Waltham Abbey
Apple
Waltham Abbey
Origin / History
Raised about 1810 at Waltham Abbey, Essex, England, by Mr. John Barnard, from seed of the Golden Noble according to the Herefordshire Pomona (1885), which says he introduced it at a meeting of the London Horticultural Society in 1821 and that it "resembles its parent the Golden Noble, but is yet quite distinct from it." Bunyard (1920) alone gives the seed parent as Holland Pippin, with the raiser as Mr. J. Barnard and the date about 1810. Downing (1900), citing Lindley, gives the origin as Essex, England. The Herefordshire Pomona, which heads it "Waltham Abbey Seedling", calls it a culinary apple of "first rate quality" that "has inherited from its parent, the Golden Noble, the great merit of becoming translucent." Bunyard calls it "an excellent cooking fruit."
Tree
Growth moderate; fertility good when old (Bunyard). Foliage remarkable for its very small size, though the fruit is abundant and of a good useful size (Herefordshire Pomona). Leaf small, oval, finely serrate (Bunyard).
Fruit
Size: Large; fairly large, 3½ by 2¾ (Bunyard).
Form: Roundish, inclining to ovate, differing in this from the Golden Noble, which is quite round (Herefordshire Pomona); roundish, slightly conic (Downing); round conical, irregular (Bunyard).
Stem: Short, deeply inserted, and surrounded with rough russet (Herefordshire Pomona); short (Downing). Bunyard alone gives it long and slender.
Cavity: Russeted (Downing); narrow and deep, always rayed with scaly russet (Bunyard).
Calyx: Eye large and open (Herefordshire Pomona; Downing). Bunyard alone gives it closed or nearly so.
Basin: Shallow and even (Herefordshire Pomona); rather deep, irregular, and much ribbed (Bunyard).
Skin: Pale yellow, assuming a deeper tinge as it attains maturity, with a faint blush of red where exposed to the sun (Herefordshire Pomona; Bunyard "faint red flush"); Downing gives yellow with dull red in the sun. Occasionally a few patches of thin russet (Herefordshire Pomona).
Dots: Many, minute, russety, strewed all over the fruit.
Flesh and flavor: Yellowish, tender, juicy, sweet and pleasantly flavored. When cooked it assumes a clear, pale amber color and becomes translucent (Herefordshire Pomona).
Core and seeds: Seeds plump, roundish, very light brown, by which the variety "can always be distinguished" (Bunyard).
Season
September to January. Most give September to Christmas or December; Downing, after Lindley, gives October to January.
Uses
Culinary. Requires but little sugar when cooked (Herefordshire Pomona).
Subtypes / Variants
Not described in source.
Other
Not described in source.
Book Sources
Described in 3 period pomological works
- Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- The Herefordshire Pomona (1876–1885) — listed as Waltham Abbey Seedling
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 6 catalogs (1900–1917) from England, Illinois
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900 — listed as Waltham Abbey Seedling
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911 — listed as Waltham Abbey Seedling
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1914 — listed as Waltham Abbey Seedling
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1917 — listed as Waltham Abbey Seedling
View original book sources (3)
— Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, The Herefordshire Pomona (1885)
- WALTHAM ABBEY SEEDLING.
This apple was raised about the year 1810 from the seed of the Golden Noble, by Mr. John Barnard, of Waltham Abbey in Essex; and was introduced by him at a meeting of the London Horticultural Society in 1821. It resembles its parent the Golden Noble, but is yet quite distinct from it.
Description.—Fruit: large roundish, inclining to ovate, in which respect it differs from the Golden Noble, which is quite round. Skin: pale yellow, assuming a deeper tinge as it attains maturity, with a faint blush of red where exposed to the sun, and strewed all over with minute, russety dots, and occasionally a few patches of thin russet. Eye: large and open, set in a shallow and even basin. Stalk: short, deeply inserted, and surrounded with rough russet. Flesh: yellowish, tender, juicy, sweet and pleasantly flavoured; when cooked it assumes a clear, pale amber colour.
The Waltham Abbey Seedling is a culinary apple of first rate quality; it requires but little sugar when cooked, and has inherited from its parent, the Golden Noble, the great merit of becoming translucent. It is in season from September to Christmas. The tree is remarkable for its very small foliage, though the fruit is abundant and of a good useful size.
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Waltham Abbey. Waltham Abbey Seedling Origin, Essex, England. Fruit large, roundish, slightly conic, yellow, with dull red in the sun, many minute russet dots. Stalk short. Cavity russeted. Calyx large, open. Flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, sweet. October, January. (Lindley.)
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)WALTHAM ABBEY. Her. Pom. 17. F., Semis de l'Abbaye de Waltham; G., Saemling der Abtei Waltham. (Bardfield Defiance, Dr. Harvey, Embersons.) Culinary, September to December, fairly large, 3½ by 2¾, round conical, irregular. Colour, pale yellow, with faint red flush. Flesh, tender, yellow, sweet. Eye, closed or nearly so, in a rather deep, irregular basin, which is much ribbed. Stem, long and slender, in a narrow and deep cavity, always rayed with scaly russet. Growth, moderate; fertility good when old. Leaf, small, oval, finely serrate. Origin, raised at Waltham Abbey, by Mr. J. Barnard, about 1810, from seed of Holland Pippin. This is an excellent cooking fruit and can always be distinguished by its plump, roundish, very light brown seeds.