LORD DERBY
AppleLORD DERBY
Origin/History
LORD DERBY was raised by Mr. Witham, a nurseryman in Stockport, about the middle of the last century (mid-1800s). It is recorded in the Herefordshire Pomona at page 73, where it also appears under the name London Major. LORD DERBY has become one of the most appreciated sorts for market purposes, being an almost certain annual cropper.
Tree
Growth is sturdy and upright. The tree is extremely fertile.
Leaf: Long, rather dark, little upfolded, undulating, oval, serrate.
Fruit
Size and Form: Large — 3½ inches by 3½ inches — oblong-conical, irregular. Veitch describes it as very large and handsome.
Stem: Short, set in a very wide and shallow cavity entirely without russet.
Cavity: Very wide and shallow, quite free of russet.
Calyx/Eye: Closed, situated in a very deep, wide, and irregular basin.
Basin: Very deep, wide, and irregular.
Skin: Pea green, changing to lemon-yellow.
Flesh/Flavor: Firm, pale yellow, sub-acid. When cooked, the flesh turns a deep golden red. Veitch describes the flavor as crisp, juicy, and of good flavour, with an excellent apple-tart character.
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
Bunyard gives the season as November to December. Veitch gives December to February, and notes LORD DERBY as a good keeper. The two accounts together suggest the fruit is available from November through February.
Uses
Culinary. Particularly valued for apple tarts. Highly regarded for market purposes on account of its reliable annual bearing. LORD DERBY cooks to a deep golden red.
Subtypes/Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 8 catalogs (1897–1917) from England, Illinois
- Kelway & Son , Langport, Somerset , England — 1897
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911
- Thomas Rivers & Son , Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire , England — 1913
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1914
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1917
View original book sources (2)
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)LORD DERBY. Her. Pom., 73. (London Major.) Culinary, November to December, large, 3½ by 3½, oblong-conical, irregular. Colour, pea green, changing to lemon-yellow. Flesh, firm, pale yellow, sub-acid. Cooks a deep golden red. Eye, closed, in a very deep, wide and irregular basin. Stem, short, in a very wide and shallow cavity quite without russet. Growth, sturdy, upright ; extremely fertile. Leaf, long, rather dark, little upfolded, undulating, oval, serrate. Origin, raised by Mr. Witham, a nurseryman in Stockport, about the middle of last century. One of the most appreciated sorts for market purposes, as it is an almost certain annual cropper.
— James Veitch & Sons, Veitch's Fruit Trees (1911) (1911)(Very large and handsome, excellent with apple tart flavour, crisp, juicy, good flavour, good keeper). Dec. to Feb.