Barbara Rawdon-Hastings, Marchioness of Hastings, 20th Baroness Grey de Ruthyn (néeYelverton; 20 May 1810 – 18 November 1858) was a fossil collector and geological author.
Born at Brandon House in Brandon, Warwickshire, Barbara Yelverton was the only child of Henry Yelverton, 19th Baron Grey de Ruthyn (1780–1810), and of his wife, Anna Maria Kellam (1792–1875). Her father was a friend of "mad, bad, and dangerous to know" Lord Byron, who referred to the new bride as "a rustic".[1] At seven months, her father's death made her Baroness Grey de Ruthyn. Little is known of her early life or education.[2]
In 1817, she was living in Derbyshire, [3] in the (now lost) stately home Castlefields, owned by the Borrow family. [4]
Lady Hastings was a collector of fossils, specializing in vertebrates. Since 1855 her collection has been housed in the British Museum, containing specimens found in Europe. The palaeontologist and anatomist Professor Richard Owen wrote of the thousands of fossils previously in her private museum at Efford House, among them "some of the finest in the world".[8] Her knowledge of local geology, especially of the Eocene, and her meticulous work on fossil remains, gave her an expertise which was respected by scholars. Lady Hastings associated with many eminent scientists during her lifetime, including Edward Forbes, Charles Lyell, Alexander Falconer, William Buckland and Richard Owen. The geologist Forbes referred to her as a "fossilist" and acknowledged her work.[9] Sixty-four of her letters to and from Owen are preserved in the Natural History Museum's Richard Owen Collection.[10]
Owen proposed to name her discovered crocodile fossil, recovered from the Barton Beds at Hordle Cliff in Hampshire, Crocodilus hastingsae (now Diplocynodon) to honour "the accomplished lady by whom the singularly perfect example of the species had been recovered and restored".[2]
In 1847, Lady Hastings presented her paper to the Oxford meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, exhibiting two crocodile skulls and the shell of a turtle from Hordle Cliff. She argued that crocodile remains found on the Hampshire coast and also on the Isle of Wight showed that the area of the Solent had been a freshwater river or lake.[2] Immediately after Richard Owen explained that the remains from Hordle suggested "a new genus of Pachyderm", which he named Paloplotherium, falling between Palaeotherium and Anoplotherium, during his presentation of the same fossils.[2]
In 1852 and 1853 she published papers on the stratigraphy of Hordle Cliff (which she called the Hordwell cliff), the first such accurate accounts of it. She stated that her goal was to provide local information from which a comprehensive account of Tertiary stratigraphy could be created.[11]
In 1858 she died in Rome and is buried there.
BibliographyEdit
Owen, R. S., 'On the fossils obtained by the marchioness of Hastings from the freshwater Eocene beds of Hordle cliff', in Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (1848), pp. 65–6
Hastings, B., 'On the freshwater Eocene beds of Hordle cliff, Hampshire', in Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (1848), pp. 63–64
Hastings, Marchioness of, 'On the Tertiary beds of Hordwell, Hampshire', in London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine, 4th series, 6 (1853), pp. 1–10
^ abcdefDadley, Portia, Hastings, Barbara Rawdon [née Barbara Yelverton], marchioness of Hastings and suo jure Baroness Grey de Ruthin (1810–1858), fossil collector and geological author in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004)
^"General history: Principal gentry seats, forests and deer-parks Pages clxvii-clxx Magna Britannia: Volume 5, Derbyshire. Originally published by T Cadell and W Davies, London, 1817". British History Online. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
^"Lost Houses – Castlefields". Country Images Magazine. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
^ ab"Hastings, Marquess of (UK, 1817 - 1868)". cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
^"Loudoun, Earl of (S, 1633)". cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
^"thePeerage.com". from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
^Owen, R., The Life of Richard Owen, vol. 1 (1894) p. 296
^Wilson, G., Geikie, A., A Memoir of Edward Forbes, F.R.S., late regius professor of natural history in the University of Edinburgh (1861), p. 423
^Ogilvie, Marilyn; Harvey, Joy, eds. (2000). The biographical dictionary of women in science : pioneering lives from ancient times to the mid-20th century. New York, NY [u.a.]: Routledge. ISBN0-415-92039-6.
