Richard St. Barbe Baker, the Man of the Trees

Richard St. Barbe Baker was bom in a house called The Firs in West End, now in the Borough of Eastleigh. He grew up to become an authority on arboriculture and was renowned throughout the world for his lifelong interest in the preservation and management of forests. His family had roots in Hampshire over a long period and to quote from one of his many books, My Life, My Trees,
“The Bakers, who came from Normandy, frequently inter-married with the St. Barbes, who came from Brittany. Generations of St. Barbes lived at Broadlands, Romsey, until it was sold to Lord Palmerston. Richard St. Barbe Baker's great grandfather was rector of Botley and there is a family tomb outside the west end of Botley church. His parents were buried in the cemetery at West End.