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Pomonas

The Cider Museum has a wonderful collection pomonas, a selection of these are on permanent display, others can be seen by appointment.

A pomona is book of apples and pears, it contains pictures and descriptions of varieties.  The books are often works of art in themselves with marvellous drawings.  The first pomonas were written in the  enquiring age of the 17th century and they represent some of the earliest English accounts of farming and orchards.  The main ones are listed below.

Illustration by Edith Bull, circa 1880 from the Woolhope Herefordshire Pomona

 John Evelyn (1620-1708)

John Evelyn's 'Sylva or A Discourse of Forest Trees and Propagation of Timber in His Majesty's Dominions ...' was first published in 1664.  It was prepared for the Navy which needed wood for its ships.  Although the text is mainly concerned with timber trees, it also included a section on fruit trees and the production of cider.  Evelyn was a member of the newly founded Royal Society and the Pomona was written from his discussions with members. 

The pomona has a calendar of things to do every month, including work with bees and the tasks in the orchard and garden by month.

John Worlidge (1669-1698)

John Worlidge was an agricultural writer who lived at Petersfield, Hampshire.  His book on cider appeared in 1676.  It was much revered by cider makers even though it contained no illustrations of apples.

Batty Langley (1696-1751)

Batty Langley was the son of a gardener and grew up in Twickenham near London.  He was also employed as a landscape gardener and built some of his own designs.  His many publications include works on geometry, architecture, fruit trees and gardening.  'Pomona or the Fruit Garden Illustrated was published in London in 17209.

Monsieur du Hamel (1700-1782)

One of the most important pomological works of the 18th century, it was first published in two volumes in 1768.  It was much valued in England as many apples growing in England had been imported from France.   

Thomas Andrew Knight (1759-1838)

Born in 1759 Knight became one of the most distinguished horticulturists of his day.  He was a founder member of the Royal Horticulture Society.  His work with orchards was only one of his scientific interests.  He lived at Downton, Herefordshire.  The illustrators were Elizabeth Matthews and Knight's daughter.

 

XXIX

THE OLD PEARMAIN

            This variety appears to have been extensively cultivated early in the 17th century; and it occurs in Evelyn’s Pomona, and Worlidge, and other writers of that period, under the name of the Winter Pearmain.  It appears also to have been cultivated upon the Continent, and to be the Parmain d’Hyver,and “ pepin Parmain d’Angleterre” of  Knoop’s Pomologie but it is not found in Du Hamel; and from this circumstance, and from the names given it by Knoop, it may be supposed to be an original English variety.  It is an excellent Apple, and equally well calculated for the press or the desert: but it has almost disappeared in the orchards of Herefordshire; and it was not without considerable difficulty that a proper specimen, for delineation, was procured in the last season.*

The specific gravity of its juice is about 1079.

            In a light soil, and warm situation and season, the colours are more clear and bright, than the plate represents them; Whence Philips has called it 

…”The fair Pearmain,  “Tempered like comeliest numph, the red and white.”

 

The Herefordshire Pomona 1878-1884 or Robert Hogg and Henry Bull

The Herefordshire Pomona appeared in parts between 1878 and 1884.  the work was produced at a time when the county's orchards were in a most unsatisfactory condition having suffered from years of neglect.

It had been the wish of the Woolhope Club (a Herefordshire Field Club) to research the history and varieties of apples and pears grown locally.  The Reverend Charles Henry Bulmer, penologist and club member, invited Doctor Robert Hogg, the leading fruit expert of the day to judge the club's 1976 exhibition of apples and pears.  Dr Hogg was surprised by the number of fruit that he had not seen before and thought that the varieties deserved to be better known.  In order to achieve this he suggested that a local Pomona should be compiled. Dr Hogg volunteered to be the technical editor and Dr Henry Graves Bull, a leading member of the club became co-editor.

The illustrators were Edith Elizabeth Bull, Dr Bull's eldest daughter and Alice Blanche Ellis who was a gold medallist of the Bloomsbury School of art.  the artists spent eight autumns working on the watercolours which are on display in the Cider Museum.  One illustration was produced by Mrs Stackhouse Acton (nee Knight) who some 70 years earlier had helped illustrate her father's Pomona Herefordiensis (see above).

Bulmer's Pomona of Ray Williams and Caroline Todhunter 1987

This Pomona was produced in 1987 to commemorate the centenary of H P Bulmer Limited.  the apples are described in the text by Ray Williams and the original watercolours by Caroline Todhunter were featured as part of an exhbition, "The Glory of the Garden" which was held at Sotheby's and organised by them and the Royal Horticultural Society.  The Pomona identifies the most successful cider apples propagated since the publication of the Victorian Herefordshire Pomona of Robert Hogg and Henry Bull.

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