Robert Marsham facts for kids
Robert Marsham (born January 27, 1708 – died September 4, 1797) was an English naturalist. He is known as the founder of phenology. Phenology is the study of how seasons affect plants and animals. It looks at things like when flowers bloom or when birds migrate.
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Robert Marsham's Life
Robert Marsham loved nature from a young age. He went to Clare College, Cambridge in 1728. Later, he owned a country estate in Stratton Strawless, Norfolk.
He became good friends with another naturalist, Gilbert White. They wrote many letters to each other. White described Marsham as a "painstaking and accurate naturalist." This meant Marsham was very careful and precise in his observations.
Studying the Seasons: Indications of Spring
Marsham is most famous for his notes called Indications of Spring. In these notes, he recorded 27 different signs of spring. He started in 1736 and continued for over 60 years!
His family kept adding to his work until the 20th century. This information is now very important for the UK phenology database. It helps scientists understand how spring changes with the weather. This data is also very useful in discussions about climate change. Marsham was the first person to record how nature and seasons change over time.
Marsham also wrote about the very cold winter of 1739-1740. He noted how the turnip crops were completely destroyed. Turnips were a special crop in Norfolk. He often recorded when turnips flowered, which was important for getting their seeds. He was amazed by how big some turnips grew.
My farm produced me a Turnip that weighed 19lbs&2oz, & was 39&half round
Marsham was also the only person in Norfolk to record seeing a rare bird called the wallcreeper.
Royal Society and Family
Because of his great interest in trees, Marsham became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1780. This is a very respected group of scientists. His Indications of Spring notes were published by the Royal Society in 1789.
Robert Marsham was married twice. His first wife was Mary Browne. They had one son named Robert. After Mary died, he married Elizabeth Newby. They had another son, Thomas, who sadly died when he was 14.
The Great Cedar
In 1747, Robert Marsham planted a special tree. It was an Cedrus atlantica, which is now known as the 'Great Cedar'. This huge tree is located near Stratton Strawless Hall.
The last time it was measured was in 2000. At that time, it was about 31 meters (102 feet) tall. Its trunk was about 7 meters (23 feet) around! It is a living reminder of Marsham's love for nature.
