Elizabeth Philpot
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Philpot was an early 19th century British fossil
collector, amateur palaeontologist
and artist who collected fossils from the cliffs around Lyme Regis
in Dorset
on the southern coast of England. She is best known today for her collaboration and friendship with the well known fossil hunter Mary Anning
. She was well known in geological circles for her knowledge of fossil fish as well as her extensive collection of specimens and was consulted by leading geologists and palaeontologists of the time including William Buckland
, and Louis Agassiz
. When Mary Anning discovered that belemnite fossils contained ink sacks, it was Philpot who discovered that the fossilized ink could be revivified with water and used for illustrations, which became a common practice for local artists.
when Anning was still a child. Despite the almost 20 year age difference and the fact that the working class Anning was from a much poorer background the two became close and were frequently seen collecting fossils together. Philpot encouraged the young Anning to read about geology and understand the science behind the fossils she collected and sold.
, William Conybeare, and Henry De la Beche
about the collection. The collection was well known for its fossil fish. It also contained the fossil teeth that William Buckland combined with a famous partial skeleton discovered by Mary Anning when he described the pterosaur
Pterodactylus macronyx (later renamed by Richard Owen
to Dimorphodon
macronyx), in 1829. In his famous 1824 paper that described the almost complete plesiosaur
skeleton discovered by Anning in 1823 Conybeare mentioned examining a plesiosaur skull in the possession of "Miss Philpot".
In 1834 Buckland arranged for the Swiss palaeontologist Louis Agassiz
to visit Lyme to work with Elizabeth Philpot and Anning to obtain and study fish fossils found in the region. They were able to show him fossils of 34 different species, and he was so impressed by the knowledge of Philpot and Anning that he wrote in his journal: "Miss Philpot and Mary Anning have been able to show me with utter certainty which are the icthyodorulites dorsal fins of sharks that correspond to different types." He thanked both women for their help in his monumental book, Studies of Fossil Fish, and he named a fossil fish species, Eugnathus Philpotae, after Philpot and another two species after Anning.
. The Philpot Museum (now known as the Lyme Regis Museum
) was built in Lyme Regis in honour of the sisters by their nephew Thomas Philpot. In 2009 Tracy Chevalier
wrote a historical novel entitled Remarkable Creatures about Elizabeth Philpot and Mary Anning, and in March 2010 an Australian production company acquired the rights to produce a feature film from the book.
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
collector, amateur palaeontologist
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
and artist who collected fossils from the cliffs around Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis is a coastal town in West Dorset, England, situated 25 miles west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. The town lies in Lyme Bay, on the English Channel coast at the Dorset-Devon border...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
on the southern coast of England. She is best known today for her collaboration and friendship with the well known fossil hunter Mary Anning
Mary Anning
Mary Anning was a British fossil collector, dealer and palaeontologist who became known around the world for a number of important finds she made in the Jurassic age marine fossil beds at Lyme Regis where she lived...
. She was well known in geological circles for her knowledge of fossil fish as well as her extensive collection of specimens and was consulted by leading geologists and palaeontologists of the time including William Buckland
William Buckland
The Very Rev. Dr William Buckland DD FRS was an English geologist, palaeontologist and Dean of Westminster, who wrote the first full account of a fossil dinosaur, which he named Megalosaurus...
, and Louis Agassiz
Louis Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel...
. When Mary Anning discovered that belemnite fossils contained ink sacks, it was Philpot who discovered that the fossilized ink could be revivified with water and used for illustrations, which became a common practice for local artists.
Life, friendship with Anning
Born in 1780, Elizabeth Philpot and her sisters Mary and Margaret moved to Lyme from London in 1805. They shared a house purchased for them by their brother a London lawyer. They would live in Lyme for the rest of their lives As the Philpot sisters settled in to Lyme they became well known locally for their fossil collecting, as well as for a home made medication, a soothing salve, that they made and distributed. Elizabeth Philpot befriended Mary AnningMary Anning
Mary Anning was a British fossil collector, dealer and palaeontologist who became known around the world for a number of important finds she made in the Jurassic age marine fossil beds at Lyme Regis where she lived...
when Anning was still a child. Despite the almost 20 year age difference and the fact that the working class Anning was from a much poorer background the two became close and were frequently seen collecting fossils together. Philpot encouraged the young Anning to read about geology and understand the science behind the fossils she collected and sold.
