THE MYSTERY OF I ZINGARI
In recent years there has been confused over this Pemberton rose as there appears to two claiming to be his, so lets try to solve this mystery. There is the one found in the U.S.A, and is believed to be extinct in Europe. This one being the one illustration at the time of it being introduced by Pemberton in the 1920s. The second is the one that is founded in the Pemberton Rose Collection of the St Francis Hospice near Romford. They are both hybrid tea/hybrid foetida roses, which doesn't help.


The Pemberton I Zingari rose was introduced in the UK in 1925 and in Australia by the Hazelwood Brothers in 1926. The petals, which are a very unusual shape, are orange scarlet in colour and form semi-double and become looser as the age. Pemberton often said that reminded him of the colours of the famous cricket club, that it is named after. Today the rose is not known in the UK or Europe.



The second of the roses, which can be found in a number of places in the UK and Europe, including the collection of the roses bred by the Rev. J.H. Pemberton and/or his gardeners, the Bentalls, and has much fuller flowers than the one illustrated in Pemberton's days. So my conclusion this not the Pemberton one. So I am going to give it the name of the 'I Zingairi Nomadic Rose', so save any confusion.

The I Zingari Cricket Club, who's colours are black, red and gold, was founded by a group of Old Harrovian on July 4th, 1845. The oldest and most famous of the 'wandering' cricket clubs, that don't have their own ground, is still going today and the name is Italian for 'The Gypsies'. During their history they played a number of first-class cricket matches including in Australia, the last of which was in 1904.
Amongst the players to play first class cricket for them were:
Lovick Friend - who was a British Army Major General and was the Commander of Chief of Ireland at the time of the 1916 Easter Rising. He was also a good footballer and played in goal in the 1878 F.A. Cup Final.
Arthur Lytlleton - was a British Politician.
Ivo Bligh - captained England in the first Ashes series (1882/83) and was a British Nobleman.
Andrew Stoddard - was a England Cricketer, who was the 1893 Wisden Cricketer of the Year. He also played rugby for England.

Sources of information include the National Rose Society Annuals and HelpMeFind Roses.
I must also acknowledge Kim Rupert and Andy Bentall Snr for their help.