{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,15]],"date-time":"2026-05-15T13:17:01Z","timestamp":1778851021986,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":57,"publisher":"Geological Society of London","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,11]],"date-time":"2023-01-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1673395200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"none","award":["none"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["none"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.lyellcollection.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["JGS"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n            Despite the modern celebrity of the fossil collector Mary Anning (1799\u20131847) of Lyme Regis and her frequent use as an icon in scientific education and popularization, there are few accounts of her life by her contemporaries. We report here a previously unpublished anonymous manuscript memoir of Anning's life, in the Special Collections of the University of Bristol Library. Evidence from textual analysis and handwriting corroborates its attribution to George Roberts (bap. 1804\u201360) of Lyme Regis, schoolmaster and historian. He wrote it at some time during 1837\u201347, perhaps 1839\u201347, by adapting a passage in his 1834 history of Lyme Regis. It was apparently intended for a new book, but was altered into an obituary after Anning's death. Evidence is presented that Roberts wrote the obituary of Anning in the\n            <jats:italic>Athen\u00e6um<\/jats:italic>\n            , which was widely republished in newspapers. Henry De la Beche (1796\u20131855) published another obituary in the\n            <jats:italic>Proceedings of the Geological Society<\/jats:italic>\n            . Roberts helped him to obtain information from Anning's family, but did not use this new information in his manuscript. Benjamin J.M. Donne (1831\u20131928), a former pupil of Roberts, painted the Society's portrait of Anning. A claim that it was commissioned by a group, mostly Fellows of the Society, remains unconfirmed.\n          <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1144\/jgs2022-053","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,11]],"date-time":"2023-01-11T10:04:37Z","timestamp":1673431477000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1144\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["The Life of Mary Anning, Fossil Collector of Lyme Regis: a Contemporary Biographical Memoir by George Roberts"],"prefix":"10.1144","volume":"180","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1495-8215","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Michael A.","family":"Taylor","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"National Museums Scotland","place":["Edinburgh, UK"]},{"name":"School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester,","place":["Leicester, UK"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4323-1824","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Michael J.","family":"Benton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol","place":["Bristol, UK"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1881","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_5_2_1","unstructured":"Anonymous 1836. 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Midweek Herald 19 March 2009 online edn https:\/\/www.midweekherald.co.uk\/news\/20394814.grant-mary-anning-window\/ [last accessed 4 January 2023]."},{"key":"e_1_3_5_10_1","unstructured":"Bassett D.A. 2001. North Frederick John (1889\u20131968) geologist educator historian of science and museum curator. Y Bywgraffiadur Cymreig. Dictionary of Welsh Biography online edn https:\/\/biography.wales\/article\/s2-NORT-JOH-1889 [last accessed 9 February 2022]."},{"key":"e_1_3_5_11_1","first-page":"210","article-title":"Address to the Geological Society, delivered at the anniversary, on the 21st of February, 1840","volume":"3","author":"Buckland W","year":"1842","unstructured":"Buckland, W. 1842. Address to the Geological Society, delivered at the anniversary, on the 21st of February, 1840. 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Athen\u00e6um, 1464, 1339\u20131340.","journal-title":"Athen\u00e6um"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_40_1","volume-title":"The Social History of the People of the Southern Counties of England in Past Centuries; Illustrated in Regard to their Habits, Municipal Bye-Laws, Civil Progress, etc","author":"Roberts G.","year":"1856","unstructured":"Roberts, G. 1856. The Social History of the People of the Southern Counties of England in Past Centuries; Illustrated in Regard to their Habits, Municipal Bye-Laws, Civil Progress, etc. Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts, London."},{"key":"e_1_3_5_41_1","volume-title":"A Guide, Descriptive of the Beauties of Lyme-Regis, being a Sketch of the Situation, Salubrity, and Picturesque Scenery; with an Account of the Environs, and a Description of the Great Storm, in 1824","author":"Roberts G.","unstructured":"Roberts, G. [undated, c. 1828]. A Guide, Descriptive of the Beauties of Lyme-Regis, being a Sketch of the Situation, Salubrity, and Picturesque Scenery; with an Account of the Environs, and a Description of the Great Storm, in 1824. Printed for the author by Ham, Lyme Regis."},{"key":"e_1_3_5_42_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7208\/chicago\/9780226731001.001.0001"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_43_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7208\/chicago\/9780226731148.001.0001"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_44_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7208\/chicago\/9780226731308.001.0001"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_45_1","first-page":"5","volume-title":"A Journal of Sir Henry De la Beche Pioneer Geologist (1796\u20131855) Written in His Own Hand","author":"Sharpe T.","year":"2013","unstructured":"Sharpe, T. 2013. New insights into the early life of Henry Thomas De la Beche (1796\u20131855). In: Morris, R. (ed.) A Journal of Sir Henry De la Beche Pioneer Geologist (1796\u20131855) Written in His Own Hand. 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A token found at Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, apparently associated with Mary Anning (1799\u20131847), fossil collector. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 136, 63\u201367.","journal-title":"Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_51_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3366\/anh.2014.0250"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_52_1","first-page":"71","article-title":"An anonymous account of Mary Anning (1799\u20131847), fossil collector of Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, published in All the year round in 1865, and its attribution to Henry Stuart Fagan (1827\u20131890), schoolmaster, parson and author","volume":"135","author":"Taylor M.A.","year":"2014","unstructured":"Taylor, M.A. and Torrens, H.S. 2014b. An anonymous account of Mary Anning (1799\u20131847), fossil collector of Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, published in All the year round in 1865, and its attribution to Henry Stuart Fagan (1827\u20131890), schoolmaster, parson and author. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 135, 71\u201385.","journal-title":"Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_53_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0007087400033161"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_54_1","volume-title":"Lyme Regis. A Retrospect","author":"Wanklyn C.","year":"1927","unstructured":"Wanklyn, C. 1927. Lyme Regis. A Retrospect. Hatchards, London."},{"key":"e_1_3_5_55_1","unstructured":"Wanklyn C. 1928. The late B.J.M. Donne. Dorset County Chronicle and Somersetshire Gazette 26 April 1928 7."},{"key":"e_1_3_5_56_1","first-page":"61","article-title":"Address to the Geological Society","volume":"3","author":"Whewell W","year":"1839","unstructured":"Whewell, W. 1839a. Address to the Geological Society. Proceedings of the Geological Society, London, 3, 61\u201398.","journal-title":"Proceedings of the Geological Society, London"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_57_1","first-page":"376","article-title":"Address delivered by the Rev. William Whewell, B.D. F.R.S. President","volume":"14","author":"Whewell W","year":"1839","unstructured":"Whewell, W. 1839b. Address delivered by the Rev. William Whewell, B.D. F.R.S. President. 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