Anne Wilmot-Horton

Anne Beatrix Wilmot-Horton (née Horton, 1788 – 1871) was an English amateur botanist who was the dedicatee of the plant genus Hortonia and of Lord Byron’s poem 'She Walks in Beauty'.

Anne Wilmot-Horton
Portrait by Thomas Lawrence
Known for	'She Walks in Beauty' Plant genus Hortonia
Born	Anne Wilmot, 1788
Died	1871
Spouse(s)	Robert Wilmot-Horton
Issue	7, including Sir Robert Wilmot, 4th Baronet
Parents	Eusebius Horton

Early life and family

She was born in 1788, the daughter of Eusebius Horton of Catton Hall, Derbyshire, and was co-heir to the estate with her sister Frances.^[1]

In 1806 she married Sir Robert John Wilmot, 3rd baronet. The couple hyphenated their surnames at the request of Anne’s father’s will in 1823. They had eight children, one of whom died in infancy.^[2]

'She Walks in Beauty'

On 11 June 1814, Lord Byron (who was her husband’s cousin) saw Anne in mourning-clothes at a party, and composed 'She Walks in Beauty' about her the next day.^[3]

Botany

Hortonia, a genus of flowering plant endemic to Sri Lanka, is named for Anne Wilmot-Horton.

While her husband was governor of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, Anne gained 'extensive knowledge of Ceylon plants.' Botanist Robert Wight dedicated the genus Hortonia to her 'on account of the lively interest she takes in botany.'^[4][5]

Later life

In her widowhood she returned to Catton Hall. She was the godmother of John 'Jackie' Fisher and, in one of his visits to her, aided his naval career by introducing him to Admiral Sir William Parker, who nominated him as a cadet.^[6][7]

References

1. Pine, L.G. (1972). The New Extinct Peerage 1884-1971. p. 105.
2. Richards, Eric (2004). "Horton, Sir Robert John Wilmot-, third baronet (1784–1841), politician and colonial governor". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/13827. Retrieved 2024-04-19. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
3. Sachs, Jonathan; Stauffer, Andrew (2023). Lord Byron: Selected Writings. Oxford University Press. p. 1041. ISBN 978-0-19-873325-6.
4. Baird, William; Baird, William; Berkeley, M. J.; Curtis, Charles M.; Dickie, George; Du Noyer, George Victor; Gray, E.; Henslow, J. S.; Jardine, William (1837). Magazine of zoology and botany. Vol. v.2 (1837-1838) [Lacks:Pl.XIV]. Edinburgh ; Dublin. p. 546.
5. "Verzeichnis eponymischer Pflanzennamen – Erweiterte Edition | Botanischer Garten Berlin". www.bgbm.org (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-19.
6. Morris, Jan (1995). Fisher's Face, Or, Getting to Know the Admiral. Random House. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-679-41609-8.
7. Harris, Paul Ashford (2023-02-01). Love, Oil And The Fortunes Of War. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-6454972-0-5.