Court of Wick
Apple
Court of Wick
Origin / History
English, a dessert apple of the Golden Pippin class (Downing); Elliott calls it simply "Foreign." The Herefordshire Pomona says it is said to have originated at Court of Wick, in Somersetshire, raised from a pip of the Golden Pippin. Bunyard gives its origin as raised near Yatton, Somerset, and introduced to commerce in 1790 by Messrs. Wood, of Huntingdon.
The Herefordshire Pomona calls it "one of the best and most valuable dessert apples," and Veitch calls it "of great excellence." Bunyard calls it "a good old sort, now little grown."
Warder takes its many synonyms as "evidences of its popularity." He says it "has not been a favorite in this country, but occasionally succeeds well." Downing says it "does not succeed well with us," and Thomas says it "Fails here."
Tree
Tree of middle size, very healthy and very hardy. Elliott calls it suited to the North. Growth varies from medium and spreading (Bunyard) to vigorous (Veitch). Veitch says it makes a good medium-sized pyramid and succeeds well as a standard.
Leaf medium, long oval, sharply serrate (Bunyard).
A good bearer, bearing abundantly. The Herefordshire Pomona says it succeeds on almost every soil and is not subject to attacks of blight and canker.
Fruit
Size: Very small to below medium, mostly given as small; Warder calls it very small. Bunyard gives 2¼ by 1¾.
Form: Regular. Roundish ovate, flattened, approaching oblate; Downing gives roundish oblate, somewhat flattened. Warder calls it round, truncated abruptly, much flattened, and Bunyard calls it rounded, square. The Herefordshire Pomona calls it handsome; Warder says "it has little to recommend it in its looks."
Stem: Slender. Elliott and Warder call it long; the Herefordshire Pomona and Bunyard call it short.
Cavity: Rather wide (Warder), shallow (Bunyard), smooth and even, lined with thin russet.
Calyx: Eye open. The Herefordshire Pomona calls it large; Warder calls it small. Segments long, acuminate, wide-spread, and reflexed.
Basin: Wide, shallow to very shallow, and even.
Skin: Greenish yellow in the shade, pale to fine clear yellow when fully ripe, flushed with bright or rich orange. Downing says the color becomes a warm orange with a little red in the sun. The Herefordshire Pomona says the orange sometimes breaks out in a faint red next the sun. Warder gives the surface as yellow, covered with russet.
On the Hastings Sand, and in some localities in Herefordshire, the fruit becomes a fine clear orange with a somewhat carmine cheek on the side next the sun (Herefordshire Pomona). Veitch says it attains a very high color on some soils.
Dots: Russet specks on the sunny side (Elliott); russety freckles all over (Herefordshire Pomona).
Flesh and flavor: Flesh yellow to rich yellow, crisp, juicy to very juicy. Elliott and Warder call it firm; the Herefordshire Pomona calls it tender. Flavor rich, highly flavored, spicy, sprightly, aromatic, with a "high poignant flavor" (Downing). Bunyard calls it slightly acid. Elliott calls it sharp sub-acid, and Warder calls it acid and sharp.
The Herefordshire Pomona says its "rich and delicious flavour" is "not inferior to that of the Golden Pippin." Downing rates it "Very good," and Warder "good in its way." Elliott says that "for those who like a firm, spicy, sprightly fruit for dessert, this may be esteemed."
Core and seeds: Core ovate, closed, meeting the eye (Warder). Elliott calls it large; Warder calls it small. Seeds ovate (Elliott), numerous, large, and brown (Warder).
Season
The recorded season runs from October to March. Most authors give October to February or March. Two begin it in December, one of them ending it in January. Thomas alone calls it an autumn apple.
Uses
Dessert.
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Birds and insects attack the fruit with avidity. The Herefordshire Pomona attributes this to its richness of color and fine flavor. It says that on the sunny side of the tree "it is often an exception to find a Court of Wick apple untouched by these marauders."
Book Sources
Described in 6 period pomological works
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 4 catalogs (1845–1911) from England, Massachusetts
- Winship's Nursery (Brighton Nurseries , operated by the Winship family), Brighton (Boston) , Massachusetts — 1845
- Kelway & Son , Langport, Somerset , England — 1897
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
View original book sources (7)
— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)Court of Wick.
Barlow, Philip's Reinette, Court de Wick, Week's Pippin, Fry's Pippin, Court of Wick Pippin, Wood's Huntingdon, Rival Golden Pippin, Golden Drop, Transparent Pippin, Knightwick Pippin, Yellow.
