Mary Anning By Kimberly Cross

Greatest fossilist Mary Anning has been described as the greatest fossilist the world has ever known. She was born in 1799. Her parents were Richard and Mary Anning of Lyme Regis. Lyme Regis is situated on the southern shores of Great Britain, and its cliffs were and still are rich in spectacular fossils from the seas of the Jurassic period.

Richard and Mary had ten children but only two, namely Mary and Joseph, survived. Besides being a cabinetmaker their father was also an occasional fossil collector. Unfortunately Richard died in 1810 leaving his family in debt and without some- one to provide for the family.

He did, however, pass on his fossil hunting skills to his wife and children. The Anning family lived in poverty selling fossils from Lyme Regis until the early 1820s,when a professional collector came to know the family and decided to help them. He auctioned all of his fine fossil collection and donated the proceeds to the Anning family.

By the middle 1820s Mary began taking charge of the family fossil business. Mary’s skill and dedication produced many remarkable finds. She made many great discoveries, many of which ended up in museums and personal collections. Her discoveries were important in reconstructing the world’s past and the history of its life. Mary Anning did not have a long life and she passed away in 1847.

Thank you for watching  !!!! Kim