Arthur Boscawen

Reverend Canon Arthur Townshend Boscawen (9 July 1862 – 17 July 1939) was a British Rector of Ludgvan in Cornwall, England, and a recreational and commercial horticulturalist who introduced the anemone as a commercial crop to Cornwall.

Family Arthur Townshend Boscawen was born in Hanover Square, London, the ninth of twelve children of the Rev Hon John Townshend Boscawen (1820–1889) and Mary Tremayne (died 25 November 1895), the daughter of John Hearle Tremayne MP for Cornwall and owner of the Heligan estate, near Mevagissey. His father was the Rector of Lamorran, a keen gardener of (it was said) one of the finest gardens in Cornwall. His uncle was Evelyn Boscawen, 6th Viscount Falmouth who was developing the garden on his estate at Tregothnan.

Boscawen married at St Andrew's Church, Plymouth, on 2 September 1902, Christian Anna E Chapell-Hodge (1866– 13 November 1940), eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs Chapell-Hodge of Plymouth. They had two daughters: Violet Mary Boscawen (12 June 1903 – 7 January 1998) Karenza Margaret Boscawen (11 November 1904 – 22 April 1977) – a cultivar of the daffodil, 'Karenza' was named for her. Boscawen also introduced many new plants to the botanical garden at Tregothnan.

Horticulture Boscawen spent much of his time on the propagation of shrubs from cuttings and seeds. In 1912 he was awarded a Gold Medal and The Gardeners' Chronicle Cup for New Plants for varieties of New Zealand manukas' (Leptospermum scoparium var Nichollsii). A variety of daffodil was named, ″Karenza (Cornish for love) was named after his second daughter and a second variety was named ″Ludgvan″. Both varieties appear to be no longer available. It is thought that Boscawen collected seeds of Anemome while on holiday in the Mediterranean and in 1925 gave of white, woolly seeds to the nearby Gulval Experimental Station. The first commercial crop was despatched to Covent Garden which filled a gap in the farming year between cauliflower and narcissi. Cauliflower is known as broccoli in Cornwall and he helped local production by introducing seed from Bavaria, to improve the local varieties.

Death Boscawen died 17 July 1939 at the Rectory and is buried at the Church of St Paul, Ludgvan. There is a monument to him inside the church.