POMONA or The Fruit Garden Illustrated

by

Batty Langley of Twickenham

1729

On Tuesday 31st July 2007 Whimple History Society gave me permission to study this book that was donated

to them by Mr Eric Whiteway - the last Director of Whiteways Cyder.

The book is fascinating in that many of the descriptions and plates are for fruit which is no longer known and probably lost. It covers not just apple but all fruit, "containing sure methods for improving all the best kinds of fruits now grown in England".

 I concentrated my study of the book on the apples detailed and on the chapter titled, "A Curious Account of the most Valuable Cyder Fruits of Devonshire"; by Hugh Stafford. The book details not just varieties of fruit, but all aspects of cultivation including: yields, propagation, diseases, planting(site, aspect and providing shelter), and preserving.

 For example he writes of the different methods of grafting and the stocks used. As we know seed raised crab apple stocks were largely the norm. However, he also mentions a dwarfing stock raised from the seed of a variety of apple called 'Paradice'; "to make trees of small growth, and produce fruits in great plenty very early.

 It is interesting to note that he only describes grafting and there is no mention of bud grafting.

 

 

Royal Wilding

This chapter states that the most celebrated apple in the county at this time was the Royal Wilding apple. I apparently originated from a seedling growing in a garden next to the Exeter to Oakhampton road in the parish of St Thomas near its border with the parish of Whitestone. It is interesting to note that Mr Stafford states that it is about a mile from Exeter. The apple was sometimes known as the 'Red Hill Crab', as the original tree was on Red Hill in St. Thomas.

The term 'wilding' is is used to describe apple trees raised from seed, and it was estimated that the original tree was about 70 years old at the time of writing. He also remarked on the good health of the tree.

It is bescribed as a biennial cropper, producing heavy yields; enough apples to produce one hogshead (64gallons) of cyder. Cyder is spelled with a 'y', the 'Devon' spelling, as used by Whiteways of Whimple. As well as the yield it was rated as producing excellent single variety cyder, and ended up being very widely propagated and planted. Cyder made from Royal Wilding apples commanded a good premium; 5guineas a hogshead. 'Common' cyder could make as little as 20 shillings. It is interesting to note that he mentions on several occasions how cyder from the South Hams was better than that produced in other areas of Devon. Commanding a price of 25 to 30 shillings a hogshead.

The tree was first propagated by the Rev. Robert Woolcombe (Rector of Whitestone) who had a small nursery. He talks of the drive to have the apple planted all over Devon to improve cyder quality. In the previous 12 to 14 years 200,000 grafts had been made, some being sent as far as Yorkshire.

The apple is described as late season and to have the following qualities: bright yellow in colour; a noble body; excellent bitter; vinous flovour (high tanin); and delicate roughness.

Crab Apples.  

The writer briefly talks of the use of crab apples in cyder making, and of how they had recently started to be considered of value when mixed with other apples, having previously been left for the pigs. He even says that some selections were even being grafted.

He also describes a small crab apple that grew as a bush and produced fruit no bigger than your thumb nail, that was used for making cyder vinegar.

Whitfour 

This apple is described as the closest rival to Royal Wilding. It was a small yellow very early apple.

Apparently there were 2 or 3 apples with this name and of similar description, but the best was known as the Pancrass Whitfour.

The origin was thought to be in the South Hams as it was not common in other parts of Devon, and it would, like Royal Wilding, produce a good cyder on its own. Mr Stafford actually describes the cyder made from Whitfour as 'vintage', and gives this apple as the reason why South Ham's cyder commanded a higher price.

He says cyder made from this apple would be racked 3 or 4 times and would not spoil, which suggests that it had a high sugar and alcohol content. He also describes it as a sweet and mellow "12 month cyder" that "under all that honey had all the roughness and boldness which is the glory of our cyder".

Mediate  

This is the last apple Hugh Stafford talks about in any detail. It was commonly pronounced 'Meadeate' and he believed that its name had evolved because the original tree was found growing by a meadow gate.

At the time he says it has been long grown and propagated in Devon and was common in orchards. He does not rate as highly as Royal Wilding or Whitfour and says it does not make a good cyder on its own. It is rated, though for its disease resistance and for being a constant and plentiful bearer.

So these were the three most notable and common varieties of cyder apple being grown in Devon in 1729. He was obviously a keen nurseryman and cyder coniseur, who together with The Rev. Woolcombe was also raising many seedlings (wildings) and assessing their qualities. Stafford tells how he had recently planted two orchards of wildings, chiefly from the seed of promising red streaked wilding he had grown.

Towards the end of the chapter he talks of a very fine flavoured 'table apple' which he proposed to name 'Pyne Apple'. I know of an old Devon apple -Upton Pyne - a very good quality cooking apple

Finally, he mentions a cyder apple that had originated from Ireland called Cockagee or Cackagee.

It was believed to have been brought over to Minehead and was spreading out from there, and was known as the most valued of the Irish cyder apple.

Thank you again to Whimple History Society for letting me study the book and reproduce some of the plates. 

Please take the time to visit their heritage centre, details of which you can find in the links.

Adam Monatage 2007

This is the list of apple of which there were plates in the pomona. Although not listed there is an illustration of Royal Wilding. Many of the other varieties are no longer known.