Number 5 - Geological Curators Group

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A published source which now throws some lighton the history of the College Museum is theseries of ReDorts of the Cheltenham ColleeeNatural Historv Society of which a total offifty-four were issued over the period 1871 and1952 (see Appendix 2). Inspired by theestablishment of the College Museum, thisSociety had been founded in March 1870. Fromits first it is clear that the Societywas very much run for the pupils by the pupilswith help from the staff, and was at first quitedistinct from the Museum. The Museum is notseparately mentioned in the first-, otherthan in an exhortation to members to collect forthe Museum. Geological activity by the Societyin 1870 was noted simply as 'little attempted,less done,' and a prize of £1-10-0 was offeredfor the hest collection of local fossils tostimulate more activity. The outcome of thiscompetition is unknown as the Society promptlylapsed into an oblivion only to be revived on 15February 1889 ( M , 2, p.5)!The revived Society of 1889 boasted a separateGeological Section whose schoolboy secretary wasH. J. Burkill (1871-1956). The only schoolboycollector of fossils to exhibit before theSociety was one E. A. Wilson, active in theentamological~ ornithological sections, whowon the prize far the best collection of localfossils. In 1891 Wilson was noted as one of'the most energetic members' (M, 4, p.5).Edward Adrian Wilsan (1872-1912), who died withScott in the Antarctic, is rightly revered asone of Cheltenham's brightest sons and his manyactivities as a schoolboy collector illuminatehis similar dedication to geological collectingon the return journey from the Pole (Wilson1972, pp.240-241). How Huntford in hiscontroversial book (1979, pp.520, 556-557) cancall this last collection one made with'grotesque misjudgement' and 'a pathetic littlegesture', or observe that 'the specimens meantalmost nothing', is difficult to understand.The material included the first Glosso~teris (G.var. Seward) from Antarctica(Moore 1981), which were then unique (WHuntford 1980, p.87; see also Young 1980) andof vital importance in the debate on ContinentalDrift which was soon to erupt.Wilsan's activity as a schoolboy naturalist musthave been inspired by both his fatherDr Edward Thomas Wilson FRCP (c.1833-1918) (seeTimes, 26 April 1918 and Cheltenham Looker On,27 April 1918, p.11) who had been an early donorto the College Museum (see p.190) and probablyalso his paternal grandfather, another Edward(born 1808 - alive 1863). The latter should heremembered in the world of museums for the parthe played as agent to his American brotherDr Thomas Bellerby Wilson (1807-1865) (Watson1909, pp.2-3) in amassing up the wonderfulnatural history material now being uncovered inthe collections of the Academy of NaturalSciences in Philadelphia (for one major examplein the field of palaeontology, see Spamer et al.1989).The reports from 1889-1894 (m, 2-6) saylittle of the College Museum and we thus gainfew insights into its development, although theyconstantly refer to the use of fossils andspecimens from the Museum to illustratelectures. In 1895 Charles Irving Gardiner(1868-1940) was appointed senior science masterat the College (Anon. 1940), and straightawaybecame president of the Society's GeologicalSection ( M , 7, p.6) and one of theSociety's Secretaries as well as HonoraryCurator. As a result the quality of workundertaken by the section noticeably improved,new donations of fossils to the School Museumare recorded ( M , 7, pp:25-27, 33), andmuch-needed attention was given to the Museum.In 1896 it was noted (-,B, p.7) that theOld College Chapel was about to be used as aLibrary and Museum, thereby making more room inthe present Museum, which was terribly crowded.As part of the major reorganisation of theMuseum in 1896 the first paid Curator in thehistory of the College Museum was appointed,Mr James Charles White (c.1863-1930)(M,37, p.3), with Gardiner as Honorary Curator.As part of this general re-arrangement, in 1898the care of the 'very large' collection ofJurassic fossils was temporarily put into thehands of Sydney Savory Buckman (1860-1929)(m, 10, p.5) who then lived at CharltonKings. He was already an authority on Jurassicstratigraphy and palaeontology, having beeninspired by his father James Buckman. Hereported that the Museum (S. S. Buckman 