In a new series of blogs, NHSN Archive and Library volunteer Maureen Flisher explores the lives and work of some unsung pioneers of natural history in the North East
When I became an NHSN Archive Volunteer in 2019, I had no idea what treasures the archive held or how some of the individuals mentioned in the Curators’ diaries from the early twentieth century would inspire me to research their lives in more depth.
Fast forward a number of years and my fascination and admiration for one particular group of men just continues to grow. The then curator, Mr. Edwin Leonard Gill, named them ‘The Pitmen Naturalists’: a group of miners who, although not members of the Society, were extremely knowledgeable about the natural world they encountered every day as they worked the coal seams.
Some of them donated extraordinary examples of coal measure fossils to the Hancock Museum, including previously unknown specimens that would go on to be named after them. A few wrote articles about the seams they worked and the finds they made there, and had them published in leading scientific journals of the day. Others were taught how to make microscopic slides using their specimens, which they then offered to sell or swap, or entered into local Mechanical Institute competitions where monetary prizes were on offer for the top exhibits.
Courtesy of Joanna Lawson.
Over the coming weeks I will be exploring the lives of these little-known individuals, drawing on the records – letters, society proceedings and rare publications – housed in the North East Nature Archive, online and in other Museums. I hope to tell the story of these local miners involved in fossil collection, who had a curiosity and intelligence that I can only admire given the harsh working conditions they must have faced from a very young age.
You can now read the first instalment of The Pitmen Naturalists here https://www.nhsn.org.uk/the-pitmen-naturalists-1-john-simm-1829-1904/
