William Robert Sherrin

William Robert Sherrin (20 May 1871 – 22 March 1955) was a British scientific collector, taxidermist, and amateur botanist. He was employed at the British Museum of Natural History from 1895 to 1947.

Early life Sherrin was born on 20 May 1871 in Twickenham as the son of John Sherrin He was one of seven children: five sons and two daughters. He was described as "weakly"

Career British Museum of Natural History Sherrin's skill at taxidermy led to his appointment as an "articulator" (one who reassembles animal skeletons) at the British Museum of Natural History's Zoological Department in 1895. Robert Charles Wroughton named a species of gerbil after him, Tatera sherrini, in 1917, saying that Sherrin "has given such invaluable assistance in organising the storage of the Survey material." However, T. sherrini has since been recognized as a synonym of Tatera indica. He was considered an authority on Sphagnum species. He illustrated moss specimens for his booklet Study of Mosses in the London District, which was published in 1916 by the School Nature Study Union. He also published An Illustrated Handbook of the British Sphagna. He was the author of several research publications on mosses, including "Revision of the genus Spiridens." He was also an honorary member of the Botanical Society of the British Isles and the Zoological Society of London.

Sherrin was remembered by his colleagues as highly successful, a "born teacher", and an "admirable" general naturalist and field botanist. Job Edward Lousley stated that "Sherrin transformed the collections of the South London Botanical Institute to such an extent that few people using them today can realise how much they owe to his efforts."

Personal life and death Sherrin was twice married; his first wife died in 1938. He had at least two children, as he was survived by a son and a daughter. Sherrin died on 22 March 1955 in London after a long illness.