Lady Charlotte Wheeler Cuffe
Encyclopedia
Lady Charlotte Wheeler Cuffe (née Williams) (1867-1967) was an Irish botanic artist and collector.
to a family with Irish
connections, her grandfather being the Rev. Sir Hercules Langrish, third Baronet of Knocktopher, County Kilkenny
. Her father, William Williams
, was a President of the Law Society
of England
and Wales
.
She was a noted botanical watercolourist. Her husband Sir Otway Wheeler-Cuffe, Bt (see Wheeler-Cuffe Baronets
), a civil engineer, from Kilkenny
was an Imperial official in Burma and she travelled with him to the remote regions. Many of her expeditions are detailed in correspondence with Sir Frederick Moore the Director of the Irish National Botanic Gardens
, and her cousin the Baroness Pauline Prochazka (1842-1930) of Lyrath, Kilkenny
. Near Mount Victoria in 1911 she found two rhododendrons, one yellow rhododendron burmacium hardy, the other white indoor rhododendron cuffeanum, seedlings of these were sent to the Irish National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin where they thrived. She was the earliest known botanical explorer to reach this remote area. She also designed a 150 acre (0.607029 km²) Botanic Garden at Maymo while in Burma. She returned to Ireland
in 1921, after 24 years in Burma to Leyrath, Kilkenny
now a hotel. The bulk of her collection she gave to the Irish National Botanic Gardens in 1926. These mainly relate to Burmese orchids from 1902 to 1921, together with landscapes of Burma and Ireland
.
Life
Wheeler was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to a family with Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
connections, her grandfather being the Rev. Sir Hercules Langrish, third Baronet of Knocktopher, County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
. Her father, William Williams
William Williams
-Authors and artists:*William Williams , artist, author of first American novel, Penrose*William Joseph Williams , his son, artist; painted George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson...
, was a President of the Law Society
Law society
A Law Society in current and former Commonwealth jurisdictions was historically an association of solicitors with a regulatory role that included the right to supervise the training, qualifications and conduct of lawyers/solicitors...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
She was a noted botanical watercolourist. Her husband Sir Otway Wheeler-Cuffe, Bt (see Wheeler-Cuffe Baronets
Wheeler-Cuffe Baronets
The Wheeler-Denny-Cuffe, later Denny-Wheeler-Cuffe, later Wheeler-Cuffe Baronetcy, of Leyrath in the County of Kilkenny, was a title in the Baronetage of Ireland. It was created on 30 December 1800 for Jonah Wheeler-Denny-Cuffe. He later assumed the surname of Denny-Wheeler-Cuffe and served as...
), a civil engineer, from Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
was an Imperial official in Burma and she travelled with him to the remote regions. Many of her expeditions are detailed in correspondence with Sir Frederick Moore the Director of the Irish National Botanic Gardens
Irish National Botanic Gardens
The National Botanic Gardens are located in Glasnevin, 5 km north-west of Dublin city centre, Ireland...
, and her cousin the Baroness Pauline Prochazka (1842-1930) of Lyrath, Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
. Near Mount Victoria in 1911 she found two rhododendrons, one yellow rhododendron burmacium hardy, the other white indoor rhododendron cuffeanum, seedlings of these were sent to the Irish National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin where they thrived. She was the earliest known botanical explorer to reach this remote area. She also designed a 150 acre (0.607029 km²) Botanic Garden at Maymo while in Burma. She returned to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 1921, after 24 years in Burma to Leyrath, Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
now a hotel. The bulk of her collection she gave to the Irish National Botanic Gardens in 1926. These mainly relate to Burmese orchids from 1902 to 1921, together with landscapes of Burma and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
See also
- Irish Botanical Artists
- Irish Plant Collectors
- Patricia Butler,Irish Botanical Illustrators, Antique Collectors Club, London 2000 ISBN 1-85149-357-3