> [!cite] BHL link: this entry starts at [page 293](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33212335) of TL-2 Vol. VI > Author links: [IPNI](https://www.ipni.org/a/10631-1) LSID 10631-1, [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5928444) QID Q5928444 > Support pages: [[Abbreviations|abbreviations]], [[Layout key|layout key]], [[Cite TL-2|cite TL-2]] ### Author Thornton, Robert John (1768\[?\]-1837), British physician and botanist; MB Cambridge 1793; MD St. Andrews 1805; lecturer in botany, Grey's Hospital, London. **Abbreviated name**: *Thornton* \[standard form in IPNI: *Thornton*\] #### Herbarium and types Unknown. – *Letters* at [[Collection BM|BM]], Hunt Institute. #### Bibliography and biography Barnhart 3: 380; BB p. 300; Blunt p. 303 \[index\]; BM 5: 2103, 8: 1305; Bossert p. 400; CSP 5: 982; Dawson p. 818; Desmond p. 611 (d. 21 Jan 1837); DNB 56: 304 (19: 784-786); DU 301-303; GF p. 77; Henrey 2: 244, 307, 354, 356; Herder p. 96, 148, 413; Jackson p. 17, 35, 36, 37, 113, 200, 233; Lasègue p. 519; NI 1951-1957; see indexes; Plesch p. 427-433; PR 9235-9244, ed. 1: 2102, 10209-10216; Rehder 5: 846; SO 462, 742-745, 762, 771a, 772, 792, 793, 799, 800-802; Sotheby 742-745; TL-1/1294; TL-2/4289; see S. Curtis, J. Sowerby; Tucker 1: 167, 688, 2: xxxvii, 3: 308. #### Biofile - Allibone, S.A., Crit. dict. Engl. lit. 3: 2410. 1878 (bibl., 18 nos., incl. medical and other works). - Anon., Flora 20(1): 288. 1837 (d.); Gent. mag. ser. 2. 8: 93-94. 1837 (obit.). - Freeman, R.B., Brit. nat. hist. hist. books 341. 1980. - Hemsley, W.B., Gard. Chron. ser. 3. 6: 89-90, 154, 276-278. 1894. - Hirsch, A., ed., Biogr. Lex. hervorrag. Ärzte ed. 3. 5: 575-576. 1962. - Munk, W., The roll of the Royal College of Physicians of London 3: 98-100. 1828. - Nissen, C., Philobiblon 6: 345. 1933. - Rix, M., The art of the botanist 78, 144, 161, 166, 167, 170. 1981. - Synge, P.M., Plants with personality 223 (20 pl. Temple of Flora). - White, A. & B.L. Sloane, The Stapelieae ed. 2. 1: 76, 90, 91. 1937. #### Composite works Life of James Lee, *in* J. Lee, *Intr. bot.* ed. 9, 1809, see TL-2/4289. #### Eponymy The etymology for x *Thorntonara* L.A. Garay et H.R. Sweet (1974) and *Thorntonia* H.G.L. Reichenbach (1828) were not given. ### Publications ##### n.14.283. New Illustration of the sexual system **Title** *New Illustration of the sexual system* of Carolus von Linnaeus: comprehending an elucidation of the several parts of the fructification; a prize dissertation on the sexes of plants; a full explanation of the classes, and orders, of the sexual system; and the Temple of Flora, or garden of nature, being picturesque, botanical, coloured plates, of select plants, illustrative of the same, with descriptions... Shall Britons, in the field unconquer'd still, the better laurel lose? – In finer arts and public works shall they to Gallia yield?.. Thomson. By Robert John Thornton,... London (printed, for the publisher, by T. Bensley,...) 1807. Broadsheet. **Abbreviated title**: *New ill. sex. syst.* **Notes** *Publ*.: For a summary of the contents see Soulsby 772. Part I is "A new illustration of the sexual system of Linnaeus", part 2 a collection of 26 portraits and 91 botanical plates, part 3 "The temple of Flora". This *Temple of Flora* contains 31 coloured engraved plates. No two copies are alike because the plates were engraved by various processes, the impressions taken from them printed in colour and finished by hand, and altered in several instances thus producing various "states". See Grigson and Buchanan (1951), SO 772, NI 1955 and R. King for further details. – Copies vary considerably. *Copies*: BR, K, NY, Teyler. *Contemporary reissue of Temple of Flora*: London 1812, frontisp., p. \[i-xvii\], *30 pl*. with text. *Copy*: NY. – NI 1955 mentions a quarto edition, London 1810, the so-called Lottery edition. *Modern reissue of Temple of Flora*: R. King, *The Temple of Flora* Robert Thornton. Introduction by Ronald King, New York Graphic Society, Boston 1981. Reproduced from the copy at K. ISBN 0-812-1128-5. – Another reprint was publ. 1952, London (Collins), with notes by H. Buchanan; reissued 1972. *Ref*.: Cardew, F.M.G., J.R. Hort. Soc. 72: 281-285, 450-453. 1947. - Grigson, G. & H. Buchanan, Thornton's Temple of Flora, London 1951. - Perkins, Gard. Chon. ser. 3. 16: 89, 154, 276-278. 1894. ##### n.14.284. Botanical extracts **Title** *Botanical extracts*: or philosophy of botany... London (printed by T. Bensley,...) 1810, 2 vols. Fol. **Abbreviated title**: *Bot. extr.* **Notes** *1*: 1810, p. \[1\]-308. *2*: 1810, p. \[i\], 309-574, *81 pl*. *Copy*: B. – NI mentions *21 pl*. for the Botanical abstracts, followed by a number \["75-80"\] of *Elementary botanical plates* which are regarded as vol. 3 of *The Philosophy of botany* (see below). The fourth volume is then the above mentioned *New ill. sex. syst.