Croft Castle

Origin/History

An English variety raised by T. A. Knight, former President of the London Horticultural Society (Hedrick). Downing describes it as "an English variety, peculiar in its shape, and especially so in its flavor." Elliott and Thomas also note its foreign/English origin.

Tree

A variety of dwarfish growth but very productive of fruit (Herefordshire Pomona). Downing also notes it is "very productive."

Fruit

Size: Medium.

Form: Oval (Herefordshire Pomona). Elliott describes it as oval obovate. Thomas describes it as roundish. Hedrick describes it as globular at the stalk end. Downing notes it is "peculiar in its shape."

Stem: About an inch and a half in length, rather slender and somewhat obliquely inserted (Herefordshire Pomona).

Cavity: Not described in source.

Calyx/Eye: Eye open in a shallow depression with the segments of the calyx reclining (Herefordshire Pomona).

Basin: Shallow (Herefordshire Pomona).

Skin: Pale yellow, not glossy but rough with elevated dots and partially russeted (Herefordshire Pomona). Hedrick describes it as greenish-yellow, covered with large, brown dots and russet markings. Downing gives the color as pale greenish yellow. Elliott and Thomas also say greenish yellow.

Flesh/Flavor: Whitish, a little gritty but melting and very juicy, rich and sugary; "an excellent Pear" (Herefordshire Pomona). Hedrick agrees closely: whitish, a little gritty but melting, juicy, rich, sugary, and perfumed; an excellent dessert pear. Downing, however, disagrees markedly, describing the flesh as "juicy, crisp, and sweet" and rating the variety "scarcely good." Thomas similarly describes it as juicy, crisp, and sweet — aligning with Downing rather than the British sources. Elliott gives no flavor detail.

Core/Seeds: Not described in source.

Season

October, uniformly across all five sources.

Uses

An excellent dessert pear (Hedrick, Herefordshire Pomona). Downing rates it "scarcely good," a notable dissent from the British and later American assessments.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Hedrick cites early references: Magazine of Horticulture 8:60 (1842); ibid. 13:154 (1847); Mas, Le Verger 3: Pt. 2, 121, fig. 157 (1866–73).