Anning's Compelling Childhood and Education

Childhood Full of Sadness and Miracles 

When Anning was only 15 months, while she was being held by a neighbour, standing with two other women underneath a tree while watching an equestrian show, lightning stoke the tree and killed three women- there was only one survivor- Mary Anning. After this tragic event, it became a local myth and many believed that Mary Anning's survival was a miracle. Before this incident, Mary was an incredibly ill baby but after this tragedy, she became stronger and flourished. When was growing up many members of society believed the child's intelligence and engaging personality to the event.

DiscoveringFossils.com

As her family had a tradition of selling fossils to help with the income inspired by their father Mary Anning and Joseph Anning would go the to the unstable cliffs in Lyme Regis and collect fossils from a young age. However, because the cliffs were known for frequent landslides at the young age of 11 Anning lost her father due to extremely fatal injuries in the collapsing rocks. This pushed Mary Anning to want to provide for her family, after her brother left for university.

BBC Bitesize- Mary Anning Fossil Hunter

Inspired by her father's desire, when Mary was 12 her career began, her brother Joseph, dug up a 4 foot ichthyosaur skull. A few months later Mary Anning found the rest of the skeleton and together they sold it for £23. A well known collector showed it in London which brought a lot of attention as during this time many believed the World was creation in a few thousand years. This finding was extremely compelling to many as it went against the Biblical creation and started new theories emerging.


Anning's Determination to Strive for Success 

Mary Anning's education experience was unfortunately very inadequate and was only able to visit a Congregationalist Sunday School where she learnt how to read and write. Unlike most churches and schools during this time, the Sunday School believed in the significance of education for the poor. However, apart from the depth of her education was restricted as she grew older she read as much of scientific literature and she could get. Most copies were borrowed however her extraordinary passion for knowledge allowed Anning to be able to allocate the bone or fossil she found to the tribe and reptile it was part of. Because of her urge to break boundaries and to continue to educate herself she excelled in her career and was incredibly more competent than any other geologist of the time.

It was incredibly difficult for Anning to fend for herself or her family. It was so unmanageable that her friend Henry De La Beche painted the artwork "Duria Antiquior" in which depicted the range of fossils, that Anning had discovered, in a prehistoric setting. He went on to sell prints of this scene to help provide for Anning and help benefit her career even further.

Mary Anning is celebrated for all of her important finds from the Jurassic period. However, because Anning was never fully credited it was hard for her to see the good in the world and in a letter to her friend she wrote "The world has used me so unkindly, I fear it has made me suspicious of everyone". As it would seem fellow fossil collectors would help her, they would always take the recognition, and the help would inevitably become disingenuous and calculated.

However, after her death, Anning finally got the credit she had been requiring all her life. An unknown writer in "All the Year Round" explained "the carpenters daughter has won a name for herself and deserved to win it". However, it's incredibly tragic that only after her death she was awarded for her life's work and her extensive findings.  In 2010, the Royal Society included Mary Anning in the list of 10 of the most influential women in the history of science. Tracey Crouch the Heritage Minister explains that “The important role women have played in the field of British science is too often forgotten. This excellent project by Historic England and the Royal Society recognises the varied and notable contributions they made and will help raise awareness of these pioneering women scientists." Mary is now known for being one of the greatest fossil hunters to have ever lived.