Elizabeth Blackwell: prison, plotting and the Curious Herbal
Elizabeth Blachrie was the daughter of a wealthy stocking merchant in Aberdeen. Her second cousin Alexander Blackwell was the son of Thomas Blackwell, Professor of Divinity at Marischal College, and Principal of the University between 1717 and 1728. By the age of fifteen Alexander is said to have become an accomplished Greek and Latin scholar. He then attended Marischal College where he became distinguished for his knowledge of the classics, and also studied French. According to one account it was during this time that he secretly married Elizabeth.
William Turner's 1551 work is the first original scientific herbal written by an Englishman and the first published in the English language. Both physician and botanist, he was also a supporter of the Reformation, and twice had to flee England. During his enforced travels he recorded and collected European flora. His 'Newe herball' was published in 1551, three years after returning from his first exile abroad.
In 1768 an honorary fellow of the College and the first Scottish-born British Prime Minister, John Stuart 3rd Earl of Bute, gave a impressive collection of botanical books to the Royal College of Physicans of Edinburgh. This included a copy of Hortus Eystettensis.