1899)contained 'a valuable series of fossils both forteaching and worthy of the attention of visitinggeologists'. Buckman also reorganised thesecollections on a stratigraphic basis and did hisbest to relabel specimens, using brackets in avery modern and professional manner to indicateinformation which he had provided to supplementthe original, although he had to report that'the specimens in the majority of cases lackedany labels'. Buckman also reported an specialfeatures of the collection and was responsiblefor recoenisine one of the Tvoe treasures. the.Afigured syntype of Nautilus subtruncatus(Appendix 1). The collection included apa;iicularly good selection of thecharacteristic fossils of the Inferior and GreatOolite in the neighbourhood of Cheltenham.Buckman also noted some of the deficiencies inthe collection and in the following years hemade a number of donations to help fill same ofthese gaps ( M , 11, pp.5, 18, 39). He waspaid £10 for his work on the collection ( m ,ro, p.59).The previous year, S. S. Buckman (1898) hadechoed Ward's amazement of five years beforethat Cheltenham still lacked a public orrate-supported museum. Writing of some newexcavations near Cheltenham which had yieldedsome interesting specimens, he lamented that'how sadly Cheltenham lacks a museum where suchinteresting relics might find a suitable home... In the town which boasts Eruditio as itsmotto, and which is the centre of one of themost interesting districts of England, the wantof such a museum is clearly extra-ordinary. Allthat can be said, however, is perhaps, better nomuseum at all than one suffering from theneglect which may too frequently he seen'.In the next year, 1899, there was at lastestablished a Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum(see below). But the lack of any proper publicmuseum building in Cheltenham between 1860 and1907 meant that the College Museum acted as asubstitute repository for local treasures during
this period. [A similar situation arose with which were all separately curated as theanother fine School Museum, at Sherhorne in'Falkener collection', on printed labelsDorset, from 1875 to 1885 (Torrens 1978a)l. attached to the specimens (=, 11, pp.5,17 . ., ?Q\> ,.However, we must not forget the role in1900. A geological donation of more historicGloucestershire of the Museum of the Royalthan scientific value was made by a GeneralAgricultural College, Cirencester (foundedCox, who gave a cabinet of Shells and Minerals1846), in accepting some of the geological( m , 12, pp.18, 43) originally made bycollections made by the Cotteswold Naturalists'Field Club; and still less must we forget itsunfortunate fate (Torrens 1982).Geolaeical donations to the Colleee Museum1870-1912Thanks to the survival of the original CollegeMuseum donations book (in the College Archives),supplemented by the printed -, it ispossible to list here the major geologicaldonations up to the First World War inchronological order. No registration numberswere given to them, but it is notable that majorgeological donations continued to be made to theCollege Museum even after Cheltenham Town Museumwas opened in 1907.6 June 1870. 12 Ichthyosauri and Plesiosori[sic] in frames; Lower Lias - hanging onwall; C. Pierson.12 June 1870. Ichthyosaurus in frame. Head ofIchthyosaurus hanging on wall; Dr [John]Abercrambie.14 June 1870. 26 Bones of Plesiosaurus -hanging on wall; C. Pierson.23 June 1870. All the specimens and objects ofNatural History from the late CheltenhamLiterary and Philosophical Institution.22 August 1870. Paddle of Ichthyosaur [seebelow] - hanging on wall. Crocodile;Kimmeridge Clay; C. Pierson.15 November 1870. Case with 10 drawerscontaining various fossils; 17 boxes ofminerals and fossils; presented by CheltenhamWorking Naturalists Association.14 June 1878. Vertebrae of Ichthyosauri -hanging on wall; fossil fish in slab;presented by the Cheltenham Hospital withosteological and anatomical material.6 June 1883. Glass Case of fossil corals, 150specimens for the Town Museum; deoosited C.Pierson Esq.10 October 1897 and 18 December 1897. Twocollections of fossils given byRev. Edward Thomas Griffiths (1856-1913) (OldCheltonian, and vicar of Cam, Glos.1898-1913; see also 8, p.16). Thesewere rich in trilobites, especially fromMalvern and Dudley, and of a particularly highquality ( m , 10, p.36) and were speciallylabelled as 'Griffiths collection'.1898. Box