Woods, Joseph, 1776-1864 (architect and botanist)
Dates
- Existence: 1776 - 1864
Biography
Joseph Woods (1776-1864) was born in Stoke Newington on 24 August 1776, of a Quaker family. He attended a Friends' school at Tottenham until the age of 13, and in 1792 joined a firm in Dover to gain commercial experience. He soon gave up his position, and at the age of 22 began to study under a London architect. Woods established his own practice, but, after suffering litigation, he left the country in 1816. After three years on the continent he returned to England, and began work on a manual of field botany, which was published as The tourist's flora in 1850. Woods visited Ireland in 1809 with two naturalist friends, L.W. Dillwyn and W.E. Leach, who accompanied him from Waterford to Killarney, before he travelled on his own to Limerick and Clare, visiting Connemara, and returning by generally the same route.
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Joseph Woods: Journal of a Tour of Ireland
Consists of 100 folios: (fo. 1) text; (fo. 91) notes on the text; (fo. 100) an index of place names. There are observations on local antiquities, natural history, social conditions and topography. The text is heavily corrected and appears to be a draft. On fo. 1r: 'Ireland. No. 1'. Accompanying the manuscript is a lithograph circular letter from J.B. Wells, 10 January 1829.