The natural historian and physician William Turner (c. 1508 -1568) was born in Morpeth. His life’s work became the cornerstone for British botany as he provided over 300 first identifications of English native plants. He also wrote extensively on fish, birds, wine and medical baths. His travels in Europe, occasioned by the religious and political pressures of the Reformation, were the source of many of his insights and observations. In 2008 Morpeth celebrated the 500th anniversary of Turner’s birth with a series of events and lectures, leading to a great deal of new research which so far has not been available in the public domain. For this reason, The Friends of Carlisle Park, supported by Northumberland County Council and Greater Morpeth Development Trust, are hosting a one-day conference of walks and talks to explore and contextualise Turner’s seminal work in natural history during the 1540s. Different sessions will consider: Turner’s work on the natural history of birds and fishes; the Morpeth that he left behind, including some of the sites that would be recorded in his major work on plants 'A New Herball' (1551); and his experience of the religious and political conditions of the time during his travels in Northern Europe, and how they enmeshed with 16th century conditions for studying natural history. <br>
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William Turner in the 1540s