| AdminHistory | William Carruthers (1830-1922) grew up and studied in Scotland before starting at the British Museum in 1859. He specialised in cryptogamic and palaeobotany, and in the application of botany to agriculture. He was Keeper from 1871 to 1895, and served as President of the Linnean Society from 1886 to 1890 (DF404/19). In 1875 he, as an executor of the will of Frederick Welwitsch, defended a lawsuit brought by the King of Portugal for the return of Welwitsch' collection (DF404/26-50). Carruthers was responsible for the Museum's General Library from 1880 until 1883 (DF404/81).
George Robert Milne Murray (1858-1911) was Keeper from 1895 to 1905. He came to the Museum in 1876 and worked in marine plankton (DF404/52-57). He took part in a solar eclipse expedition to the West Indies in 1886, and was involved in planning the National Antarctic Expedition of 1901-1904 (DF404/58-64). Murray suffered from mental problems and retired early in 1905. Further Murray papers are held in the Marine Alga Section of the department, as well as in DF400.
Alfred Barton Rendle (1865-1938) came to the Museum from Cambridge in 1888 and worked on flowering plants. He was Keeper from 1906 to 1930, and served as President of the Linnean Society from 1923 to 1927.
References:
Britten, J, 1912. George R M Murray (1858-1911) Journal of Botany, 50: 73-75.
Britten, J, 1922. William Carruthers (1830-1922) Journal of Botany, 60: 249-256.
Prain, D, 1939. Alfred Barton Rendle, 1865-1938 Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society, 7: 511-517
Swinicow, T D V, 1972. Friedrich Welwitsch (1806-1872), a centennial memoir. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 4 : 269-289. |