of fossils from the eminent historianW. E. H. Lecky (1838-1903) OM (&p&-&, 10,p.18), perhaps collected while he was a pupilat the College, and a very good collection offossils from the Derbyshire CarboniferousLimestone, the Norfolk Forest Bed, and otherrocks (i%s,&, 10, pp.5, 36) presented byRev. Edward E. Montford (c.1830-1918) (Venn1940-1954, vo1.4, p.445), some of whose othercollections went to Norwich Castle Museum [nowNorfolk Museums Service] (Times, 27 November1918, p.11).1899. Mrs Falkener, who is otherwise unknown,gave a large collection of chiefly Jurassieand Cretaceous fossils and also some mineralsLady Charlotte Murchison, 'many of thespecimens being probably collected bySir Roderick Murchison himself'.1906. A collection of fossils made by theRev. Addison Crofton (1846-1904) (Pine 1956,p.557) was given by his daughter. It wasreported as containing very well preservedspecimens, some collected by Crofton when atthe College (W, t8, pp.12, 40). Theammonites in this collection were sent toS. S. Buckman for naming (W, 19, p.3).Crofton is listed by Gill (1903, p.107) andCleevely (1983).August 1908. Two cabinets of fossils and shellswere bequeathed by Rev. T. W. Nowood who haddied in January 1908 and had been the lastHon. Secretary of the Cheltenham Institution(see above). This important collection wasnot only 'very numerous but in a very goodstate of preservation, several of them beingof great value'. It was particularly strongin Inferior Oolite brachiopods, echinodermsand ammonites (m, 20, pp.11, 47).1909. Dr E. T. Wilson, father ofDr E. A. Wilson (see above), presented fossilsand minerals which may have been collected byhis son.1912. Dr E. T. Wilson also presented 'specimensof Kenite - a rock from Mount Erebus' whichhad certainly been collected by his son(W, 21, p.11; and 25, p.10).College Museum develo~ments 1914-1940During the First World War i(eDorts were notissued, but an Old Cheltonian who entered theCollege in 1915 and became a distinguishedgeologist after graduation from BristolUniversity, Dr F. B. A. Welch (1903-1987), laterrecalled (L U. to HST, 2 December 1984) 'twotall cabinets in the Museum with a jumble oflargely unlabelled specimens. Most were localJurassic fossils from the Ragstone ofLeckhampton and Pea Grit of Crickley. Alsovarious Silurian materials collected by thescience master C. I. Gardiner'. This suggeststhat the collections had become somewhatneglected in war-time. But donations continued,and in 1916 'three more cabinets of fossilscollected by the late Charles Piersan Esq.' (seeabove) were donated by his widow (m, 27,p 1 1 [This was the specific donation soughtby his grandson in 1961 with no success (seeabove) !]The Museum remained at its old racquets courtsite of 1870 with the addition of the otherracquets court shown as a Yard in the map givenby Hunter (1890, opp. p.2) far museum expansionin 1902 (Skirving 1928, p.xii-xviii; -,13, p.6) to double its size. Views of theMuseum published in 1911 (Hunter 1911, betweenpages 2-3) give a fine idea of its scale (Figs.8 and 9). There is evidence that in 1897, whenthe former School Chapel was converted for useas the School Library, some space at one end wasalso used as a museum area for material other
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Page 4 and 5: Gcolap,rcal Curator, Vol .5, No.5.
Page 6 and 7: THE CHELTENHAM LITERARY AND PHILOSO
Page 8 and 9: The earlv vears of the CLPIDavid Wi
Page 10 and 11: Fig. 4. A lithograph (260 x 200 m.)
Page 12 and 13: on the local geology (Lycett 1857).
Page 14 and 15: The known contents of the Museum to
Page 16 and 17: 'Geological Museum - superior in it
Page 18 and 19: that is a fact' (Matheson 1964, p.2
Page 22 and 23: Fig. 8. The interior of the College
Page 24 and 25: The Second World War and its leeace
Page 26 and 27: The Society provided a forum which
Page 28 and 29: specimens as such. Only a few speci
Page 30 and 31: BIGOT, Prof. [A. P. D. (1863-1953)l
Page 32 and 33: numbers of specimens, and have labe
Page 34 and 35: Fig. 18. Sylvia Humphrey matching s
Page 36 and 37: in August 1985) the particular stre
Page 38 and 39: Eliot, W. 1871. List of Field Clubs
Page 40 and 41: Tatlow, J. 1821. Memoirs of John Ta
Page 42 and 43: The BM(NH) set has a note from C. I
Page 44 and 45: comparison of his ideas on fossils

Number 5 - Geological Curators Group

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