Dr. John Innes made a huge contribution to the understanding of flowering and non flowering plants in Moray, and particularly around Forres where he lived and worked for many years as physician. His herbarium, rediscovered in the Falconer Museum in the 1970s, is very extensive, covering flowering plants, ferns, fungi and mosses, and is in the care of The Moray Council Museums Service - along with a number of his books, which the museum inherited on his death.
A herbarium
specimen of Alpine Clubmoss collected by Innes from Califer Hill, Forres, in
1834; alongside is a photograph of the same species from near Bridge of Brown,
Moray. The locality on Califer Hill is interesting, as the species is said not
to occur below 2000 feet above sea level. Califer hill is less than 500 feet
high. Alpine Clubmoss does not grow on Califer Hill now.
When Dr. Innes' Herbarium was 'rediscovered' in the museum
during the 1970s, it was in a very 'rough and ready' format. Many of the
specimens were unmounted, unlike the one shown above, and were simply
interspersed with sheets of paper and newsprint, with accompanying specimen
labels. The dates on the newspaper sheets - this one is from the Times -
lend an additional air of authenticity to the specimens.
Also alongside the herbarium are a number of letters to and from Innes, including correspondence with George Gordon of Birnie.
Letter from George Gordon of Birnie to Dr. Innes, 3rd February 1875. "Linton's find looks well on paper. What must it have been in your eyes, when you saw it in reality! Martin is delighted, and will no doubt have a raid to the place as soon as the weather is milder. I have asked Linton to send me a sketch of the brooch, with (?) forms (letters?) Please send the enclosed to Mr Stables, Cawdor. He has seen the ........."
The letter clearly does not refer exclusively to botanical subjects! Gordon was interested in all manner of subjects, including geology and archaeology, which may be partly the subject of the letter to Innes. Mr Stables of Cawdor was another collector of plants.
Letter to Dr. Innes, 24th January 1845, from Edmonstone, a
Shetland Botanist living at the time in Aberdeen at 29 Union Street. The letter
thanks Innes for his letter and "flattering accompaniment"; it also speaks of
his intimation of appointment as a Professor of Botany.
Innes was born in Ceylon, but on return to Forres he was apprenticed first to Dr. Adam. He studied medicine at Edinburgh and then in America, but returned to Forres where he practiced until his death in 1881 at the age of sixty six.