From the Living Museum
Pitmaston Pineapple
- Origin
- Worcestershire, England: raised about 1785 by Mr White, steward at Witley (National Fruit Collection), or by Mr Williams of Pitmaston (Hogg), who in any case introduced it
- Era
- c. 1785–1830
- Type / use
- Dessert
History & Stories
Small, golden, often pineapple-shaped fruit with heavy russet. Intensely aromatic flesh with a distinctive sweet, tropical, pineapple-like flavor and low acid. Unique for one of the most singular and memorable flavor profiles of any English dessert apple — a true connoisseur’s variety.
Folklore & Name
Introduced by Mr Williams of Pitmaston, Worcestershire; the National Fruit Collection credits its raising to Mr White at nearby Witley, about 1785 1,2. Named for the place and the distinctive pineapple-like aromatic flavor. One of the most uniquely flavored of all English dessert apples.
Digging into the History
Below my own notes, here is what the old fruit books and today’s collections record about this apple, kept apart from the stories people tell.
What we know
Pitmaston Pineapple comes from Worcestershire, but its sources disagree about who raised it. The UK National Fruit Collection says it was "raised by Mr White, steward to Lord Foley at Witley, England in about 1785," and that the Pitmaston grower Williams, near Worcester, put it into circulation. It lists Golden Pippin as a parent 1. Robert Hogg's Fruit Manual (1884) says simply that it "was raised by Mr. Williams, of Pitmaston, near Worcester," and calls it "a dessert apple of the greatest excellence" 2.
The competing accounts
- UK National Fruit Collection 1: grown from seed around 1785 by Lord Foley's steward at Witley, a Mr White; introduced by Williams of Pitmaston; Golden Pippin a parent.
- Robert Hogg, 1884 2: the raiser was Williams himself, at Pitmaston on the edge of Worcester.
Most likely (our judgment, not a certainty): raised by White at Witley about 1785 and brought out by Williams. Hogg credits the introducer, a common habit of his era, and the national collection gives the more specific story.
What we think: stories & traditions
Two men, one apple. The likeliest way to fit the sources together is that White raised the seedling and Williams, a well-known fruit grower, introduced it and gave it his place name 1,2. Introducers often got the credit in the 19th century, which may explain Hogg's version. We can't settle it from the records we found.
Pineapple? The name refers to the flavour and the small, tapering shape. In the 18th and 19th centuries pineapples were an expensive luxury grown in heated glasshouses, so calling an apple "pineapple" was high praise.
Sources
- UK National Fruit Collection, "Pitmaston Pine Apple." www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/full2.php?id=4683&fruit=apple
- Robert Hogg, The Fruit Manual, 5th ed. (London, 1884), "Pitmaston Pine Apple." archive.org/details/fruitmanualguide00hoggrich/mode/2up?q=Pitmaston+Pine
Curious about Pitmaston Pineapple?
Email us at drgoss@honeytreeorchard.com.