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Joseph Evans (pictured above) was born in 1803, and was brought up by his father William, also a well known herbalist and botanist. Joseph became a handloom weaver, also like his father, and on his marriage in 1827 he went to live in Boothstown.
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Joseph Evans's cottage (pictured left) was situated near the junction of Simpson Road (not built at that time) and Leigh Road. It used to be numbered 512 Boothstown Lane, on what is now Leigh Road. The cottage was single storey, had a thatched roof, and one door on the north side. It was surrounded by a garden containing ferns, fossils and over 300 plants, many of which were useful in medicine: Aconite, Hellebore, Gentiana, Soapwort, Ground Elder, Wintergreen and many others. |
He became well known as a herbal doctor, and people came from places such as Runcorn, Bolton and Prestwich for help. He gave up weaving and became a full time herbalist. Local people called him Doctor Evans, though he had no formal qualifications. He often walked 30 or 40 miles a day visiting patients, and on Sundays there was usually a queue outside his door from 6am to 4pm. He believed 'nature provided remedies for nature's ills', and did not trust what he called 'chemical medicines'.
Joseph Evans was also a famous botanist, and attended many meetings of local botanical societies: Eccles (founded in the 1770s), Boothstown (c.1790), Astley (1805), Atherton (1810), Tyldesley (1812), and Worsley (1840).
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Joseph and his wife (pictured left) emigrated to America in about 1845, selling all their possessions, and giving up the lease on their cottage. They spent only three days in America, and returned on the same ship. Local people were so fond of him they sold back all his goods at cost price, and the people who had moved into his cottage let Joseph and his wife return. He used to visit many areas collecting plants. Winwick Quarry was a favourite place, as was Mosley Common. In 1852 he visited the Lake District, where he talked to local shepherds about herbal remedies. |
In 1860, Joseph founded the Boothstown Botanical Society at his cottage, with 20 members. They met once a month on Sunday evenings to identify the plants they had found, and to listen to lectures on botany. In 1863 the society had 103 books in its library, two microscopes and two botanical presses. At the Christmas annual meeting they ate black pudding and oat cakes, and drank ale. Around 1864 the society moved to the Queen Anne Inn (now the Queen's Arms) on Chaddock Lane.
Joseph in 1871 was described as 'of energetic frame, stooping slightly and with head pensively on one side. His face is clean shaven, a healthy tint of red marks on his cheeks, which lack the packing of a full set of teeth'. His eyes were described as 'small and penetrating'. He wore a top hat, indoors as well as out, a frock coat and moleskin trousers, a cravat round his neck, and boots on his feet.
On 23rd June 1874, Joseph died, aged 70 years and eleven months. He had always been healthy and was said to have died from 'simple, natural decay'. His last words were 'Lord forgive me. Lord remember me.' Hundreds of people came to see him in his coffin and pay their last respects. The funeral took place at 5pm on Saturday 27th June 1874. Joseph's coffin was carried from his cottage to St. Mark's church, Worsley, followed by a procession including 50 botanists, 170 children, and 1000 local people.
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After the service a meeting was held in the Cross Field near the church, and it was decided to erect a monument in his honour, to be paid for by public subscription. Both rich and poor contributed. The monument, a tall red granite pillar on a base, was erected outside the west door of St. Mark's on 12th June 1875, where it still stands. On the monument are inscribed the words of Joseph Evans:
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The Boothstown Botanical Society declined as horticulture became more popular than botany, and stopped meeting with the outbreak of war in 1914. It is interesting to reflect that members of nineteenth century botanical societies had often never been to school and worked a full six days of the week, but were still prepared to spend the seventh day collecting and studying plants. There was even controversy when the local vicar, the Earl of Mulgrave, a relative of the Ellesmere family criticised botanical societies for collecting plants on Sunday mornings instead of going to church, then meeting in public houses to study plants whilst 'smoking tobacco and drinking spirits'. It was quite common for about two thousand people to attend a joint meeting of local societies, and special trains were often run to bring people to meetings. There are now no local botanical societies, but horticultural groups still flourish.
All text on this page copyright (c) John Aldred, 1994. Black and white photographs from the collection of John Aldred, not to be reproduced. Colour photograph of Joseph Evans's monument by TS, copyright (c) 1997.
For a contemporary description of Joseph Evans, click here Victorian Boothstown.
This page last updated: 5 December 1998.