lecidea salweii was named after him.

Published Work

Published Work

1836-1844, contributions to the Botanical Journal.

1844-1849 papers on lichens for the Annals Magazine of Natural History Journal.

1846-1863, papers on ‘The lichens of Shropshire and the Channel Islands’ for the Edinburgh Botanical Society’s Transactions.

1851, Contributions to William Leighton’s ‘Angiocarpous Lichens’ verifying the locations of many British lichen specimens.

1853, paper on ‘Observations on Penzance Lichens’, written for the Penzance Natural History Society.

1853, paper on ‘New British Lichens’, written for the Transactions of the Royal Botanical Society of Edinburgh.

1855 ‘The Botany of Oswestry’ in Cassel’s ‘History of Oswestry’
.
1861, acknowledgements to Salwey in ‘A Manual of British Lichens’ by William Mudd.

1863,‘The Wild Flowers of Barmouth’ in the ‘Visitors Guide to Merioneth’

1871, Contributions to William Leighton’s ‘The Lichen-Flora of Great Britain’ verifying the locations of botanical specimens.

1879, Contributions to William Leighton’s ‘The Lichen Flora of Great Britain’ verifying the locations of botanical specimens.