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Lyme Regis fossil hunter Mary Anning's 'poo' letter auctioned Lyme Regis fossil hunter Mary Anning's 'poo' letter auctioned
(32 minutes later)
A "rare" letter written by Jurassic Coast fossil hunter Mary Anning has sold at auction for £100,000 - more than eight times its reserve price.A "rare" letter written by Jurassic Coast fossil hunter Mary Anning has sold at auction for £100,000 - more than eight times its reserve price.
Aged 12 in 1811, Mary unearthed the skull of an ichthyosaur in Lyme Regis, Dorset, and soon gained worldwide acclaim for reptile fossil discoveries.Aged 12 in 1811, Mary unearthed the skull of an ichthyosaur in Lyme Regis, Dorset, and soon gained worldwide acclaim for reptile fossil discoveries.
Her letter from 1829 was to palaeontologist William Buckland about a box of coprolite - fossilised faeces.Her letter from 1829 was to palaeontologist William Buckland about a box of coprolite - fossilised faeces.
A crowdfunding appeal had been launched in a bid to bring the letter to Lyme.A crowdfunding appeal had been launched in a bid to bring the letter to Lyme.
The Jurassic Coast Trust (JCT) and Lyme Regis Museum, which set up the appeal that raised more than £40,000, described the letter as "a unique piece of local heritage and palaeontological history".The Jurassic Coast Trust (JCT) and Lyme Regis Museum, which set up the appeal that raised more than £40,000, described the letter as "a unique piece of local heritage and palaeontological history".
They had hoped the letter, which was estimated to fetch up to £12,000 at London's Sotheby's auction, could be displayed in the museum, which is built on the site where Anning was born in 1799. They had hoped the letter, which was estimated to fetch up to £12,000 at London's Sotheby's auction, could be displayed in the museum, which is built on the site where Mary was born in 1799.
However, it actually sold for £100,800 to an anonymous private collector, a spokeswoman for the auction house said. However, it actually sold for £100,800 to an anonymous private collector, an auction house spokeswoman said.
Lucy Culkin, chief executive of the JCT, described the public support as "phenomenal".Lucy Culkin, chief executive of the JCT, described the public support as "phenomenal".
"We are of course disappointed that the letter will not be in Mary's home town and that perhaps it will not be as accessible to visitors as we would have liked, but hope the buyer may get in touch to talk to us about how we might work together for the benefit of future aspiring geologists and paleontologists who visit the Jurassic Coast each year," she said. "We are of course disappointed that the letter will not be in Mary's hometown and that perhaps it will not be as accessible to visitors as we would have liked, but hope the buyer may get in touch to talk to us about how we might work together for the benefit of future aspiring geologists and paleontologists who visit the Jurassic Coast each year," she said.
She said the trust and museum would offer refunds to those who had contributed to the crowdfunding appeal, but added any cash left over "could make a significant and timely difference" to upcoming projects including the purchase of fossils from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretascous eras.
'Diminished her importance''Diminished her importance'
Sotheby's said: "With its mixture of acute observation, deep knowledge, multiple references to female friendship, and canny salesmanship, this letter gives voice to Mary Anning. It is also a real rarity.Sotheby's said: "With its mixture of acute observation, deep knowledge, multiple references to female friendship, and canny salesmanship, this letter gives voice to Mary Anning. It is also a real rarity.
"Mary Anning was a working-class woman based in the provinces with no attachment to any prestigious institution and who engaged with natural history on a commercial basis: the scientific establishment had plentiful reasons to diminish her importance."Mary Anning was a working-class woman based in the provinces with no attachment to any prestigious institution and who engaged with natural history on a commercial basis: the scientific establishment had plentiful reasons to diminish her importance.
"It is only in recent decades that her scientific role has begun to be acknowledged.""It is only in recent decades that her scientific role has begun to be acknowledged."
Who was Mary Anning?Who was Mary Anning?