Western Daily Press (Saturday)
The academic who fell out with principal over evolution
DURING his time at the Royal Agricultural College (RAC), James Buckman created a botanical garden on the north side of the college where he conducted a number of botanical experiments to “solve the problem of the identity of species”.
The Professor of Geology, Botany and Zoology at the RAC from 1848 to 1862 read papers to the British Association for the Advancement of Science from 1853, some of which were mentioned in Darwin’s The Origin of Species in 1859.
Buckman is also cited in Darwin’s book The Variation of Animals & Plants Under Domestication and it is reported that he regularly corresponded with Darwin and is also cited in his published letters. He later edited various editions of Darwin’s works.
While at Cirencester, Buckman wrote an illustrated book on The Natural History of British Meadow and Pasture Grasses and Science and Practice in Farm Cultivation, and, in 1861-62, he co-edited a journal titled The Practical Farmer’s Chronicle and Journal of Agricultural Science.
He contributed papers to the Proceedings of the British Association for the Advancement of Science and to the Geological Society’s Transactions. He also helped to establish the Corinium Museum in Cirencester and was the museum’s first curator.
Around 1850, Buckman developed a new strain of parsnip which he named The Student Parsnip as it was originally developed as an experiment to prove to his students that existing strains of parsnip could be improved by crossing them with a wild parsnip. The results were so good that you can still buy the seed today.
Buckman’s 1860 British Association report on his experiments supported evolution and the mutability of species. However, the Rev John Constable, the Anglican Principal of the RAC, found Buckman’s theories distasteful. Buckman resigned his position in 1862 and Constable ordered the botanical gardens to be destroyed.
Buckman moved to Dorset in 1863 where he owned a farm at Bradford Abbas, near Yeovil, and wrote numerous articles on antiquarian, geological, and agricultural topics for the Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society.
The James Buckman Presentation Cup, an antique silver cup which was given to Buckman by his students and friends when he left the RAC, was sent back to the RAU from Canada by Buckman’s great-great-granddaughters in 2015. Since then, the Buckman Cup has been presented annually, either at graduation or at the university’s staff awards, to a member of staff in recognition of excellence in education.
The university’s library holds Buckman’s scrapbook (c. 1857-1865) containing his notes and drawings as well as a letter sent by Darwin to Buckman and evidence of Darwin’s referencing of Buckman’s works in his book The Variation of Animals & Plants Under Domestication vol 2, 1862.