| Activity | John Wilson (1696-1751), botanist, was born in 1696 at Longsleddal, near Kendal, England. Following a period as a shoe or stocking maker, he became assistant to Isaac Thomson, land surveyor, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He became very knowledgeable in botany and is said to have given lessons in botany. In 1744 published 'A Synopsis of British Plants' (Newcastle, 1744). He died in Kendal in 1751. |