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Tonight - 14th Oct 7pm - Lewes Arms - Mtg rm

On 14 Oct 2009 at 7:59am Spinster Of This Parish wrote:

Planning Meeting re 220th anniversary of Gideon Mantell's birth in Lewes.
ALL WELCOME TO ATTEND
First planning session notes.
Lewes should do something to mark Gideons birth as he was a son of an old Lewes family. His father (Thomas) had been one of the movers and shakers in the late 1700/ early 1800s. An earlier ancestor (also Thomas Mantell) had been Headborough in 1562 with a son who was Headborough in 1644.
Gideon was a naturalist, fossil hunter, discoverer (and namer) of the first land dinosaur the iguanodon a doctor and obstetrician, losing very few babies and creator of a museum in the town. His diaries show him as a keen observer and someone with many friends. His decline and end was tragically played out.
He was born in St Marys Lane, Lewes on 3 Feb 1790 and lived in Castle Place on the High Street. He moved his museum to Brighton Old Steine.

On 14 Oct 2009 at 8:49am me wrote:

Didn't realise 220 was a recognised anniversary.
Also, isn't there some controversy as to if he just ripped off his wife's discovery?

On 14 Oct 2009 at 9:23am sashimi wrote:

I'm up for a beer with you on this Spinster, but not tonight, I'm afraid. Mantell has been largely ignored by the Natural History Museum, so anything that moves him up the scale is welcome. I didn't know his end was tragic and you don't really enlighten us. But that's for another time. Meanwhile I'm blocking off 3 Feb 2010 for a party.