Mary AnningPaleontology’s Enigmatic First Lady

Raquel Eriz

Mary Anning

http://www.jurassiccoast.com/media/images/n/7/MaryAnning_large.jpg

Basics

• Born in 1799 in Lyme Regis• Father died in 1810, leaving Mary and her family without

a provider• Mary supposedly sold her first fossil at age twelve by

chance• Difficult for Mary to earn a living as a woman during

Regency and Early Victorian times

Lyme Regis

http://www.swgfl.org.uk/jurassic/lymepics/lym1big.jpg

Favorable Circumstances

• Lyme Regis developed into a summer vacation town for aristocratic society

• The geology of Lyme Regis is very favorable, with exposed Jurassic beds

• Geological crossroads, allowing Mary to come into contact with other successful paleontologists

Three Major Contacts

• William Buckland: eventual first Professor of Geology at Oxford

• Sir Henry De La Beche: eventual first director of British Geological Survey

• William Coneybeare: key figure in development of the Geological Society of London

William Buckland

http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/jpg/buckland.jpg

Challenging the Mainstream

• Her marine reptiles were strong evidence for Cuvier’s theories

• Shocked public accustomed to thinking the world was created in 4004 B.C.

• She did not let her own work sway her from religious beliefs

Mary’s Decline

• Mary’s fame eventually subsided• Little documentation regarding her life and work• She never wrote scientific papers• The Church of England made efforts to stifle work

like Mary’s• Scholarly subscriptions were expensive, so only

aristocratic men had access to new scientific discoveries

• Only now are researchers shedding light on her life and person

Quotations

• “She is a history and a mystery.” –Mary (Molly) Anning, mother

• “She glories in being afraid of no one and saying everything she pleases.” –Anna Maria Piney

• “…a prim, pedantic, vinegar looking, thin female, shrewd and rather satirical in her conversation.” –Gideon Mantell

Five Major Finds

• Ichthyosaurus: first complete skeleton

Plesiosaurus

• Pterodactylus macronyx

• Squaloraja polyspondyla

• Plesiosaurus macrocephalus

http://www.cs.umd.edu/fs/www/users/sen/pics/Kinshuk%20in%20DC/slides/pterodactyl.jpg

Mary’s End

• Survived on financial aid from the government, British Association for the Advancement of Science and the Geological Society of London

• Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1846

• Died Tuesday, March 9, 1847

End