Isaac Bunting

The business of Bunting & Sons, "nurserymen", was established at 28 Lexden Road, Colchester in 1820 by Isaac Bunting (b 1783 at West Bergholt). Isaac married a Colchester girl, Elizabeth Franklin in 1807 in St Martin's Church. Their first child died in infancy and their second, Elizabeth was born in 1809. Four more sons and another daughter completed the family.

By 1835 "florist" had been added to the business description. Isaac was an educated man and in 1828 published a booklet "An Essay on the Character of Plants". He also used to visit people's homes to instruct them in botany.

As the business prospered he purchased a large area of land off North Street (now North Station Road) in Colchester. He set up his eldest son, William (b 1812) and family in a house on the land which became known as "The North Nursery". All of this land remained in the ownership of the Bunting family until some of it was given up in the mid 1930's to enable the Colchester by-pass to go through and the rest was sold in 1969 for redevelopment.

Two of Isaac's other sons,  Isaac (b1814) and Horatio (b1822) also came into the business at Lexden Road. The 1847 Post Office Directory showed William in business as a "gardener and seedsman" at North Street and the same directory listed his father Isaac as a "Nurseryman and florist" at Lexden Road which became known as Isaac Bunting & Sons.

Isaac Bunting, the elder, died in 1850 and after making provision for his widow and married daughters, left the North Street land and property to William and the Lexden Road business jointly to William and Horatio, his son Isaac having died in 1846. Horatio seems to have married and retired from the business soon after 1855.