Laxton Brothers

[5][6][7] Edward, educated at Bedford Modern School,[8] and William were the sons of Thomas Laxton, a notable horticulturist and correspondent of Charles Darwin.

[5] They went into partnership in Bedfordshire in 1888 as ‘Laxton Brothers’, concentrating their attention on crossing the best varieties of apples, pears, plums and small fruits.

[10][6][11][12] In 1937, Winston Churchill ordered raspberry plants from the Laxton Brothers to cultivate on his Chartwell estate in Kent.

[6] Edward Laxton was made MBE in the 1951 New Year Honours but died shortly thereafter on 22 February 1951 and the business was discontinued in 1957.

[6] In honour of the brothers, an orchard consisting exclusively of their fruit trees was planted in Bedford in 1999.