Foreign. For those who like a firm, spicy, sprightly fruit for dessert, this may be esteemed. Tree, very hardy — suited to the North. Fruit, small, regular, roundish ovate, flattened, greenish yellow in shade, little red and dotted with russet specks in sun ; stem, long, slender ; calyx, with long, wide-spread segments ; basin, shallow ; core, large ; seeds, ovate ; flesh, yellow, sharp sub-acid, crisp, juicy. October to February.
— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)Court of Wyck.
This spicy English apple, which has so many synonyms as evidences of its popularity, has not been a favorite in this country, but occasionally succeeds well; it has little to recommend it in its looks.
Fruit very small, round, truncated abruptly, much flattened, regular; Surface yellow, covered russet.
Basin wide, very shallow; Eye small, open; Segments reflexed.
Cavity rather wide; Stem long, slender.
Core small, ovate, closed, meeting the eye; Seeds numerous, large, brown; Flesh rich yellow, firm, juicy; Flavor acid, aromatic, rich, spicy, sharp; Quality good in its way; Use, "dessert;" Season, December, January.
— Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, The Herefordshire Pomona (1885)
- COURT OF WICK.
[Syn. : Fry's Pippin ; Golden Drop ; Knightwick Pippin ; Phillips Reinette ; Wood's Huntingdon ; Weeks' Pippin ; Yellow Pippin]
This variety is said to have originated at Court of Wick, in Somersetshire, and to have been raised from a pip of the Golden Pippin.
Description.—Fruit ; below medium size, roundish ovate, regular and handsome. Skin ; when fully ripe of a fine clear yellow, with bright orange, which sometimes breaks out in a faint red next the sun, and covered all over with russety freckles. Eye ; large and open, with long acuminate and reflexed segments, set in a wide, shallow and even basin. Stalk ; short and slender, inserted in a smooth and even cavity, which is lined with thin russet. Flesh ; yellow, tender, crisp, very juicy, rich and highly flavoured.
It is one of the best and most valuable dessert apples. The rich and delicious flavour of the fruit is not inferior to that of the Golden Pippin. In season from October to March.
The tree attains the middle size, is very healthy and hardy, and bears abundantly. It will succeed on almost every soil, and is not subject to attacks of blight and canker. In some places, as on the Hastings Sand, the colour of the fruit becomes a fine clear orange with a somewhat carmine cheek on the side next the sun ; the same rich tint is observed in some localities in Herefordshire. This richness of colour with its fine flavour, is doubtless the cause of this fruit being attacked with such avidity by birds and insects. On the sunny side of the tree it is often an exception to find a Court of Wick apple untouched by these marauders.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Court of Wick.
Court of Wick Pippin. Golden Drop. Philip's Reinette. Court de Wick. Wood's Huntingdon. Knightwick Pippin. Rival Golden Pippin. Barlow. Week's Pippin. Fry's Pippin. Transparent Pippin. Yellow.
A highly-flavored English dessert Apple of the Golden Pippin class, which does not succeed well with us.
Fruit below the middle size, regularly formed, roundish oblate, somewhat flattened, greenish yellow in the shade, but becoming a warm orange, with a little red in the sun. Flesh yellow, crisp, and juicy, with a high poignant flavor. Very good. October to February.
— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)Court of Wick. Small, roundish ovate, approaching oblate, greenish-yellow and orange; crisp, juicy, rich. Fails here. Autumn. English.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)COURT OF WICK. Ronalds, p. 12. (Fry's Pippin, Golden Drop, Woods Huntingdon.) Dessert, December to March, small, 2¼ by 1¾, rounded, square, regular. Colour, pale yellow, flushed with rich orange. Flesh, crisp, yellow, richly flavoured, slightly acid. Eye, open in a wide basin. Stem, short, in a shallow russet cavity. Growth, medium, spreading; fertility good. Leaf, medium, long oval, sharply serrate. Origin, raised near Yatton, Somerset, and introduced to commence in 1790, by Messrs. Wood, of Huntingdon. A good old sort, now little grown.
— James Veitch & Sons, Veitch's Fruit Trees (1911) (1911)small, of great excellence, on some soils attaining a very high colour, the tree is a vigorous grower and a good bearer, it makes a good medium-sized pyramid and succeeds well as a standard ... Oct. to Mar.