Weaste Cemetery

Biographies of people buried between 1880 & 89

ALEXANDER FORSYTH (1809 - 1885)


(Courtesy of John Forsyth Magrath)

 

Alexander Forsyth was a Victorian landscape gardener, notable for his expertise in tree cultivation. He planted the arboretum at Alton Towers and as head gardener for Isambard Kingdom Brunel, helped him create his park and gardens at Watcombe in Devon. For 50 years he was a regular writer for The Gardener's Chronicle and other journals.

 

He was born on 10th December 1809 at Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire. His father was James Forsyth who was head gardener at Fyvie Castle and Meldrum House, and his mother was Margaret nee Littlejohn. In 1842 Alexander married Anne Burgess at St. Mary's RC Church (the Hidden Gem), in Mulberry Street, Manchester. Anne was born on 6th November 1815 at Alderley, Cheshire. They had six children: George (born 1843 at Alton, Staffordshire), James (born 1844 at Alton), Henry (born 1846 at Alton), Gregory Aloysius (born 1848 at Newton Abbot, Devon and died in 1848), Agnes Mary (born 1850 in Devon), and John (born 1853 in Devon).

 

Alexander began his career training under his father. He moved to London in 1832 and worked at Oakhill, Kenwood and Syon. In 1835 he invented the Forsyth pot, a means of raising cuttings, still used today. In 1837 he was appointed head gardener at Alderley Park in Cheshire. In 1839, noted horticulturalist Joseph Knight recommended him to Augustus Pugin, the Gothic revival architect, who was remodelling the Earl of Shrewsbury's estate at Alton Towers. Forsyth was appointed head gardener and for the next decade worked closely with Pugin and landscape designer William Nesfield. He planted huge numbers of trees and was also called upon to provide the lavish floral displays demanded for social occasions. Here, Forsyth invented a combined level and plumb line which enabled trees and tall flowers to be planted perfectly upright and in straight lines on steep slopes.

 

In 1847, Isambard Kingdom Brunel sought Nesfield's opinion of Forsyth, saying a gardener was "wanted to superintend the formation of a park where all is to be done and a great knowledge of tree cultivation – not fancy gardening – is wanted". In February 1848 Forsyth started work as head gardener at Watcombe in Devon. The creation of Brunel's estate was a colossal engineering and landscaping work. Forsyth planted huge shelter belts and brought in fertile soil from great distances to enable the planting of c.1200 parkland trees and enormous numbers of shrubs. Unfortunately a storm in 1990 destroyed 300 trees. Restoration began in 2006 and Watcombe is now a public park.

 

In 1856 Forsyth left Watcombe and moved to live at 9, Islington Square, Salford. He continued to be active in gardening circles – visiting, judging, collecting and selling plants and maintaining a flow of letters to gardening publications. Sadly, Anne died on 12th September 1869 aged 53 and was buried at Weaste Cemetery. The 1881 census shows that Alexander was aged 71 and his occupation was corn mill manager. Also in the house were sons Henry and John. On 8th November 1885, Alexander died at Newton Heath, Manchester, aged 76 and was buried with Anne in plot A9/RC/3358 at Weaste Cemetery.