Your fruit has been examined and we believe your samples to be: Wareham Russet

From: Karen George
To: WCO
Sent: Friday, 28 November 2014, 9:35
Subject: Fruit ID – Identified

28 November 2014

Fruit ID Number: 029

Dear Mike,

Your fruit has been examined and we believe your samples to be: Wareham Russet

The samples labelled one and two seem to be the same; there can be some variation on a tree. Both their external and internal features are broadly the same and the taste is identical.

You say that it is believed to be Wareham Russet, which is very interesting. This variety is not in the National Fruit Collection, so I could not check it against any samples. The only description of the variety is in The Fruit Manual of 1884 written by Dr. Robert Hogg. In this, he says that it was much grown in Cheshire and took it’s name from the village of Waverham, pronounced Wareham, which, I imagine, is your village of Weaverham.

I have checked your apples against the description in Hogg and there is a good match in external and internal features. Except that Hogg describes its flavour as ‘sweet with a pleasant sub-acid flavour’ – I found it rather sharp. Although, I tried to ripen up your samples, they were picked rather early for the variety, which could explain this. He has its season from October to December, which would mean picking late September to early Oct.

It seems very possible that your apples are Wareham Russet. Ideally one would like some written or oral evidence to back this, such as any record of its planting, notes in newspapers or local magazine or any local history. There was a collection of Cheshire varieties at the home of Tony Gentil in Nantwich, but very sadly he died a couple of years ago. I imagine that it might be known of locally and you could see if you could check your samples.

As a very valuable source of knowledge and information we recommend “The New Book of Apples” by J. Morgan and A. Richards 2002. It is also the basis for the information above.

Thank you for using our service and supporting our charity. All proceeds go towards keeping the National Fruit Collection open for public access and resources.

Kind regards

Karen George

Marketing Executive

Brogdale Collections, Registered Charity. Charity No. 1135678
Registered Office: Brogdale Farm, Brogdale Road, Faversham, Kent. ME13 8XZ.