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In acknowledgment of Anning’s contributions to geology,
William Buckland persuaded the government to recognize her.
In 1838, the British government and British Association for the
Advancement of Science allocated an annual pension to Mary
Anning of £25. Unfortunately, she did not live a long life to enjoy
the fruits of her labors, dying of breast cancer on 9 March 1847, a
few months before her 48th birthday. Henry De la Beche, then pres-
ident of the Geological Society of London, wrote an obituary for
Anning, the only obituary afforded to a nonmember of the society.
Later, the Geological Society memorialized her with a stained glass
window in St. Michael’s church in Lyme Regis. The stained glass
panels represent the six corporal acts of mercy, recognizing Mary’s
compassion and generosity to those less fortunate.
McCartney (1977) claimed that Mary Anning was the subject of
the common tongue twister, “She sells sea shells by the seashore.”
If this is correct, then many school children have heard of her,
although the vast majority are unaware of her significance.
Anning has been referenced as the greatest fossilist ever and one
of the first women paleontologists. Woodward (1907) called her
“the most notable collector during the early part of the nineteenth
century.” However, Anning’s contemporaries did not consider her
one of their peers. She was a woman, uneducated, and poor.
Some historians argue that as an uneducated woman, Mary
Anning could not possibly have contributed significantly to the
scientific community. However, her correspondence with famous
geologists testifies to her knowledge of the fossils she was collect-
ing as well as to her importance within professional societies of
the time—although she was denied admission to the same societ-
ies that benefited from her fossil finds. Mary’s sketches are
detailed and accurate, supporting the view that she was quite
knowledgeable in paleontology and not merely a fossil finder.
Mary Anning’s 1823 sketch concerning her discovery of the first plesio-
saurus. (Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.) FOR FURTHER READING
Clary, R.M., and Wandersee, J.H., 2006, Mary Anning: She’s more than
Mary Anning also collected spiral-shaped stones and noted “seller of sea shells at the seashore”: The American Biology Teacher,
their placement within ichthyosaur skeletons. While William v. 139, no. 3, p. 153–157.
Buckland is credited with coprolite discovery and research, it Goodhue, T., 2002, Fossil Hunter: The Life and Times of Mary Anning:
Bethesda, Maryland, Academica Press, 202 p.
seems likely that Mary’s keen eye and attention to detail helped Goodhue, T., 2004, Curious Bones: Mary Anning and the Birth of
inform his identification of these spiral stones as ichthyosaur Paleontology: Greensboro, North Carolina, Morgan Reynolds Inc., 112 p.
coprolites. Since women, especially poor ones, could not pub- McCartney, P.J., 1977, Henry De la Beche: Observations on an Observer:
lish, we do not know the amount of data and insight Mary con- Cardiff, Wales, Friends of the National Museum of Wales, 77 p.
tributed to paleontological publications. Roberts, G., 1834, The History and Antiquities of the Borough of Lyme Regis
and Charmouth (2nd ed.): London, Samuel Bagster & William Pickering.
Even with important fossil discoveries, the Annings were still Torrens, H., 1995, Mary Anning (1799–1847) of Lyme; ‘The Greatest
challenged with finances. De la Beche came to their rescue in Fossilist the World Ever Knew’: The British Journal for the History of
1830 when they were in dire straits. He drew a fanciful scene of Science, v. 28, p. 257–285.
Jurassic life, creatively adding flesh to the bones that Mary Wandersee, J.H., and Clary, R.M., 2006, Interactive historical vignette:
Anning collected, as he imagined the paleoecosystem of the The scientific endeavors of Mary Anning, the first woman paleontologist,
Jurassic. De la Beche’s watercolor was turned into a lithograph, in Tobin, K., ed., Teaching and Learning Science: A Handbook:
Westport, Connecticut, Praeger, p. 283–290.
and prints of Duria antiquior were sold to wealthy gentlemen to Woodward, H.B., 1907, The History of the Geological Society of London:
raise money for the Annings. London, Geological Society, Burlington House.

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