Lyme Regis band rings a quarter peal for paleontologist Mary Anning, (1799-1847)
The first complete Plesiosaur known to science was discovered two hunderd years ago by Lyme fossil hunter, Mary Anning, on 10th December 1823, and is now on display in the Natural History Museum, London.
To commemorate the bicentenary of this discovery the Lyme Regis ringers rang a quarter peal of Lyme Surprise Major.
Mary was born to a poor family in Lyme Regis and had little formal education. She helped her father collect fossils from the local cliffs to augment their income and developed an in-depth knowledge about the marine fossils found there.
Her knowledge and skill helped the paleontologists of the day develop their understanding of fossils but her contribution was not recognised during her lifetime due largely to her social status and her gender.
Notably, this quarter peal was first in method for the whole band.
