Lyme's most famous figure, Mary Anning was born in Lyme Regis on 21st May 1799.
In 1811 following a storm which scoured away a portion of cliff face to the east of Lyme Regis, twelve-year-old Mary and her brother Joseph discovered the skull of a mysterious creature poking out from a cliff and thought it might be a crocodile.
The strange specimen was studied and debated for years and was eventually named Ichthyosaurus, or 'fish lizard', an ancient reptile which lived 201-194 million years ago. The specimen was acquired by the British Museum and is now on display in the Natural History Museum in London.
Mary went on to make many more discoveries including the complete skeleton of a Plesiosaur in 1823. Her third and last major find was the near complete skeleton of a Pterosaur (winged lizard) in 1828.
Mary was overlooked by the history books and many of her discoveries found their way into collections without credit being given to her.
Some 9 years before her death her work was acknowledged by the scientific community of the day and she was given an annuity, or annual payment, raised by members of the British Association for the Advancement of Science and the Geological Society of London, although she was not allowed to become a member because she was a woman.
By the time she died in 1847, she had gained the respect and imagination of the scientific community. Her finds came in an era when scientists were beginning to question religious explanations of the world and examine the concept of geological time.
Anning is referred to as the "unsung hero of fossil discovery" by the Natural History Museum. Two hundred years after she began making her remarkable discoveries, Anning got the recognition she deserves.
A statue of pioneering 19th-century fossil hunter and palaeontologist Mary Anning was unveiled in her home town of Lyme Regis on what would have been her 222nd birthday. A monument worthy of this monumental woman was revealed on Saturday 21 May 2022
The Logging Task
Find the statue at the given coordinates and post a photo of you standing next to her with her face clearly visible, (your face need not be included).
It you are camera shy you can post a photo of her with her face clearly visible with your GPS, your user name on a piece of paper or any other personal item.
We will also accept images of you or a personal item with her dog Tray's face clearly visible.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.