Leeds was born at Eyebury, Peterborough, the youngest of the eight children of Edward Thurlow Leeds (1802–51) and Eliza Mary Leeds (née Nicholson). He was educated at Warwick School. He had wanted to become a doctor, but circumstances meant that from 1868 he had to take on the management of Eyebury Farm (in The Fens, and historically attached to Peterborough Abbey) as a gentleman farmer.
Leeds' elder brother Charles, a student at the University of Oxford, had been encouraged by Professor John Phillips to persevere in collecting fossils from near his home. Alfred joined him in these searches, and between them they developed better methods of disinterring, and of scientifically recording, fossils in soft clay than had been used before. (They rewarded the workmen at the clay pits (which served a brickworks in Fletton, Peterborough) for not doing so themselves, but instead sending notice to Eyebury.) In 1887, Charles emigrated to New Zealand; but Alfred continued to search for fossils, assisted by his wife and by their second son, Edward Thurlow Leeds ((1877–1955), who was Keeper of the Ashmolean Museum from 1928–45).
Leeds amassed one of the largest collections of fossil vertebrates in the world. In 1889, his portrait was painted by the 17-year-old William Nicholson. From 1890 onwards, he began to present his most important specimens of Jurassic fossils from the Oxford Clay near Peterborough to the British Museum. He was a Fellow of the Geological Society; in 1893, he was awarded part of its Lyell Fund.[1]
1880s – he collected fossils of a large Mesozoicbony fish, which proved to be from the novel genus Leedsichthys, described and named in his honour by Arthur Smith Woodward in 1889.
1887 – Hulke described a species of sauropod, Ornithopsis leedsi, naming it in his honour. It has been since been renamed Cetiosauriscus leedsi.
Andrews, C. W. (1910). A Descriptive Catalogue of the Marine Reptiles of the Oxford Clay, Based on the Leeds Collection in the British Museum (Natural History), Part I. London: British Museum.
Andrews, C. W. (1913). A Descriptive Catalogue of the Marine Reptiles of the Oxford Clay, Part II. London: British Museum.
Leeds, E. T. (1956). The Leeds Collection of Fossil Reptiles from the Oxford Clay of Peterborough. Oxford: Blackwell Ltd.
Referencesedit
^A. S. W. (1917). "Obituary - Alfred Nicholson Leeds". Geological Magazine. 4 (10): 478. doi:10.1017/s0016756800136507.
^Araújo, Ricardo; Smith, Adam S.; Liston, Jeff (2008). "The Alfred Leeds Fossil Vertebrate Collection of the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History" (PDF). Irish Journal of Earth Sciences. 26: 17–32. CiteSeerX10.1.1.500.4072. doi:10.3318/ijes.2008.26.17. S2CID 131513080. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
^"Death announcement". Hull Daily Mail. 28 August 1917. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
^"A SIXTY-FOOT REPTILE". Sunday Times (Perth). No. 28[?]. Western Australia. 7 June 1903. p. 9. Retrieved 23 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
This article about a paleontologist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
alfred, nicholson, leeds, march, 1847, august, 1917, english, amateur, palaeontologist, contents, biography, death, discoveries, honours, also, referencesbiography, editleeds, born, eyebury, peterborough, youngest, eight, children, edward, thurlow, leeds, 1802. Alfred Nicholson Leeds 9 March 1847 25 August 1917 was an English amateur palaeontologist Contents 1 Biography 2 Death 3 Discoveries and honours 4 See also 5 ReferencesBiography editLeeds was born at Eyebury Peterborough the youngest of the eight children of Edward Thurlow Leeds 1802 51 and Eliza Mary Leeds nee Nicholson He was educated at Warwick School He had wanted to become a doctor but circumstances meant that from 1868 he had to take on the management of Eyebury Farm in The Fens and historically attached to Peterborough Abbey as a gentleman farmer Leeds elder brother Charles a student at the University of Oxford had been encouraged by Professor John Phillips to persevere in collecting fossils from near his home Alfred joined him in these searches and between them they developed better methods of disinterring and of scientifically recording fossils in soft clay than had been used before They rewarded the workmen at the clay pits which served a brickworks in Fletton Peterborough for not doing so themselves but instead sending notice to Eyebury In 1887 Charles emigrated to New Zealand but Alfred continued to search for fossils assisted by his wife and by their second son Edward Thurlow Leeds 1877 1955 who was Keeper of the Ashmolean Museum from 1928 45 Leeds amassed one of the largest collections of fossil vertebrates in the world In 1889 his portrait was painted by the 17 year old William Nicholson From 1890 onwards he began to present his most important specimens of Jurassic fossils from the Oxford Clay near Peterborough to the British Museum He was a Fellow of the Geological Society in 1893 he was awarded part of its Lyell Fund 1 Other museums in the UK and elsewhere hold items from his collection including the National Museum of Ireland 2 An extinct genus of fish Leedsichthys and several extinct species have been named in his honour Death editLeeds died in Eyebury on 25 August 1917 at the age of 70 3 Discoveries and honours editEarly 1880s he acquired the skeleton of a stegosaur dinosaur found in a brick pit near Eye Cambridgeshire In 1887 it was described by John Whitaker Hulke as a new species Omosaurus durobrivensis It is now considered to be within the genus Lexovisaurus 1880s he collected fossils of a large Mesozoic bony fish which proved to be from the novel genus Leedsichthys described and named in his honour by Arthur Smith Woodward in 1889 1887 Hulke described a species of sauropod Ornithopsis leedsi naming it in his honour It has been since been renamed Cetiosauriscus leedsi 1889 the type species of a genus of iguanodontian dinosaur was named Camptosaurus leedsi in his honour by Richard Lydekker It has since been renamed Callovosaurus leedsi 1893 Lydekker named the type species of a genus of ankylosaurian ornithischian dinosaur Sarcolestes leedsi in his honour 1901 Harry Seeley described a species of stegosaur Omosaurus leedsi naming it in his honour 4 The genus has since been renamed Dacentrurus 1907 09 he collected a fossil which in 2013 proved to be the sole species of a geosaurine metriorhynchid crocodyliform known within the genus Tyrannoneustes See also editAndrews C W 1910 A Descriptive Catalogue of the Marine Reptiles of the Oxford Clay Based on the Leeds Collection in the British Museum Natural History Part I London British Museum Andrews C W 1913 A Descriptive Catalogue of the Marine Reptiles of the Oxford Clay Part II London British Museum Leeds E T 1956 The Leeds Collection of Fossil Reptiles from the Oxford Clay of Peterborough Oxford Blackwell Ltd References edit A S W 1917 Obituary Alfred Nicholson Leeds Geological Magazine 4 10 478 doi 10 1017 s0016756800136507 Araujo Ricardo Smith Adam S Liston Jeff 2008 The Alfred Leeds Fossil Vertebrate Collection of the National Museum of Ireland Natural History PDF Irish Journal of Earth Sciences 26 17 32 CiteSeerX 10 1 1 500 4072 doi 10 3318 ijes 2008 26 17 S2CID 131513080 Retrieved 7 January 2015 Death announcement Hull Daily Mail 28 August 1917 Retrieved 14 November 2023 A SIXTY FOOT REPTILE Sunday Times Perth No 28 Western Australia 7 June 1903 p 9 Retrieved 23 December 2018 via National Library of Australia nbsp This article about a paleontologist is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alfred Nicholson Leeds amp oldid 1213967067, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