Fossils
The Philpot sisters' extensive and meticulously labelled fossil collection was used for research by many geologists. All three sisters contributed to the collection, but it was Elizabeth Philpot who corresponded with leading geologists like William BucklandWilliam Buckland
The Very Rev. Dr William Buckland DD FRS was an English geologist, palaeontologist and Dean of Westminster, who wrote the first full account of a fossil dinosaur, which he named Megalosaurus...
, William Conybeare, and Henry De la Beche
Henry De la Beche
Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche FRS was an English geologist and palaeontologist who helped pioneer early geological survey methods.-Biography:...
about the collection. The collection was well known for its fossil fish. It also contained the fossil teeth that William Buckland combined with a famous partial skeleton discovered by Mary Anning when he described the pterosaur
Pterosaur
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
Pterodactylus macronyx (later renamed by Richard Owen
Richard Owen
Sir Richard Owen, FRS KCB was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist.Owen is probably best remembered today for coining the word Dinosauria and for his outspoken opposition to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
to Dimorphodon
Dimorphodon
Dimorphodon was a genus of medium-sized pterosaur from the early Jurassic Period. It was named by paleontologist Richard Owen in 1859. Dimorphodon means "two-form tooth", derived from Greek δι/di meaning 'two', μορφη/morphe meaning 'shape' and οδων/odon meaning 'tooth', referring to the fact that...
macronyx), in 1829. In his famous 1824 paper that described the almost complete plesiosaur
Plesiosaur
Plesiosauroidea is an extinct clade of carnivorous plesiosaur marine reptiles. Plesiosauroids, are known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods...
skeleton discovered by Anning in 1823 Conybeare mentioned examining a plesiosaur skull in the possession of "Miss Philpot".
In 1834 Buckland arranged for the Swiss palaeontologist Louis Agassiz
Louis Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel...
to visit Lyme to work with Elizabeth Philpot and Anning to obtain and study fish fossils found in the region. They were able to show him fossils of 34 different species, and he was so impressed by the knowledge of Philpot and Anning that he wrote in his journal: "Miss Philpot and Mary Anning have been able to show me with utter certainty which are the icthyodorulites dorsal fins of sharks that correspond to different types." He thanked both women for their help in his monumental book, Studies of Fossil Fish, and he named a fossil fish species, Eugnathus Philpotae, after Philpot and another two species after Anning.
Fossil ink
In 1826 Mary Anning discovered what appeared to be a chamber containing dried ink inside a belemnite fossil. She showed it to her friend Elizabeth Philpot. Philpot was able to revivify the ink by mixing it with water and used it to illustrate some of her own ichthyosaur fossils, and other local artists were soon doing the same as more such fossilized ink chambers were discovered.Legacy
The Philpot sisters' important fossil collection ended up at the Oxford University MuseumOxford University Museum of Natural History
The Oxford University Museum of Natural History, sometimes known simply as the Oxford University Museum, is a museum displaying many of the University of Oxford's natural history specimens, located on Parks Road in Oxford, England. It also contains a lecture theatre which is used by the...
. The Philpot Museum (now known as the Lyme Regis Museum
Lyme Regis Museum
The Lyme Regis Museum is a local museum in the town of Lyme Regis on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, England....
) was built in Lyme Regis in honour of the sisters by their nephew Thomas Philpot. In 2009 Tracy Chevalier
Tracy Chevalier
Tracy Chevalier is a bestselling historical novelist. She lives in London with her husband and son.Chevalier was raised in Washington, D.C and graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda, Maryland. After receiving her B.A...
wrote a historical novel entitled Remarkable Creatures about Elizabeth Philpot and Mary Anning, and in March 2010 an Australian production company acquired the rights to produce a feature film from the book.