Record

RefNoMS/744/3/1
LevelFile
TitleFossil notebook of Henry James
Date1843-c.1846
DescriptionContaining drawings, largely of trilobites, with associated notes on classification. Each sheet is headed with the type genus. Probably reproduced from printed sources. With a few geological field sketches from the area of Portland and Lulworth in Dorset.

f.1r. Remopleurides
f.2r. Ceraures and Paradoxides
f.3r. Ampyx
f.4r. Trinucleus
f.5r Harpes
f.5v. Harpes macrocephalus
f.6r. Brontes
f.6v. Brontes flabellifer
f.6v/7r. Arges armatus
f.7r. Arges
f.8r. Nuattainia (Paton); Lichas (Dalman)
f.9r. Phacops
f.11r. Calymene
f.12r. Amphion
f. 14r. Isotelus
f.15r. Untitled detail
f.16r. Illaenus
f.17r. Ogypia [notes only]
f.18r. Battus
f.19r. Phillipsia
f.20r. Griffithides
f.21r./22v. Arges armatus
f.23r. Dithyrocaris
f.24r Limulus
f.31r. Graptolites
f.38v. Asteria? "from Australia"
f.42r. Untitled rough sketch
f.59r. Untitled fossil sketch with a note [on purchase price?] "John Gover, Swannage, £5"
f.60r. Untitled rough sketch
f.60v.-61r. Panoramic landscape sketch of Lulworth Cove, Dorset
f. 61v.-62r. Field sketch of geological strata at Lulworth Cove, Dorset
f. 63r. 64r. Field sketches of petrified wood and tree roots, one notes as "Portland 30 May".
f.64v.-65r. Geological section of Portland with key.
f.66v. Lists of trilobites, headed "At Cloneen Castle, Waterford" and "At Tramore".

The notebook was commenced in March 1843 in Dublin, Ireland. In that year, James was posted as local superintendent of the ordnance survey of Ireland, working under under the geologist Sir Henry De La Beche FRS (1796-1855). The connection may have stimulated James's interest in fossils. De La Beche used his survey position to encourage the collection of specimens and employed palaeontologists including John Phillips FRS (1800-1874).

Henry James left the survey became a chief engineer within the Portsmouth dockyard establishment in 1846.

The notebook was commercially purchased and bears the label "Jones's superior metallic books".
Extent1 volume
FormatManuscript
PhysicalDescriptionGreen leather binding with a brass metal clasp and intergral pencil. Faded edge marbling and marbled end papers
Dimensions16x8.5cms
AccessStatusOpen
URLDescriptionDigital version available on The Royal Society Turning the Pages
URLhttp://ttp.royalsociety.org/ttp/ttp.html?id=30040ba5-2366-4f64-9198-819c907ca6cd&type=book
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