Mary Anning, the Fossil Woman (Geology Section)

To be held by Zoom video conferencing

Mary Anning, the Fossil Woman by Tom Sharpe (author and formerly Curator of Palaeontology and Archives at the National Museum of Wales).

It has been said that more has been written about Mary Anning, the fossil dealer of Lyme Regis, than about any other geologist, apart from Charles Darwin. But how much do we really know? How much is speculation? And how much is myth that has developed through the uncritical telling and retelling of her tale over the course of two centuries? Are we seeing a new Anning myth in the making, thanks to a recent film? Separating the facts from the fictions about Mary Anning can be challenging, but her story is a remarkable tale in its own right. This talk will examine what we know of the life of this extraordinary woman, her famous – and less well-known – discoveries, and her part within the wider network of the developing science of palaeontology in the early nineteenth century and will seek to dispel at least a few of the Mary myths. 

Important notes

If you would like to join this meeting, please contact the Organiser (details below). Please don’t worry if you are not familiar with the Zoom software. It is quite straightforward to use and does not involve any expense. You will be able to log in a few minutes before the start of the lecture.

If you would like to make a donation to the work of the DA please click the yellow button below. All donations are handled via PayPal. Credit cards and debit cards are accepted even if you don’t have a PayPal account.