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Talk:Mary Anning

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Latest comment: 6 months ago by Adewebbexeter in topic Talk deletion?
Featured articleMary Anning is a featured article; it (or a previous version of it) has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Wikipedia community. Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do so.
Main Page trophyThis article appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page as Today's featured article on May 21, 2012, and on May 21, 2024.
On this day... Article milestones
DateProcessResult
March 5, 2010Good article nomineeListed
September 26, 2010Featured article candidateNot promoted
June 15, 2011Featured article candidatePromoted
On this day... Facts from this article were featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "On this day..." column on March 9, 2017, March 9, 2021, March 9, 2022, and March 9, 2023.
Current status: Featured article

Additional information on events of 19th August 1800

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I am an academic at the University of Exeter, currently conducting research into oral histories of events that subsequently turn into source-histories of paranormal phenomena. I have previously published on inaccuracies in historical accounts that are then widely adopted (cf ttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/metrics/10.1080/03080188.2023.2249208). As a local resident of Lyme Regis, I have been researching the history of Martha Drower, a 15 year old girl who died in the lightning strike of 19th August 1800 that Mary Anning survived. I have discovered more information on the incident that might be useful and interesting to add to the 'early childhood' section of this page but cannot gain edit access yet. Any information on how to do so would be appreciated. Adewebbexeter (talk) 12:04, 29 October 2024 (UTC)Reply

Can you point to a published source? DS (talk) 22:48, 30 October 2024 (UTC)Reply
Hi. Here, (bottom left) is the Dorset microfilm record of the burial of Martha Drower and Elizabeth Haskings. Note the annotation "Killed by Lightning". https://sites.exeter.ac.uk/philosophy-psychedelics/wp-content/uploads/sites/407/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-31-at-10.37.59.png
Here is the Dorset Archive annotation of the incident: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/3877baa0-80de-4e4d-aa4e-aa4bd3dea0c1 Adewebbexeter (talk) 10:51, 31 October 2024 (UTC)Reply
Okay. That's not nothing.
What do you want to add to the article? DS (talk) 17:49, 31 October 2024 (UTC)Reply
I haven't used the word nothing so not sure what you're referring to. Adewebbexeter (talk) 19:19, 31 October 2024 (UTC)Reply
That was my own assessment: you do indeed have sources. Some academics, or purported academics, who want to add content to articles, do so without being able to point to published sources. Sorry for the misunderstanding; I believe I may have been thinking in terms of my edit here.
You have sources. What do you want to add to the article? DS (talk) 19:36, 31 October 2024 (UTC)Reply
Probably just a sentence to expand the lightning incident with the additional detail. Shall I add it here with the references in the right format perhaps? Adewebbexeter (talk) 20:16, 31 October 2024 (UTC)Reply
That would be fine. DS (talk) 20:19, 31 October 2024 (UTC)Reply
Hi. I've contacted the archivist to check for permissions on use of the digital image of the burial report. As soon as they come back, I will let you know. Adewebbexeter (talk) 07:49, 2 November 2024 (UTC)Reply
I believe documents which are a) pure text with no creative input, b) product of a government, and c) over two centuries old, can be reasonably assumed to be in the public domain. DS (talk) 21:19, 2 November 2024 (UTC)Reply
The EULA of the archive website looks a bit strict and also the viewer (that isn't linkable) is somewhat small so will wait to see if they can provide a better digital permalink. Thanks though. Useful to know. I have also asked for a file that is not hosted digitally in the archive that is the inquest into the lightning strike that Anning survived and her nurse + 2 were killed. That may be more revealing. Adewebbexeter (talk) 21:30, 2 November 2024 (UTC)Reply


Talk deletion?

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Why have the proposed changes discussed in talk re Mary Anning been removed? I am awaiting permissions from the Dorset Archive centre to link to the archive document that details this event. Don't really appreciate talk entries being deleted. That's what they're there for. Adewebbexeter (talk) 17:41, 1 February 2025 (UTC)Reply

It's in Archive 2, for which there's a link on this page. The archiving should be set such that some threads are left, to avoid exactly this problem. I'll see if I can figure how to do that. Mikenorton (talk) 00:20, 2 February 2025 (UTC)Reply
@Adewebbexeter: And it's back - I've updated the archive parameters such that at least five threads are kept before archiving. Mikenorton (talk) 19:04, 2 February 2025 (UTC)Reply
You did what?????? ~2025-34661-89 (talk) 18:34, 18 November 2025 (UTC)Reply
Hi Mike. I've been buried in PhD for the last year and not been able to devote any time to this research (or asking about the Wikipedia entry) but was reminded by the mentions of Mary Anning on .
I still believe it's of historical interest that Mary as a baby survived a lightning strike that two others, one of whom was likely her nurse holding her at the time. Here is a link to the annotation of the coroner that's held by the museum in Lyme Regis: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/t99uz75ve4edwgn080msn/Death-of-E.-Hoskings-and-Martha-Drower.pdf?rlkey=cxaj3jykdtyelfxl70mbjnwrc&st=r29zxcoe&dl=0
The evidence is strong enough and its of genuine biographical interest. Martha Drower seems to have been an unfortunate bystander under the same tree. Some sites also discuss the odd coincidence that (our) Mary was named after her unfortunate sister who died in a fire two years before. This report suggests (our) Mary should by rights herself have perished in a fire but survived.
Best wishes
Adrian Adewebbexeter (talk) 14:42, 8 January 2026 (UTC)Reply