Catalogue description British Museum (Natural History): Department of Botany: European Herbarium Correspondence and Papers

This record is held by Natural History Museum Library and Archives

Search within or browse this series to find specific records of interest.

Date range

Details of DF 442
Reference: DF 442
Title: British Museum (Natural History): Department of Botany: European Herbarium Correspondence and Papers
Description:

The series consists principally of the papers of Alfred James Wilmott and Aleksandrs Melderis. The Wilmott collection includes correspondence, field notebooks, photographs, annotated maps, papers on Wilmott's edition of Babington's Manual, papers on the genus Salicornia, and papers relating to postcards produced by the Museum. The Melderis papers include notebooks, notes on the Graminae, regional and miscellaneous files.

Series held at The Natural History Museum are catalogued more fully in its online catalogue (reference DF BOT/442). Online descriptions of some individual records can also be viewed on Discovery, see DF 442.

Date: 1915-1965
Arrangement:

The series has not been arranged or listed in detail.

Held by: Natural History Museum Library and Archives, not available at The National Archives
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Physical description: 42 box(es)
Access conditions: Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated
Immediate source of acquisition:

The series was transferred to the archives from the Botany Library in 1989 and from the British Herbarium in 1990.

Accruals: This series is accruing through the Modern Record Store.
Administrative / biographical background:

The first Head of the European Herbarium was Alfred James Wilmott (1888-1950), who entered the Museum from Cambridge in 1911, soon after Rendle had decided to separate this material from the General Herbarium. He was Deputy Keeper from 1931 and served until his sudden death in 1950. Wilmott was assisted by Arthur W F Hales and later by Edward B Bangerter (born c.1907). He was succeeded by Aleksandrs Melderis (1909-1986), a Latvian botanist who at that time was working in Sweden. Melderis was assisted by Margaret Gerrans and George A Matthews.

A pastel portrait of Wilmott hangs in the British Herbarium.

Have you found an error with this catalogue description?

Help with your research