Papers of Catherine Muriel Rob

The archive comprises Rob's Wildflower Society recording notebooks 1927-1972, letters received by Rob in her role as County Recorder 1938-1961, a small number of letter relating to Rob's role at the Yorkshire Museum, and a file of obituaries and offprints.

Catherine Muriel 'Kit' Rob (1906-1975) was a leading female botanist based in North Yorkshire and an active member of the Wild Flower Society, the Yorkshire Naturalists Union and the Yorkshire Naturalists Trust (now Yorkshire Wildlife Trust). Born at Catton Hall near Thirsk in February 1906, from an early age Kit displayed a keen interest in the flora of her local area. Unlike her two brothers, she did not receive a university education and her botanical knowledge was largely self taught.
Kit joined the Wild Flower Society at the age of 17 and was a branch secretary until 1971. During the Second World War she joined the army and served as a cook at Catterick Garrison. Although she had handed over her formal duties as WFS branch secretary, Corporal Rob continued to contribute field recordings and even to recruit new WFS members from amongst the soldiers stationed at the camp.
In 1934, Kit had also joined the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union and a year later became the County Recorder for the North Riding, collecting and assimilating field recordings from other amateur botanists to form a comprehensive corpus of botanical data. She held this office uninterruptedly for 37 years, and was later to serve the Union as both Chairman and President.
A passionate North Yorkshire botanist, Kit’s general enthusiasm for natural history also saw her contributing on a regional and national scale. She was Secretary of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Trust in the early years of its foundation, and was active in the Trust’s acquisition and stewardship of Ashberry Nature Reserve. She was also a member, and later Vice-President of the Botanical Society of the British Isles, helped to compile the Collins Pocket Guide to British Wildflowers and published a list of standard names of British flora. She became a Fellow of the Linnaean Society.
In her later years, although still undertaking many of her botanical commitments, she became a successful breeder of Cardigan Corgis, winning Best of Breed at Crufts in 1968. She died in February 1975, aged 69.

The archive has been reunited, based on a contemporary list of the records that were divided between Judith Dinwiddie and Beatrix Molesworth following Rob's death in 1975. The appropriate accession number has been linked to each file to preserve provenance.

Records are open to the public, subject to the overriding provisions of relevant legislation, including data protection laws. 24 hours' notice is required to access photographic material.

The papers originally held by Judith Dinwiddie were gifted to the Borthwick Institute by Yorkshire Museums Trust in May 2017. The papers originally held by Beatrice Molesworth were deposited at the Borthwick Institute by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust in 2016.

Catherine Muriel 'Kit' Rob (1906-1975) was a leading female botanist based in North Yorkshire and an active member of the Wild Flower Society, the Yorkshire Naturalists Union and the Yorkshire Naturalists Trust (now Yorkshire Wildlife Trust). Born at Catton Hall near Thirsk in February 1906, from an early age Kit displayed a keen interest in the flora of her local area. Unlike her two brothers, she did not receive a university education and her botanical knowledge was largely self taught.
Kit joined the Wild Flower Society at the age of 17 and was a branch secretary until 1971. During the Second World War she joined the army and served as a cook at Catterick Garrison. Although she had handed over her formal duties as WFS branch secretary, Corporal Rob continued to contribute field recordings and even to recruit new WFS members from amongst the soldiers stationed at the camp.
In 1934, Kit had also joined the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union and a year later became the County Recorder for the North Riding, collecting and assimilating field recordings from other amateur botanists to form a comprehensive corpus of botanical data. She held this office uninterruptedly for 37 years, and was later to serve the Union as both Chairman and President.
A passionate North Yorkshire botanist, Kit’s general enthusiasm for natural history also saw her contributing on a regional and national scale. She was Secretary of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Trust in the early years of its foundation, and was active in the Trust’s acquisition and stewardship of Ashberry Nature Reserve. She was also a member, and later Vice-President of the Botanical Society of the British Isles, helped to compile the Collins Pocket Guide to British Wildflowers and published a list of standard names of British flora. She became a Fellow of the Linnaean Society.
In her later years, although still undertaking many of her botanical commitments, she became a successful breeder of Cardigan Corgis, winning Best of Breed at Crufts in 1968. She died in February 1975, aged 69.

Revised by L. Dean, 19.05.2020

A reprographics service is available to researchers subject to the access restrictions outlined above. Copying will not be undertaken if there is any risk of damage to the document. Copies are supplied in accordance with the Borthwick Institute for Archives' terms and conditions for the supply of copies, and under provisions of any relevant copyright legislation. Permission to reproduce images of documents in the custody of the Borthwick Institute must be sought.

After Rob's death in 1975, her papers were divided between her friends Judith Dinwiddie and Beatrice Molesworth. The papers held by Judith Dinwiddie were deposited with the Yorkshire Museum, for whom Rob had worked and who still hold her herbarium and its associated records. The papers held by Beatrice Molesworth were given to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, of whom Rob was an important early member. Both parts of the archive were gifted to the Borthwick Institute in 2016 and 2017.

No further accruals are expected.

Published

GB 193