William Sherard facts for kids
William Sherard (born February 27, 1659 – died August 11, 1728) was an important English botanist. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. Many people at the time thought he was one of the best English botanists, right up there with John Ray.
Contents
William Sherard's Life Story
William Sherard came from a humble background, meaning his family was not rich or famous. But he worked very hard. His good education helped him to become successful in society.
Early Life and Education
Sherard was born in a place called Bushby, in Leicestershire, England. He went to St John's College, Oxford, from 1677 to 1683. After that, he continued his studies in botany. From 1686 to 1688, he studied plants in Paris, France, with a famous botanist named Joseph Pitton de Tournefort. Then, from 1688 to 1689, he was friends with and a student of Paul Hermann in Leyden, which is in the Netherlands. Hermann also studied with Tournefort. In 1690, William Sherard went to Ireland. There, he worked as a tutor, teaching the children of Sir Arthur Rawdon.
A Career as a Diplomat and Scientist
From 1703 to 1716, Sherard worked as the British Consul in Smyrna. This was a city in what is now Turkey. A consul is like an official representative for their country in another land. During his time there, he became quite wealthy.
When he returned to England, he used his money to help other naturalists. Naturalists are people who study nature. He supported scientists like Johann Jacob Dillenius, Pietro Antonio Micheli, Paolo Boccone, and Mark Catesby. He also helped publish important books, like Sebastien Vaillant's Botanicon parisiense (1727) and Hermann's Musaeum zeylanica.
Helping Oxford University
William Sherard used his money to create a special teaching position at Oxford University. This position was for a professor who would teach Botany. He made sure that Johann Jacob Dillenius would be the first person to hold this job. This position is now known as the Sherardian Professorship of Botany. Because of his generous gift, Oxford University gave him a special medical degree in 1731.
William Sherard's Contributions to Botany
William Sherard played a big part in shaping how plants are classified today. This system of classifying living things is called taxonomy. At that time, taxonomy was still being developed.
Working with Other Botanists
Sherard worked with many other important botanists. His work with John Ray, Tournefort, Vaillant, Hermann, and Dillenius helped a lot. Their efforts laid the groundwork for Linnaeus, who is often called the "father of modern taxonomy." Linnaeus created the system we still use today to name and classify plants and animals.
Important Books and Projects
Sherard helped with John Ray's book called Stirpium, which was published in 1694. He also helped finish and publish Paul Hermann's book, Paradisus Batavus, in 1698. Hermann had passed away in 1695, so Sherard completed it. Around 1700, Sherard started working on a new version of a book called Pinax by Caspar Bauhin. However, he never finished this project.
William Sherard had a brother named James Sherard. James had a garden in Eltham, England, where he grew many rare plants. Dillenius wrote a famous book called Hortus Elthamensis about these plants. Even though Dillenius wrote the book, William Sherard did a lot of the work to classify and describe the plants in it.
A Plant Named in His Honor
A type of plant called Sherardia was named after William Sherard. This was done by Sébastien Vaillant in 1718 to honor his important work in botany.
