| 1648 |
The Dutch and the Swedish compete for the land around present-day Philadelphia on the Schuylkill River.
They each build forts and the Swedish burn down the Dutch fort twice |
| 1660 |
Founding of the Royal Society |
| 1686 |
John Ray (1627-1705) publishes first volume of Historia Plantarum |
| 1687 |
Isaac Newton (1642-1727) publishes Principia, introducing the concept of gravity |
| 1690 |
John Locke (1632-1704) publishes Essay Concerning Human Understanding; the beginning of empiricism |
| 1694 |
Peter Collinson born on Jan 28th, St Clements Lane, Lombard Street, London, son of Peter (wholesale woollen draper and mercer)and Elizabeth Hall Collinson |
| 1695 |
Birth of Collinson’s brother James (d. 1762), who becomes his business partner |
| 1696 |
Peter Collinson went to live with his maternal grandmother [surname Hall] in Peckham:
Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753) publishes Catalogus Plantarum quae in Insula Jamaica sponte proveniunt |
| 1701 |
William Penn presented a Charter of Privileges for the Province of Pennsylvania during his second and last visit to the colony |
| 1703 |
Samuel Pepys (b.1633), English diarist, died |
| 1705 |
The first steam engine was built employing a piston in a cylinder by Thomas Newcomen |
| 1706 |
Collinson family moves to Gracechurch Street, which also is the location of their mercery shop and Collinson’s place of business until the retirement of Peter Collinson |
| 1707 |
English-Scottish parliament accepted Act of Union and formed Great Britain: Sloane publishes the first volume of The Natural History of Jamaica |
| 1708 |
William Pitt the Elder was born: 1st Earl of Chatham, Viscount Pitt of Burton-Pynsent: Prime Minister 1756-61 & 1766 - 68: died 1778 |
| 1710 |
Britain’s Queen Anne gave her assent to an act “for the encouragement of learning” |
| 1711 |
Peter Collinson works in his father’s mercery shop; his mother manages the shop after her husband’s death |
| 1712 |
George Frederick Handel settled in Surrey, England: (born 1685 - died 1759) |
| 1722 |
Phillip Miller (1691-1771) becomes superintendent of the Physic Garden at Chelsea: Peter Collinson starts recording plants at his Peckham home, South London |
| 1723 |
Peter Collinson receives seeds of Maryland plants from his cousin Richard Hall: plants of Senna marilandica obtained in 1723, reportedly flower in his garden at Peckham every year “about the end of August” |
| 1724 |
Peter Collinson marries Mary Russell (1704-1753), daughter of Michael and Mary Russell |
| 1725 |
Peter Collinson writes to Sloane telling him he has fifty bottles of curious creatures in spirits |
| 1727 |
Peter Collinson’s son Michael born (d.1795): Hans Sloane becomes president of the Royal Society: |
| 1727-1760 |
George II was King of Great Britain (b.1683 - d.1760). |
| 1728 |
Peter Collinson elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS): the first decade of John Martyn’s Historia Plantarum Rariortum is published in London:
Captain James Cook born 1728 - died 1779. |
| 1729 |
Peter Collinson publishes his first paper in the Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society |
| 1730 |
Mark Catesby (1683-1749) publishes part 1, plates 1-20, of volume 1 of The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahamas Islands |
| 1731 |
Correspondence from Peckham: Philip Miller publishes the first edition of The Gardener’s Dictionary:
Peter Collinson becomes its London agent the following year |
| 1732 |
Peter Collinson is promoted to the Council of the Royal Society: Johannes Jacobus Dillenius (1687-1747) publishes Hortus Elthamensis |
| 1733 |
Peter Collinson begins association with John Bartram (1699-1777) |
| 1734 |
Death of Peter Collinson’s mother in Peckham |
| 1735 |
Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778) publishes Systema Naturae, introducing his sexual system of plants; George Dionysius Ehret (1710-1770) begins painting plants in English gardens including Mertensia virginica in Peter Collinson’s garden |
| 1736 |
Linnaeus visits PC’s ‘Museum’ Gracechurch Street, London; Peter Collinson publishes the experimental work by James Logan (1674-1751) on sexual processes in corn in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society |
| 1737 |
Martyn publishes the last portion of his Historia, including an engraving of Bletia purpurea with Collinson’s coat of arms;
Linnaeus publishes Hortus Cliffortianus with a description and Ehret’s drawing of Collinsonia:
Catesby paints Cypripedium acaule in Collinson’s garden and publishes it in his Natural History;
Occasional plantings, house of parents-in-law at Mill Hill |
| 1739 |
Peter Collinson’s letter to Linnaeus thanking him for naming Collinsonia Canadensis after him;
Johannes Fredericus Gronovius (1690-1762) publishes Part 1 of Flora Virginica based on a manuscript of John Clayton |
| 1740 |
Peter Collinson publishes John Bartram’s letter on rattlesnake teeth in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society |
| 1741 |
Dillenius publishes Historia Muscorum, with descriptions and illustrations of “mosses” sent by John Bartram |
| 1742 |
Death of Lord Petre (b.1713); James Gordon (ca.1708-1780) establishes nursery at Mile End, near the New Globe, Stepney |
| 1743 |
Bartram acknowledges the receipt of a silver cup inscribed by Hans Sloane.
