Reverend Thomas Birch Freeman (1809–1890) by David Grice (b.1922)
Reverend Thomas Birch Freeman (1809–1890) by David Grice (b.1922)
Artist Lisa Temple-Cox talks about the inspiration behind her piece which is on display in the Landscape Rebels exhibition.
The Reverend Thomas Birch Freeman (1809-1890) was a Victorian missionary, botanist, and plant collector. He was born in Twyford in Hampshire to a freed slave, gardener Thomas Freeman, and an English mother, Amy Birch. Brought up in the Methodist faith, he was an avid reader with a great interest in horticulture.
By 1833 he had become the head gardener for Lord and Lady Harland at Orwell Park in Ipswich. During his time here he was evidently well-respected as a plantsman, judging local horticultural shows as part of his post. Here he married the Harland’s housekeeper, Elizabeth Booth. His faith, however, was unpalatable to Lord Harland, who gave him an ultimatum: recant, or leave. He elected to become ordained, and in 1837 he left Ipswich with his wife to become a Methodist missionary on the Gold Coast (present-day Ghana).
Under Freeman, nine schools were established in the colony, three of which were for girls. He also established agriculture farms and, while on furlough in Britain, was active in the anti-slavery cause.
Daguerrotype of T.B. Freeman, 1940’s, taken in the studio of Richard Beard
Daguerrotype of T.B. Freeman, 1940’s, taken in the studio of Richard Beard
He continued to collect cuttings and seeds which he sent back to his former employer, as well as to Joseph Hooker, the first director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, for whom he researched and collated scientific data on tropical flora and fauna.
During a return visit to the UK he was delighted to find that Sir Robert Harland had built a new greenhouse especially to care for the plants Freeman had given him. He is credited with introducing the people of Ipswich to the rare and exotic pineapple!
Engraving of Orwell Park, John Raw (1771 – 1855)
Engraving of Orwell Park, John Raw (1771 – 1855)
Joseph Hooker reached out to Freeman during to an outbreak of a disease (Henileia Vastatrix, or leaf rust) which was affecting coffee plantations in the British colonies. He asked Freeman for some beans of a rust-resistant variety called Liberica (Coffea liberica).
This variety was ultimately successful in reestablishing the colonial growth and trade in coffee, and Kew’s archives still contain a selection of the original beans that Freeman sent them in 1872.
Liberica beans from the Kew archive
Liberica beans from the Kew archive
While Liberica coffee eventually fell out of favour, Kew’s scientists are once again researching this plant as a climate resilient and disease resistant crop. Dr Aaron Davis, Head of Coffee Research at Kew, is leading a team working in Uganda, both to develop Liberica as a sustainable crop for coffee farming communities, and explore Uganda’s forests as a storehouse of useful coffee genetic diversity. He says “We aim to reveal the synergies between biodiversity, the ecosystem, climate change, and commercial coffee farming.”
Meanwhile, garden historian Advolly Richmond is currently researching Freeman’s life through his letters and journals. While he is best known as a Methodist missionary, she is interested in unpacking his work and legacy as a plantsman and botanist. She notes that
“… his botanical and horticultural contribution has been greatly overshadowed by (his) religious legacy; my research aims to redress this balance so that he can finally get the recognition he so truly deserves.”
Liberica coffee tray by Lisa Temple-Cox 2022
Liberica coffee tray by Lisa Temple-Cox 2022
Like Freeman, I am also mixed race – Anglo-Malay – and I was interested to discover that Liberica coffee is still grown as a commercial crop in Malaysia. This story inspired me to create the artwork that is on display in the china room at Christchurch Mansion, nestled among the Victorian coffee pots.