Elizabeth Philpot facts for kids

Elizabeth Philpot

Elizabeth Philpot (1780–1857) was an amazing British fossil collector and artist from the early 1800s. She found many fossils along the cliffs near Lyme Regis in England. She is famous for working closely with her friend, the well-known fossil hunter Mary Anning. Elizabeth was known for her deep understanding of fossil fish and had a huge collection of them. Important scientists like William Buckland and Louis Agassiz often asked for her advice. When Mary Anning found ink inside belemnite fossils, Elizabeth discovered that this ancient ink could be mixed with water and used to draw! Soon, many local artists were using it.

Her Life and Friendship with Mary Anning

Elizabeth Philpot was born on July 5, 1779. In 1805, she and her sisters, Mary and Margaret, moved from London to Lyme Regis. Their brother, who was a lawyer, bought them a house there. The sisters lived in Lyme for the rest of their lives.

The Philpot sisters became well known in the area. They were famous for collecting fossils. They also made and shared a special homemade medicine, a soothing cream.

Elizabeth Philpot became friends with Mary Anning when Mary was still a child. Even though Elizabeth was almost 20 years older, and Mary came from a much poorer family, they became very close. People often saw them collecting fossils together. Elizabeth encouraged Mary to read about geology. She wanted Mary to understand the science behind the fossils she found and sold.

Her Fossil Collection

The Philpot sisters had a very large fossil collection. They labeled everything carefully. Many geologists used their collection for their research. All three sisters helped build the collection. However, Elizabeth Philpot was the one who wrote to important geologists. She talked with scientists like William Buckland, William Conybeare, and Henry De la Beche about their fossils.

Their collection was especially famous for its fossil fish. It also held fossil teeth. These teeth were used by William Buckland. He combined them with a famous partial skeleton found by Mary Anning. This helped him describe a flying reptile called a pterosaur. It was named Pterodactylus macronyx in 1829. Later, it was renamed Dimorphodon macronyx.

In 1824, Conybeare wrote an important paper. It described an almost complete plesiosaur skeleton found by Anning. In his paper, he mentioned seeing a plesiosaur skull. This skull was owned by "Miss Philpot."

In 1834, Buckland arranged for a Swiss scientist, Louis Agassiz, to visit Lyme. Agassiz wanted to work with Elizabeth Philpot and Mary Anning. He wanted to study the fish fossils found in the area. They showed him fossils of 34 different species. Agassiz was very impressed by how much Elizabeth and Mary knew. He wrote in his journal that they showed him "with utter certainty" which shark fin fossils belonged to different types of sharks. He thanked both women in his big book, Studies of Fossil Fish. He even named a fossil fish species, Eugnathus philpotae, after Elizabeth Philpot. He named two other species after Mary Anning.

Fossil Ink Discovery

In 1826, Mary Anning found something amazing. She discovered what looked like a chamber with dried ink inside a belemnite fossil. She showed it to her friend Elizabeth Philpot. Elizabeth was able to bring the ink back to life. She mixed it with water. Then, she used it to draw some of her own ichthyosaur fossils. Soon, other artists in the area started doing the same. More of these fossilized ink chambers were found.

Her Lasting Legacy

The Philpot sisters' important fossil collection is now kept at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. The Philpot Museum was built in Lyme Regis to honor the sisters. It is now known as the Lyme Regis Museum. Their nephew, Thomas Philpot, had it built.

In 2009, Tracy Chevalier wrote a historical novel. It was called Remarkable Creatures. The book was about Elizabeth Philpot and Mary Anning. In March 2010, an Australian company bought the rights to make a movie from the book. Elizabeth is played by actress Fiona Shaw in the romantic drama film Ammonite (2020).

See also

In Spanish: Elizabeth Philpot para niños