The following list represents my interpretation of Hamon’s list of 1697 and is based, in part, on comments in Emery (1965) and Wade et al. (1994) and knowledge of the current Gower flora. Culpeper’s Complete Herbal (1653) has also been used for guidance, as the famous ‘astrologer-physician’ was almost a contemporary of Hamon and often uses the same common names. For obvious reasons the list can never be a definitive analysis. The majority of the current names are from Stace (1995).
Only one of Hamon’s plants, ‘botchwort’, remains a complete mystery, although doubts remain about certain other species, and these are indicated by a question mark against the current common name in the table. In particular ‘larks bill’ may be either larkspur or monk’s-hood and ‘burnet’ is likely to be either salad burnet or burnet rose.
| HAMON’S NAME |
PROBABLE SCIENTIFIC NAME |
CURRENT COMMON NAME |
| ‘Sea hearbes’ |
|
|
| Scurvie grasse |
Cochlearia officinalis |
Scurvygrass |
| Sampir |
Crithmum maritimum |
Rock samphire |
| Lavar |
Porphyra umbilicalis |
Laver |
| ‘Rock herbs’ |
|
|
| Cetrack |
Asplenium ceterach |
Rustyback fern |
| Maiden hair |
Asplenium trichomanes |
Maidenhair spleenwort |
| Walrue |
Asplenium ruta-muraria |
Wall-rue |
| ‘Shrubs’ |
|
|
| Juniper |
Juniperus communis |
Common juniper |
| Buckthorn |
Rhamnus catharticus |
Buckthorn |
| ‘Field herbs’ |
|
|
| Agrimony |
Agrimonia eupatoria |
Agrimony |
| Wild carret |
Daucus carota |
Wild carrot |
| Mullein |
Verbascum thapsus |
Great mullein |
| Dandelyon |
Taraxacum officinale |
Dandelion |
| Pelamountain |
Thymus polytrichus |
Wild thyme |
| Mallows |
Malva spp. |
Mallow |
| Burdock |
Arctium minus |
Lesser burdock |
| Tutsan |
Hypericum androsaemum |
Tutsan |
| Eybright |
Euphrasia officinalis |
Eyebright |
| Bettony |
Stachys officinalis |
Betony |
| Elecampane |
Inula helenium |
Elecampane |
| Foxfingers |
Digitalis purpurea |
Foxglove |
| Yellow kay-roses |
Primula veris |
Cowslip? |
| Blue kay-roses |
Polyanthus spp. |
Polyanthus? |
| Rames or ramsey |
Allium ursinum |
Ramsons |
| Centry |
Centaurium erythraea |
Common centaury? |
| Yarrow |
Achillea millefolium |
Yarrow |
| Adders tongue |
Ophioglossum vulgatum |
Adder’s tongue |
| Vervain |
Verbena officinalis |
Vervain |
| St John’s wort |
Hypericum spp. |
St John’s-wort |
| Cancker wort |
Papaver rhoeas |
Common poppy? |
| Devilles bit |
Succisa pratensis |
Devil’s-bit scabious |
| Ragwort |
Senecio jacobaea |
Common ragwort |
| Mugwort |
Artemesia vulgaris |
Mugwort |
| Preakestone-psley |
Aphanes arvensis |
Parsley-piert |
| Larks bill |
Consolida ajacis |
Larkspur? |
| Plantane |
Plantago spp. |
Plantain |
| Pimpnell |
Anagallis arvensis |
Scarlet pimpernel? |
| Fumitory |
Fumaria spp. |
Fumitory |
| Burnet |
Sanguisorba minor |
Salad burnet? |
| Botchwort |
? |
? |
| ‘Hearbs in some waterie places’ |
|
|
| Water cresses |
Rorippa spp. |
Water-cress |
| Rosa solis |
Drosera rotundifolia |
Round-leaved sundew |
| Lungwort |
Pulmonaria officinalis |
Lungwort |
| Liver wort |
Various |
Liverwort |