What's in a name...

Over at Purple Podded Peas, Celia has been sharing the early Penguin and Pelican books she has recently found. When I was clearing some shelves yesterday in preparation for some decorating I came across this old copy of Tree Fruit Growing from the same sort of era. It was first published in 1943 and we must have bought it from a charity shop or somewhere to add to our gardening books collection.

Reading it is very enlightening. I found out that there was an apple with our name to it, the aptly named Crawley Beauty. It must be fashioned after me as it is ....'very fine with a very late season. Blooms very late (how true) , missing all the frosts, and should be put with another late-flowering variety (this has come to pass!) Makes a good size tree and fruit is medium to large and of good shape (I couldn't possibly comment....) Colour is green flushed and striped with red (well., given my time of life that's no wonder!)' Luckily I'm not much afflicted with scab and my season is Christmas to March and later so I've yet to peak for this year but am sure I will get there eventually!!

I'm very taken with the names of the apple varieties. I'm wondering how they came about and whether some of them are still around. My imagination went to town with some of them and I started to visualise the people they were named after... there was the upstanding Rev. W Wilks ; the doughty Arthur Turner and his pals, Charles Ross, James Grieve and George Neal ; the haughty Lady Sudeley and the aristocratic Lord Lambourne; the flirtatious Belle de Boskoop and her friend D'Arcy Spice, described as a 'little tart....'

I'm most enamoured with that sweet young man about town the Rt. Hon Allington Pippin. Word is he was set upon and beaten to a pulp by some lads who were under the influence of too much cider.... I know....perhaps I need to get out more.....