Frederick Barke (1842 - 1938)
Frederick Barke was born in Shifnal, Shropshire in 1842. His work as a public works contractor involved him in Drift geology, but he was also interested in Carboniferous fossils, a few of which are housed at Stoke-on-Trent Museum; he collected from the North Staffs, and the Somerset coalfields. In addition it is also recorded that he had a good collection of Carboniferous Limestone fossils.
Interests: Drift deposits of North Staffordshire, Carboniferous fossils, Coal measures plant fossils.
Associations: North Staffordshire Naturalists Field Club: joined in 1876 and was Chairman of the Geology Section from 1892 - 1929. Barke published many reports for the North Staffordshire Field Club: see the Index to Reports: 1866-1898.
Collections: Carboniferous coal measures plant fossils were donatedl to the North Staffordshire Naturalists Field Club museum in 1925. These were transferred to Stoke on Trent Museum in 1978. Carboniferous fossils were donated to the Hanley Corporation in 1935. Further information about the histories of these collections can be found online via Stoke-on-Trent Museums and the Natural Science Collections West Midlands page on The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
Links to other Geologists: Kidston and Hind are reported to have used material collected by Barke in various monographs.
Obituary: Scott, A., (1938/39). Transactions of the North Staffordshire Field Club; 73; 72-76.
Further information: Steward, D.L., (1984). Collections, Collectors and Museums of note: No. 37, Geology at Stoke-on-Trent Museum and Art Gallery. The Geological Curator: 4 (1); 29-42 [online]
William Bean (1787-1866)
A pioneer in the study of Yorkshire geology and he amassed a significant collection, particularly from localities in the Scarborough district.
Bean’s specimens are often accompanied by distinctive oblong paper labels, frequently gummed to the specimen, written in a neat rounded back hand and surrounded by a ruled brown ink line.
Specimens in Natural History Museum, Yorkshire Museum, Scarborough Museum and Melbourne Museum.
Interests: Fossils of the Scarborough area.
Collections: From 1824 Bean started to collect geological material, particularly local (Scarborough) fossils. By the time that he sold his collection in 1859, he had amassed over 15,000 specimens. The British Museum puchased much of his collection for a price of £500, although other material was purchased by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society.
Associations: Yorkshire Philosophical Society: Awarded Honorary Membership March 1823
Links to other Geologists: Bean's Scarborough material was utilized by Young and Bird (1822); John Phillips (1829) and Morris Lycett (1851-1855).
Obituary: Anon., (1866). Yorkshire Philosophical Society Annual Review: 13
Further information: Pyrah, B., (1974). Geological Collectors and Collections of note: No. 3, Yorkshire Museum. Newsletter of the Geological Curators Group: 1 (2); 52-55 [online]
Torrens, H., (1974). Notes on some Yorkshire museum collectors. Newsletter of the Geological Curators Group: 1 (2); 53-60 [online]
Torrens, H., (1975). Yorkshire Museum Collectors. Newsletter of the Geological Curators Group: 1 (3); 153-154 [online]
Massey, I., (1978). The William Bean Shell Collection, Wood End Museum of Natural History, Scarborough. Biology Curators Group Newsletter: 9; 14-17 [online]
Natural History Museum Archive: Contains 3 entries for William Bean
Thomas Davidson (17th May 1871 - 14th October 1885)
Private means enabled Davidson to devote his life to the study of the brachiopoda after initial encouragement by Von Buch.
His artistic studies and abilities were utilized in achieving the significant monographs he published.
Davidson bequeathed his collection, library and manuscript notes to the BM(NH) in 1886.
Further information:
Copp, CJT., (1975). The Charles Moore Geological Collection. Newsletter of the Geological Curators Group: 1 (3); 109-116 [online]
Torrens, H., (1976). Collections Information Lost and Found. Newsletter of the Geological Curators Group: 1 (6); 297-300 [online]
Torrens, H., (1976). Collections Information Lost and Found. Newsletter of the Geological Curators Group: 1 (10); 489-494 [online]
Arthur Von Klipstein (7th June 1801 - 15th April 1906)
Professor of mineralogy at Giessen. 1836; he described Triassic faunas from the Dolomites: Beitrage zur Geologischen Kenntniss der ostlichen Alpen (1843).
In 1851 the BM(NH) purchased a considerable part of his collection including many of the figured Triassic invertebrates; other material went to Budapest.
Jules Marcou (20th April 1824 - 17th April 1898)
French geologist, who was a protégé of Agassiz and joined him in America during 1848. Acted as geologist on the U. S. Pacific railroad survey along the thirty-fifth parallel 1853 and on the basis of his field experience published a geological map of the United states (1855, 1858).
A dispute after the survey caused Marcou to return to Europe, bringing his fossil collection with him and some types described in 1858 were acquired by the BM(NH).
Obituary
(1899) Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society; 55; lvi-lvii
Hyatt, A., (1899); Jules Marcou. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; 34 (23); 651-656
(1898) Death List of a Day: Prof. Jules Marcou. New York Times April 19, 1898; 7
Biographical information
Wikipedia / Online Encyclopedia
Henry Alleyne Nicholson (1844-1899)
Professor of Natural History: Toronto; Newcastle; St. Andrews; Aberdeen; one of the most prolific palaeozoologists of the late Nineteenth century.
A firm believer in the use of zoology for interpreting fossils and he greatly influenced the acceptance of microscopic examination of thin sections for determinang fossil corals, bryozoa and stromatoporoids.
Obituary
(1899) Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society; 55; lxiv -lxvi
(1899) Obituary: Henry Alleyne Nicholson, M.D., F.R.S., British Medical Journal; 1; 248-249
Biographical Information
Stearn, C.W., (1999); Tribute: H. Alleyne Nicholson - A Great Victorian Paleontologist. Palaeontologia Electronica; 2 (1) [online]
Benton, M.J., (1979); H.A. Nicholson (1844-1899), invertebrate palaeontologist: bibliography and catalogue of his type and figured material. Royal Scottish Museum Information Series; Geology (7)
Also see: Wikipedia
Publications
J. E. Portlock
One of the great figures of Irish geology whose work through his geological Office of the Ordnance Survey of Ireland lead to the Report on the Geology of the county of Londonderry etc. (1843).
Parts of his collection are located in Belfast (Ulster Museum), Dublin (Trinity College) and London (I.G.S.). Further material may come to light, especially in Dublin.
Obituary
(1865) Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society (21); xl - xlv
Catalogue
Tunnicliff, S.P., (1980) A catalogue of the Lower Palaeozoic fossils in the collection of Major General J.E. Portlock, R.E., L.L.D., F.R.S., F.G.S., etc. Ulster Museum Publication; 112pp., 5 figs.
