Sir Joseph Banks Centre Press Kit Contents Who was Sir Joseph Banks? ................................................................................................................... 2 Short Answer ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Long Answer ....................................................................................................................................... 2 About the Society ................................................................................................................................... 3 Chronology ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Who’s Who in the Society ...................................................................................................................... 4 Current Projects ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Joseph Banks Limited ............................................................................................................................. 6 Image Store............................................................................................................................................. 7 Social Media ........................................................................................................................................... 8 Contact Information ............................................................................................................................... 8 The Great Panjandrum Who was Sir Joseph Banks? Short Answer For a quick (around 2 minutes) introduction to Sir Joseph Banks, watch this video narrated by Sir David Attenborough. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2nziqeKY-c Long Answer Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He accompanied Captain James Cook on his first voyage of discovery around the World, he also visited Newfoundland, Iceland and Holland. He was responsible for the establishment of Kew Gardens and the development of its early collections. He took a leading role in the development of the Australian colony and the Indian Pacific region, in doing so he was also patron to many explorers and plant hunters such as Matthew Flinders, and Francis Masson. During his 43 years as President of the Royal Society his influence was felt in every discipline of Natural Philosophy, he had a genius for friendship, and he used his vast network of contacts both in this country and abroad to get things done. In Lincolnshire he took a great interest in agriculture, and particularly wool production, he established a wool carpet mill at Louth, and promoted turnpikes and canals across the county including the Horncastle – Tattershall canal. He took an active role in the Lincolnshire Medical benevolent Society, and in Horncastle Dispensary. In 1800, he commissioned John Rennie to produce a scheme to drain the East and West Wildmore Fens to increase food production, this was in response to years of famine in the county. He held high offices in the county, including as High Sheriff in 1794 and as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Lindsey battalion of the Lincolnshire Militia, he was also made Recorder of Boston in 1808. About the Society The influence of Sir Joseph Banks, one of Lincolnshire’s most famous sons and a pivotal figure of the Enlightenment, is to be found worldwide. The aim of the Sir Joseph Banks Society is to stimulate interest in his life and achievements through education, research, publications and events and by strengthening Lincolnshire links with Oceania. The society’s patrons are Sir David Attenborough and Lord Waldegrave of North Hill. Our President is Professor Libby John, pro-vice-chancellor of the College of Science at the University of Lincoln. Chronology • 2006 - Initial meeting of interested Lincolnshire people • 2008 - Awarded Registered Charity status • 2010 – Opening of Tribute Garden • 2014 – Partnered with British Library to Present ‘JOSEPH BANKS - A GREAT ENDEAVOUR’ at THE COLLECTION exhibition space in Lincoln. • 2016 – Began association with Melanesian Mission to donate funds to Vanuatu. • 2017 – Partnered with Lincoln University, Natural History Museum, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and others to create #LOVELINCSPLANTS, a 21st Century Lincolnshire Herbarium • 2018 – Digitised the E.M. Lane-Claypon (Cheales) collection • 2019 - Completed electronic catalogue of Reference Library and made available online. Who’s Who in the Society The Key Officers of the society are shown below Chairman – Bob Wayne Bob Wayne the current Society Chairman joined the Society in 2006 almost at the point of its establishment. Coincidently he had just retired as Technical Director of a national company manufacturing grain storage and handling machinery. Agricultural engineering may seem far removed from botany and history, though born in Norfolk, Bob’s father was born in New Zealand and he has many family connections with that country. Vice Chairman – Stuart Crooks With interests in botany, ornithology and general environmental matters, Stuart is the former Chief Executive of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. He has also had roles in industry, product design and the Betjeman Society Curator – Paul Scott Paul has a business management background and was previously Director of the National Enterprise Network and Director of the Enterprise Agency for Grimsby and North East Lincolnshire. He is a past Chairman and now trustee of the Sir Joseph Banks Society, and has a keen interest in local history. Lady Sally Bruce-Gardyne Lady Sally is an avid and knowledgeable plants woman, (recently returned from a trip to China) and was High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1997. A new daffodil, Narcissus ‘Lincolnshire Lady’ has been named in her honour. Current Projects The Society has a number of ongoing projects, either solely or in partnership with other organisations #LoveLincsPlants The Sir Joseph Banks Society is mounting and storing the dried specimens for the new #LoveLincsPlants project. The project is a partnership between the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, the Natural History Museum in London, the Sir Joseph Banks Society, Lincolnshire Naturalists’ Union and the University of Lincoln to inspire a new generation of botanists. Reference Library Consisting of over 500 volumes, our archive and reference library is focussed on the life and achievements of Sir Joseph. It is located in a dedicated research room. An electronic catalogue of the library contents is available online. Tribute Garden The Joseph Banks Tribute Garden is planted with a selection of almost a hundred individual species that were either discovered by Sir Joseph Banks or he was instrumental in their finding. Seaward Herbarium In conjunction with students from Lincoln University, the society is continuing the process of digitising the Seaward Herbarium; the specimens in this collection date from the late nineteenth century through to the 1980s. The Robinson Collection The society is cataloguing and transcribing the extensive document collection of our late president, David Robinson OBE. Joseph Banks Limited Joseph Banks Ltd is a Social Enterprise business based in the Sir Joseph Banks Centre, Horncastle, Lincolnshire. Its voluntary directors include representatives from the Sir Joseph Banks Society, Lincolnshire Community Foundation & Linkage. This ‘Not for Profit’ organisation has three primary objectives: • to provide training and real work placement opportunities for people who experience difficulty in securing paid employment • to support the development and growth of the Sir Joseph Banks Society, who are also based in the building • to maintain the superb Grade II Listed building it operates from. Current activities include retail, horticulture & arts & crafts. We also house the Horncastle Tourist Information Centre and offer meeting rooms to hire. Volunteers from the community together with paid staff and trainees run a very successful gift shop and also help to maintain the superb Joseph Banks tribute garden and Banks Room. We aim to offer a safe and supporting environment for people to train and develop their potential towards permanent work. We support local crafts people giving them the opportunity to sell products within our shop. There is also a Joseph Banks Crafters Guild based at the centre. https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Organization/The-Sir-Joseph-Banks-Centre- Crafters-Guild-366327713529741/ Image Store The images below are a representative sample of the projects that the society has undertaken. High resolution versions of these and other images are available here: http://www.joseph-banks.org.uk/resources/presskit/ . REFERENCE LIBRARY TRIBUTE GARDEN LOVE LINCS PLANTS CHEALES' PRINT SEAWARD COLLECTION 1 BBC COUNTRYSIDE CHANNEL 5 Social Media www.joseph-banks.org.uk facebook.com/josephbankssociety twitter.com/sirjosephbanks www.joseph-banks.org.uk/feed Contact Information +44 (0)1507 700 012 07828 636302 [email protected] The Joseph Banks Centre Bridge Street, HORNCASTLE, LN9 5HZ .