Alfred Merle Norman facts for kids

Alfred Merle Norman (born August 29, 1831 – died October 26, 1918) was an English church leader and a naturalist. A naturalist is a scientist who studies nature, especially plants and animals. He was well-known for his detailed studies of tiny sea creatures and other invertebrates.

Biography

Early Life and Education

Alfred Merle Norman was born in Exeter, England, in 1831. His father was a landowner and a surgeon. From a young age, Alfred was interested in nature. He studied molluscs (like snails and clams) and plants in his home county of Somerset.

He went to Winchester College from 1844 to 1848. After that, he studied at Christ Church, Oxford, a famous university. He earned his first degree in 1852 and a Master's degree in 1859.

Career in the Church and Science

After finishing his studies, Norman worked as a private tutor. He then went to Wells Theological College to train for the church. In 1856, he became a deacon, which is a type of church minister. That same year, he started working as a curate in Kibworth Beauchamp. A curate is a church leader who helps the main priest. He became a full priest in 1857.

In 1858, he moved to Sedgefield, County Durham, to continue his work as a curate. He later became the first rector (the main priest) of a new church in Bournmoor in 1866. He also served as a chaplain to the Earl of Durham. In 1885, he became a Canon of Durham Cathedral, a very important church role.

During his 29 years in Bournmoor, Norman was very active in both church matters and scientific groups. He joined many societies, including the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He was also part of groups that studied shells and other natural history topics.

Later Years and Retirement

In 1895, Norman returned to Houghton-le-Spring as the rector. He also took on another role as a Rural Dean, overseeing churches in a specific area. He retired in 1898 because of illness.

After retiring, he moved to Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. Even in his later years, he continued his scientific research and published many papers. He passed away on October 25, 1918, at the age of 87. He was buried in the churchyard of St Barnabas in Bournmoor, where his mother was also buried.

Scientific Work

Alfred Merle Norman was known for his important work on many types of invertebrates. Invertebrates are animals without a backbone, like insects, worms, and jellyfish. He studied:

• Protozoa: Very tiny, single-celled organisms.
• Porifera: Sponges, which are simple sea animals.
• Coelenterata: Animals like jellyfish and sea anemones.
• Mollusca: Animals with soft bodies, often with shells, like snails, clams, and octopuses.
• Crustacea: Animals with hard outer shells, like crabs, lobsters, and shrimp.
• Echinodermata: Spiny-skinned sea animals, like starfish and sea urchins.

His huge collection of 11,086 different species was called Museum Normanianum. This amazing collection was bought by the Natural History Museum, London in several parts between 1898 and 1911. He also gave many specimens to the museum as gifts.

Norman wrote over 200 scientific papers. His early papers were about birds, insects, amphibians, and fish. Later, he focused on molluscs, publishing major works between 1857 and 1861, and again from 1890 to 1899. In 1865, he wrote an important report on British echinoderms. This was the first major study of these animals since 1841.

In his final years, he mainly studied marine (sea) and freshwater invertebrates. He published important studies on different groups of crustaceans, sometimes working with other naturalists.

Norman's personal library, which included another scientist's collection of mollusc books, is now at the University of Cambridge.

Honours and Awards

Alfred Merle Norman received many honours for his scientific contributions:

• In 1880, he was chosen as a fellow of the Linnean Society of London, a famous group for natural history.
• The University of Durham gave him an honorary DCL degree in 1883.
• He was elected to the Royal Society in 1890, which is one of the oldest and most respected scientific organizations in the world.
• In 1906, he was awarded the Linnean Medal, a very high honour for achievements in botany or zoology.