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

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.

The series has not been arranged or listed in detail.

Access conditions: Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated

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

This series is accruing through the Modern Record Store.

• People: Edward Benedict Bangerter (1907-)
• Arthur William Frederick Hales (1893-)
• Aleksandrs Melderis (1909-1986)
• Alfred James Wilmott (1888-1950)

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.