The indoor banana tree, successfully cultivated in 1736, established the reputation of George Clifford III within the scientific community. As a wealthy Dutch banker and director of the Dutch East India Company, Clifford utilized his vast commercial network and personal wealth to assemble an expansive botanical collection on his summer estate, Hartekamp, located near Bennebroek in the Netherlands.
Banking and Ancestral Influence
Born in Amsterdam in 1685, George Clifford III was the descendant of an Anglo-Dutch trading and banking dynasty established by his grandfather, George Clifford I. After relocating from Stow to Amsterdam around 1640, the family secured a prominent position within the Dutch Republic. Clifford attended Leiden University, where he prepared for a career that combined legal expertise as a jurist with the demands of high-level finance.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Botanical Expansion at Hartekamp
Clifford purchased the Hartekamp estate from Johan Hinlopen in 1709. To accommodate a growing array of tropical flora acquired through his global business connections, he constructed four dedicated hothouses. His efforts made him a vital associate and seed provider for the botanist Herman Boerhaave, who maintained a residence nearby at Oud Poelgeest, accessible via the Leidsevaart canal.
Collaboration with Linnaeus
Clifford engaged Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus to document his collection between 1736 and 1738. The resulting publication, Hortus Cliffortianus, appeared in 1738 and featured illustrations by Georg Dionysius Ehret. Linnaeus also utilized specimens found at Hartekamp to inform the research for his 1753 work, Species Plantarum.
Legacy and Collection Management
Following Clifford's death in 1760, his business interests passed to his sons George IV, Jan, and Henry, while the Hartekamp estate was inherited by Pieter. The banking firm collapsed in 1772, and the estate exited the family in 1788. Clifford's herbarium was eventually acquired by Joseph Banks in 1791 and transferred to the British Museum of Natural History.
Fast facts
- Born: 7 January 1685, Amsterdam
- Died: 10 April 1760, Heemstede
- Education: Leiden University
- Primary Residence: Hartekamp
- Key Publication: Hortus Cliffortianus (1738)
- Botanical Illustrator: Georg Dionysius Ehret
- Notable Associate: Carl Linnaeus
- Citizenship: Dutch Republic
Questions readers ask
What happened to the Hartekamp garden after the Clifford family left?
Following the estate's departure from family ownership in 1788, the garden experienced a decline and is now utilized as a school campus.
How was the Clifford herbarium preserved?
Many specimens were mounted using a distinctive Dutch method featuring labels shaped like urns. The collection was acquired by Joseph Banks in 1791 and currently resides at the British Museum of Natural History.
Achievements
- Holdings: Hartekamp
- Educated at Leiden University
