MARTIN, WILLIAM (1823-1905) was born at Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, and served his time as a gardener. While attached to the botanic gardens in Edinburgh, he attended night classes and the School of Art. He was foreman at Chilwell Hall, in England, before emigrating to New Zealand in the Philip Laing (1848). He was for a short time at Anderson's Bay and Green Island and then took up land at Fairfield, where he carried on an extensive gardening establishment with considerable success. Dr Lauder Lindsay was his guest while on a botanical and geological visit to Otago in 1861.

In 1855 Martin was elected to represent Eastern district in the Otago Provincial Council, of which he was a member till 1863. He was keenly interested in education (being chairman of the district schools committee), and was a deacon and elder of the East Taieri and Green Island churches. By crossing the veronica lavaudiana with the hulkeana Martin produced a profusely-leaved and flowering variety which he called veronica fairfield. He died on 25 Nov 1905.

Otago P.C. Proc., 1855-63; Otago Daily Times, 4 Dec 1905; Lauder Lindsay, Contributions to New Zealand Botany, 1868.

Reference: Volume 2, page 34

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