Special Collections - Abbotsford

Sylva Abbotsfordiensis: Memoranda concerning the woods and plantations at Abbot's Ford.

Scott began to keep a planting diary for his estate at Abbotsford on 1 January 1819, and he continued to make entries in it until 5 July 1825, three months before he began to compile his journal. He intended it to be a public document, and even began with a formal preface suggesting that a practical account of the day to day management of an estate might prove more useful than the conflicting opinions of professional writers.

The entries illustrate the extent to which Scott was personally involved in the creation of his Abbotsford estate, not just in the decision making, but in the physical acts of planting and pruning.

The manuscript was never published, but in 2003 it was transcribed by Professors Alison Lumsden and Gerard Carruthers, and is now available as an electronic resource here