^Hastings, Marchioness of, 'On the Tertiary beds of Hordwell, Hampshire' in Philosophical Magazine, 4th series (1853)
barbara, rawdon, hastings, marchioness, hastings, 20th, baroness, grey, ruthyn, née, yelverton, 1810, november, 1858, fossil, collector, geological, author, most, honourablethe, marchioness, hastingsportrait, published, 1828bornbarbara, yelverton20, 1810brando. Barbara Rawdon Hastings Marchioness of Hastings 20th Baroness Grey de Ruthyn nee Yelverton 20 May 1810 18 November 1858 was a fossil collector and geological author The Most HonourableThe Marchioness of HastingsPortrait published in 1828BornBarbara Yelverton20 May 1810Brandon Warwickshire EnglandDied18 November 1858 1858 11 18 aged 48 Occupation s Fossil collector geological authorSpousesGeorge Rawdon Hastings 2nd Marquess of Hastings m 1831 died 1844 wbr Hastings Reginald Henry m 1845 wbr ChildrenPaulyn Rawdon Hastings 3rd Marquess of Hastings Edith Rawdon Hastings 10th Countess of Loudoun Bertha Clifton 22nd Baroness Grey de Ruthyn Lady Victoria Rawdon Hastings Henry Rawdon Hastings 4th Marquess of Hastings Frances Marsham Countess of Romney Barbara Yarde Buller Baroness ChurstonParent s Henry Yelverton 19th Baron Grey de RuthynAnna Maria Kellam Contents 1 Early life 2 Personal life 3 Fossil collector and geologist 4 Bibliography 5 ReferencesEarly life EditBorn at Brandon House in Brandon Warwickshire Barbara Yelverton was the only child of Henry Yelverton 19th Baron Grey de Ruthyn 1780 1810 and of his wife Anna Maria Kellam 1792 1875 Her father was a friend of mad bad and dangerous to know Lord Byron who referred to the new bride as a rustic 1 At seven months her father s death made her Baroness Grey de Ruthyn Little is known of her early life or education 2 In 1817 she was living in Derbyshire 3 in the now lost stately home Castlefields owned by the Borrow family 4 Personal life EditOn 1 August 1831 Lady Grey de Ruthyn married George Rawdon Hastings 2nd Marquess of Hastings 1808 1844 and they had six children together Paulyn Reginald Serlo Rawdon Hastings 3rd Marquess of Hastings 1832 1851 who died unmarried 5 Lady Edith Maud Rawdon Hastings later 10th Countess of Loudoun 1833 1874 who married Charles Frederick Abney Hastings 1st Baron Donington 6 Lady Bertha Lelgarde Rawdon Hastings later 22nd Baroness Grey de Ruthyn 1835 1887 who married Augustus Wykeham Clifton Lady Victoria Maria Louisa Rawdon Hastings 1837 1888 Henry Weysford Charles Plantagenet Rawdon Hastings 4th Marquess of Hastings 1842 1868 who married Lady Florence Paget only daughter of Henry Paget 2nd Marquess of Anglesey 5 Lady Frances Augusta Constance Muir Rawdon Hastings 1844 1910 married Charles Marsham 4th Earl of Romney On 9 April 1845 fifteen months after her first husband s death she married secondly Captain Hastings Reginald Henry RN 1808 1878 who in 1849 took the name of Yelverton by royal license They settled at Efford House near Lymington and had one daughter Barbara Yelverton 12 January 1849 1 October 1924 who married John Yarde Buller 2nd Baron Churston 2 7 During her first marriage Lady Hastings was nicknamed the jolly fast marchioness as she was fond of foreign travel and gambling 2 Fossil collector and geologist Edit nbsp Skull of Crocodilus hastingsae now Diplocynodon Lady Hastings was a collector of fossils specializing in vertebrates Since 1855 her collection has been housed in the British Museum containing specimens found in Europe The palaeontologist and anatomist Professor Richard Owen wrote of the thousands of fossils previously in her private museum at Efford House among them some of the finest in the world 8 Her knowledge of local geology especially of the Eocene and her meticulous work on fossil remains gave