William Henry Pearson

William Henry Pearson (1849–1923) was an English bryologist, known as an outstanding expert on British liverworts (hepatics).

After secondary education, William Henry Pearson was employed by a Manchester company of yarn agents. After some years, he went into business for himself in the yarn trade. When he was in his late thirties and early forties, he lived in Eccles, Greater Manchester. There he became a friend of Benjamin Carrington and studied botany in some of the classes taught by Carrington. Richard Spruce encouraged Pearson to specialise in bryology. With Benjamin Carrington he issued an exsiccata series under the title Hepaticae Britannicae exsiccatae (1878–1890).

Pearson studied not only the British hepatics, but also those of Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. He published articles in the Journal of Botany, The Naturalist, and The Rucksack Club Journal. He was a member of several natural history societies (including the Rucksack Club) and the Manchester Museum Committee.

"He joined the Moss Exchange Club in 1908, and was elected an honorary member in the same year. He was elected vice-President of the newly formed British Bryological Society in 1923. His herbarium is at the Natural History Museum in London, with additional plants at Bolton Museum. 100 of his Welsh liverworts were sold to the National Museum of Wales at Cardiff in 1913. Manchester Museum has bryophytes that he collected from 1878 onwards."

Pearson married Annie Dearden in 1882. They had four daughters, Lucy Carrington (1883–1971), Phyllis Marion (1885–1972), Hilda Hewitson (1887–1918), and Annie Theodora (1892–1971). Lucy Carrington Pearson married Paul Wertheim and became famous as Lucy Wertheim, an art gallery owner, art patron, and author.