The origins of apple Lady's Finger of Bledington

I have received some fascinating information from Derek and Judy Tolman, Bernwode nursery  (November 2015) as a result of my earlier article on Lady's Finger of Bledington. Derek writes that about fifteen years ago he received scionwood of Black Gilliflower from the USDA collection in Geneva, USA. This apple is identical to Lady's Finger of Bledington. Derek believes that the apple has English origins and was taken out to America by settlers. He has not yet discovered any written historical record of the variety in England, but the apple was known in America as early as the 1770's-1780's and Derek suggests that the apple was possibly being grown in England in the 1600's.
  A superb piece of detective work!

Some re-discovered apples and pears

    Since the 1980's we have come across and have identified several "lost" apples and pears in the north .These fruits have been propagated and scionwood distributed. Also, in order to conserve them for future generations we aim to plant them at locations where there is "continuity of care".

   My colleague Hilary Wilson has rescued many Cumbrian apples and I hope to publish more information on her enormous contribution over the years. Some of her "missing " varieties" are in the Sizergh National Trust orchard and they are mentioned in "The Apples and Orchards of Cumbria" written by Andy Gilchrist, our South Lakeland Orchard Group chairman.

  Two rare Lancashire apple varieties are present in the Sizergh orchard, Hargreave's Greensweet and Royal George.

         Hargreave's Greensweet

 

   This apple was offered by a small over Wyre nursery as "Greensweet" when I first came across it in the early 1980's. I bought a maiden tree which subsequently bore fruit but the apples were very different from descriptions of Greensweet in The Apple Register. A few months later I came across "Hargreave's Greensweet" in the Register and the match was made!  The apple is described in The Fruit Manual . In 1846,Dr Hogg visited Hargreave's Nursery in Lancaster and noted a very old tree of this variety. Scionwood was sent to Brogdale in the late 1980's.
  The apple is an early to mid season dessert and when juiced with Keswick Codlin, makes a fine drink!  
                                                                   Royal George

    Royal George in the NFC appears to be quite different from the Lancashire version which is described in "The Apples of England". The  variety was offered by a Forton nursery before the war and I found a single tree in a cottage garden in the village c1999. The late father of the old lady who lived at the address had worked at the nursery and had planted the tree c 1936! Since 1999 apples of Royal George have appeared from an old tree in the nearby village of Scorton.  Royal George is a very large mid season culinary apple and the tree is a vigorous triploid.

   Two trees of Royal George have been planted (2006) within the walled garden at Astley Hall, Chorley in addition to Sizergh.

  To follow- apples "Jenny Lind", "Laxton's Premier", Kane's Seedling" possibles "Queen Mary","Trumpeter".