her an expertise which was respected by scholars Lady Hastings associated with many eminent scientists during her lifetime including Edward Forbes Charles Lyell Alexander Falconer William Buckland and Richard Owen The geologist Forbes referred to her as a fossilist and acknowledged her work 9 Sixty four of her letters to and from Owen are preserved in the Natural History Museum s Richard Owen Collection 10 Owen proposed to name her discovered crocodile fossil recovered from the Barton Beds at Hordle Cliff in Hampshire Crocodilus hastingsae now Diplocynodon to honour the accomplished lady by whom the singularly perfect example of the species had been recovered and restored 2 In 1847 Lady Hastings presented her paper to the Oxford meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science exhibiting two crocodile skulls and the shell of a turtle from Hordle Cliff She argued that crocodile remains found on the Hampshire coast and also on the Isle of Wight showed that the area of the Solent had been a freshwater river or lake 2 Immediately after Richard Owen explained that the remains from Hordle suggested a new genus of Pachyderm which he named Paloplotherium falling between Palaeotherium and Anoplotherium during his presentation of the same fossils 2 In 1852 and 1853 she published papers on the stratigraphy of Hordle Cliff which she called the Hordwell cliff the first such accurate accounts of it She stated that her goal was to provide local information from which a comprehensive account of Tertiary stratigraphy could be created 11 In 1858 she died in Rome and is buried there Bibliography EditOwen R S On the fossils obtained by the marchioness of Hastings from the freshwater Eocene beds of Hordle cliff in Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 1848 pp 65 6 Hastings B On the freshwater Eocene beds of Hordle cliff Hampshire in Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 1848 pp 63 64 Hastings Marchioness of On the Tertiary beds of Hordwell Hampshire in London Edinburgh and Dublin Philosophical Magazine 4th series 6 1853 pp 1 10References Edit Collected Letters of Lord Byron a b c d e f Dadley Portia Hastings Barbara Rawdon nee Barbara Yelverton marchioness of Hastings and suo jure Baroness Grey de Ruthin 1810 1858 fossil collector and geological author in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press 2004 General history Principal gentry seats forests and deer parks Pages clxvii clxx Magna Britannia Volume 5 Derbyshire Originally published by T Cadell and W Davies London 1817 British History Online Retrieved 15 July 2020 Lost Houses Castlefields Country Images Magazine 25 January 2016 Retrieved 21 August 2021 a b Hastings Marquess of UK 1817 1868 cracroftspeerage co uk Heraldic Media Limited Retrieved 20 November 2019 Loudoun Earl of S 1633 cracroftspeerage co uk Heraldic Media Limited Retrieved 20 November 2019 thePeerage com Archived from the original on 17 May 2008 Retrieved 6 May 2008 Owen R The Life of Richard Owen vol 1 1894 p 296 Wilson G Geikie A A Memoir of Edward Forbes F R S late regius professor of natural history in the University of Edinburgh 1861 p 423 Ogilvie Marilyn Harvey Joy eds 2000 The biographical dictionary of women in science pioneering lives from ancient times to the mid 20th century New York NY u a Routledge ISBN 0 415 92039 6 Hastings Marchioness of On the Tertiary beds of Hordwell Hampshire in Philosophical Magazine 4th series 1853 Peerage of EnglandPreceded byHenry Yelverton Baroness Grey de Ruthyn1810 1858 Succeeded byHenry Rawdon Hastings Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Barbara Rawdon Hastings Marchioness of Hastings amp oldid 1166469104, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