Gronovius publishes Part 2 of Flora Virginica;
George Edwards publishes the first volume of A Natural History of Uncommon Birds |
| 1745 |
Peter Collinson sends publications on electricity and equipment for performing electrical experiments to the Library Company of Philadelphia for Benjamin franklin (1706-1790) to use in his research |
| 1747 |
Peter Collinson is elected to the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences;
Linnaeus names and describes Bartramia (now included in Triumfetta) and Coldenia in Flora Zeylanica;
Peter Collinson starts the transfer of plants to Mill Hill from Peckham |
| 1748 |
Botanist Peter Kalm (1716-1779) visits and describes garden at Peckham;
Georg Ehret publishes the first plates of Plantae et Papiliones Rariores;
Christopher Jacob Trew (1695-1769) publishes Nova Genera Planatarum by John Mitchell (1711-1768) |
| 1749 |
Death of Father-in–law and Peter Collinson moves to Ridgeway House, Mill Hill.
Linnaeus publishes the first part of Plantae Coldenhamiae by Caldwallader Golden |
| 1750 |
Death of Charles Lennox (b.1701) second Duke of Richmond; Trew (1695-1769) publishes the first plates of Hortus Nitidissimus and the first decade of Plantae Selectae, both with many paintings by Ehret |
| 1751 |
Peter Collinson publishes Franklin’s Experiments and Observations on Electricity and Bartram’s Observations on Inhabitants, Soil, Rivers, Productions, Animals, and Other matters Worthy of Notice.
Moses Bartram (1732-1809) visits Mill Hill and receives clothing and plants from peter Collinson; |
| 1751-1766 |
Contributor to the ‘Gentleman’s Magazine’ |
| 1753 |
Wife Mary dies; marriage of his daughter Mary to John Cator; birth of Peter Collinson’s grandson, Charles Streynsham Collinson (d.1834), son of Michael;
Death of Sloane;
Linnaeus publishes Species Plantarum;
Franklin is awarded a Copley Medal from the Royal Society for his work on electricity;
Peter Collinson elected to Council of Royal Society |
| 1755 |
Philip Miller publishes the first 60 plates of Figures of the Most Beautiful, Useful, and Uncommon Plants Described in the Gardeners Dictionary.
Beginning of the Seven Years War - most of the conflict taking place between 1756 - 1763. |
| 1756 |
Peter Collinson nominator of Benjamin Franklin as FRS |
| 1759 |
Kew Gardens is said to date from this year, traced back to the exotic garden in Kew Park. |
| 1757 |
Peter Collinson visited by Benjamin Franklin at Mill Hill |
| 1762 |
Cambridge University Botanic Garden opens – Peter Collinson has some influence in the establishment of the garden through his relationship with Rev Richard Walker, vice-master of Trinity College |
| 1763 |
Brother James (and business partner) dies;
Daniel Solander (1733-1782) becomes assistant librarian at the British Museum |
| 1765 |
Peter Collinson retires from Business in London;
John Bartram is appointed the King’s Botanist and begins a trip to the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida |
| 1767 |
William Stork’s Account of East-Florida with a Journal kept by John Bartram of Philadelphia is published in London;
Benjamin Franklin and Daniel Solander spend a few days with Peter Collinson at Ridgeway House |
| 1768 |
Peter Collinson dies August 11th;
Mill Hill garden passes to Michael Collinson;
Fothergill’s garden at Upton becomes the centre for American introductions |
| 1768-1771 |
First voyage of James Cook on H M Endeavour accompanied by Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820) and Daniel Solander (1733-1782):
First circumnavigation of New Zealand and the charting of the eastern coast of New Holland (Australia). |
| 1769 |
John Bartram is elected to the Royal Academy of Sciences of Stockholm |
| 1770 |
Son Michael rents out Ridgeway House for two years;
Dr John Fothergill writes ‘Life of Peter Collinson’; Michael Collinson writes ‘Life of Peter Collinson’ |
| 1772 |
Society of Gentlemen in Edinburgh awards John Bartram a gold medal |
| 1773/4 |
Death of John Clayton |
| 1777 |
Death of John Bartram;
John Bartram Jr. becomes the proprietor of Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia |
| 1795 |
Son Michael dies |
| 1776 |
Death of Cadwallander Golden |
1806
1807
1825 |
Protestant Dissenters buy Ridgeway House as a school
Mill Hill Schol founded on The Ridgeway, Mill Hill
Mill Hill School - School House erected in 1825 designed by Sir William Tite |
| 1834 |
Charles Streynsham Collinson dies (son of Michael) |
| 1835 |
Linnaean Society field outing to Mill Hill School (attributed Brett James) |
| 1851 |
‘Biblical Repertory’, Philadelphia: W. H. Dillingham |
| 1899 |
‘The Millhillian’: article on Peter Collinson by Norman Brett James |
| 1902 |
Collinson House: first on-site Boarder House at Mill Hill School |
| 1904 |
Elizabeth Allen, Philadelphia: Bartram’s Garden |
| 1912 |
Ridgeway House, second on-site Boarder House at Mill Hill School |
| 1919 |
Dr J. Hingston Fox: Dr John Fothergill & his Friends |
| 1952 |
‘Country Life’: Elizabeth McLean: article on Peter Collinson |
| 19?? |
Mill Hill School Cedar of Lebanon felled as dangerous to highway |
| 2002 |
Alan Armstrong: Forget Not Mee and My Garden – selected letters |
| 2002 |
Penelope Hobhouse: The Story of Gardening |
| 2007 |
R. Braithwaite: ‘Strikingly Alive’: the 200 year history of Mill Hill School |
| 2008 |
Andrea Wulf: Brothers of the Spade |
| 2008 |
Elizabeth McLean / Jean O’Neill: Peter Collinson & the 18th century Natural History Exchange |
| 2009 |
Cedrus Libani planted at Mill Hill School to mark the Mill Hill Preservation Society 60th Anniversary |
| 2011 |
Andrea Wulf: The Founding Gardeners |
| 2018 |
250th anniversary of the death of Peter Collinson |
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