ELIZABETH ANDERSON GRAY – GIRVAN HER ALLHave you heard of Elizabeth Anderson Gray (b.1831-
ELIZABETH ANDERSON GRAY – GIRVAN HER ALLHave you heard of Elizabeth Anderson Gray (b.1831-d.1924)? She was one of the most important and prolific female Scottish fossil collectors of her time, responsible for amassing collections that are still vital to our knowledge of the stratigraphy and species composition of the Ordovician and Silurian rocks of Scotland.Born in Alloway, Ayreshire, to an Innkeeper, Elizabeth’s family then relocated to become farmers in Girvan, a small coastal town 60 miles south of Glasgow. Although she moved occasionally in her life (to Glasgow and to Edinburgh), it was from the rocks around Girvan that Elizabeth would collect most of her specimens during her long lifetime.Elizabeth’s father, Thomas Anderson (who had a trilobite and a coral named after him), introduced her to geology and fossil collecting when she was a child. From this point onwards she collected assiduously, continuing until the autumn before her death, at the age of 93. Like many women collectors, Elizabeth Anderson Gray was overshadowed publicly by her husband Robert Gray, co-founder of The Natural History Society of Glasgow, under whose name much of their joint work was presented. This was necessary in the 1800s as most Societies where their finds might be presented did not admit women until the turn of the century.Elizabeth Gray was dedicated to record keeping and extending our understanding of the diversity of early Palaeozoic life. Despite her modest early education, her lifelong learning was augmented in 1869 when she was invited to attend geology lectures for women at the University of Glasgow.The Grays were friends with the well-known geologist Charles Lapworth and #trowelblazing fossil collector Jane Donald Longstaff [post needed! –Ed]. Although considered by both herself and the professionals of the day as an amateur, Elizabeth was undeniably a skilled: she was responsible for uncovering a great deal of the diversity of Palaeozoic rocks in Scotland. Years of collecting led Elizabeth to be well versed in geology and sedimentology, keeping careful records of her work. It is because she recorded the locations, geology and associations of each of her specimens that Gray’s collections remain invaluable to those studying the Ordivician and Silurian today.After her husband’s death in 1887, Elizabeth continued to collect fossils, often with the help of her two daughters, Alice and Edith, who undoubtedly knew a great deal thanks to the many “geologising” family holidays taken over the years. In 1900 Elizabeth’s contributions to geology were recognised by the Geological Society of Glasgow, who made her an honorary member. The Natural History Society of Glasgow followed suit a year later.Read more about Elizabeth Anderson Gray: http://trowelblazers.com/elizabeth-anderson-gray/ Written by Elsa Panciroli (@gsciencelady)Image © Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London. Used here with their kind permission -- source link