* 1799-1810. MO has a copy with the same title pages as the B copy, but with a different pagination (also mentioned by Tucker 3: 308 and described in Bot. Zeit. 18: 227-228. 1860) and with the plates in a separate volume (see below). *1*: \[i\*-iii\*\], \[i\]-xi, \[xiii\], 1-308, *2 pl*. *2*: \[i\], 309-625. *Note*: We record here only the existence of a few copies encountered by us. We were not in a position to enter further into this bibliographer's nightmare and refer to the same special studies as listed under *New ill. sex. syst.* ##### n.14.285. Elementary botanical plates **Title** *Elementary botanical plates*, Illustrative of the science of botany: adapted to Lee's introduction to botany; – Rose's introduction to botany; –... but more particularly intended to illustrate Botanical abstracts; or the philosophy of botany... London (printed by T. Bensley,...) **Abbreviated title**: *Elem. bot. pl.* **Notes** *Publ*.: can be regarded as vol. 3 of *Botanical extracts*, 1810, frontisp., p. \[1\]-6, \[7\], *1 pl*., i-ix, *100 pl. Copy*: MO. – Freemann (1980) mentions 160 pl., 17 portr. *Text*: see above *Botanical extracts*, MO-copy. *Note*: We suspect that this book and its associated titles shows the same feature as the *Temple of Flora* and associated material; copies are probably all different and consist of different sets of plates occurring under various titles. ##### n.14.286. A new family herbal **Title** *A new family herbal*: or popular account of the natures and properties of the various plants used in medicine, diet, and the arts. By Robert John Thornton, M.D.... The plants drawn from nature, by Henderson: are engraved on wood, by Thomas Bewick. London (printed for Richard Phillips,...) 1810. Oct. **Abbreviated title**: *New fam. herbal*. **Notes** *Ed*. \[*1*\]: 1810 (p. viii: 1 Jan 1810), p. \[i\]-xvi, \[1\]-901. *Copies*: HH, MICH, MO, NY. *Ed. 2*: 1814, p. \[i\]-xxviii, \[1\]-902, \[903\], \[889\*\], 890\*-901\* gen. index. *Copy*: HH. – Second edition, considerably enlarged and improved,... London (printed for B. and R. Crosby and Co....) 1814. Oct. ##### n.14.287. A grammar of botany **Title** *A grammar of botany*; containing an explanation of the system of Linnaeus, and the terms of botany, with botanical exercises. For the use of schools and students. Multum in parvo... London (printed for R. Phillips,...) 1811. Duod. (in sixes). **Abbreviated title**: *Gramm, bot.* **Notes** *Ed*. \[*1*\]: 1811 (p. iv: 1 Dec 1810), p. \[i\]-iv, \[1\]-238, *pl. 1-45* (uncol. copp. Henderson). *Copies*: G. *Ed. 2*: 1814, p. \[i\]-iv, \[1\]-238, *pl. 1-45* (R. Brown sc. NY.). *Copy*: NY. – "The second edition" London (printed for B. and R. Crosby and Co....) 1814. Duod. (id.). *Amer. ed.*: 1818, p. \[i\]-iv, \[5\]-317, *pl. 1-45* (id.). *Copies*: FAS, NY, PH, USDA. – New York (published by James Eastburn and Co....) 1818. Duod. (id.). – On p. \[227\]-317: James Lee, *Termini botanici*. A dictionary of botanical terms, for the use of students in botany. A new edition. – A second copy at New York lacks the Lee *Termini*: p. \[i\]-iv, \[5\]-225, *pl. 1-45.* – See J. Lee, *Intr. bot.*, TL-2/4289. ##### n.14.288. The British flora **Title** *The British flora*; or, genera and species of British plants: arranged after the reformed sexual system; and illustrated by numerous tables, and dissections... London (printed for the author by J. Whiting,...) 1812. Oct. **Abbreviated title**: *Brit. fl.* **Notes** *1*: 1812, p. \[i\]-X, \[1\]-120, *92 pl*. *2*: 1812, p. \[1\]-138, *100 pl*. *3*: 1812 p. \[1\]-126, *97 pl*. *4*: 1812, p. \[1\]-100, *63 pl*. *5*: 1812, pl. \[1\]-52, *3 pl*., charts (in copper) 1-24, 1\*-29\*. *Plates*: The number of plates may vary in number and distribution over the volumes. The above numbers are those of the copy at HH (355 pl.). For artists see NI 1951. *Copies*: B, BR, G, HH, NY, PH, USDA. ##### n.14.289. Elements of botany **Title** *Elements of botany*... London (Printed for the author,...) 1812, 2 vols. Oct. **Abbreviated title**: *Elem. bot.* **Notes** *1* (*classification*): 1812, p. \[i\]-viii, 1-90, *93 pl*. (uncol. copy) by Henderson, Miller, Reinagle). *2* (*terms of the science*): 1812, p. \[1\]-73, \[75\], *84 pl*. (id.). *Copies*: G, HH, MICH, MO, NY, PH, USDA. – The above numbers of plates are of the NY copy; all four copies seen by us have different numbers of plates, some of them numbered, others unnumbered; NI calls for 52 and *84 pl*. The plates are dated 1 Mar 1810 to 1 Jan 1812. ##### n.14.290. A companion to Dr. Thornton's lectures on botany **Title** *A companion to Dr. Thornton's lectures on botany*... New York (printed by George Largin,...) 1816. **Abbreviated title**: *Comp. Thornt. lect. bot.* **Notes** *Publ*.: 1816, p. \[1\]-16. *Copies*: HH, PH (14 p.).