science

Palaeontographical Society

Palaeontographical Society is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Palaeontographical Society rather than just read about it. In short: The Palaeontographical Society is a learned society, established in 1847, and is the oldest extant society devoted to the advancement of palaeontological knowledge. The society publishes monographs that further its primary purpose, which is to promote the description and illustration of fossil floras and faunas from Great Britain and Ireland.

Key takeaways

Palaeontographical Society belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Palaeontographical Society to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Palaeontographical Society from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Palaeontographical Society is a learned society, established in 1847, and is the oldest extant society devoted to the advancement of palaeontological knowledge. The society publishes monographs that further its primary purpose, which is to promote the description and illustration of fossil floras and faunas from Great Britain and Ireland. It also awards medals, prizes, and financial support for research dedicated to the taxonomy and systematic palaeontology of British and Irish fossils.

History The precursor of the Paleontographical Society was the London Clay Club, which was founded in 1836 by James Scott Bowerbank and six other naturalists; the club was superseded in 1847 by the Palaeontographical Society. The first council of the Society was presided over by Sir Henry Thomas de la Beche. Initial membership included: Prof. Thomas Bell, Frederick E. Edwards, Sir Philip de Malpas Grey Egerton, Hugh Falconer, William H. Fitton, J.W. Flower, Prof. Edward Forbes, Levett Landon Boscawen Ibbetson, Charles Lyell, John Morris, Prof. John Phillips, Joseph Prestwich, Daniel Sharpe, James Smith, Nathaniel T. Wetherell and Alfred White; the Treasurer was Searles Wood, and Honorary Secretary was J.S. Bowerbank. Thirty-seven local secretaries were also appointed. Notable members of the Society included Robert Heddle, William King, Charles Maclaren, Gideon Mantell, Sir Roderick Murchison and Reverend Adam Sedgwick. The membership totalled almost 600 individuals and institutions. In the following years, eminent scientists such as Richard Owen, Charles Darwin, Robert Chambers and Laurent-Guillaume de Koninck joined the ranks of the Society.

Logo The Palaeontographical Society's logo features a specimen of Eteoderoceras obesum (Spath, 1925), from the Black Ven Marls, Raricostatum Zone, Densinodulum Subzone, Sinemurian, Lower Jurassic of Stonebarrow, Charmouth, Dorset. The specimen was collected by James Frederick Jackson (1894-1966), of Charmouth – it was featured on Plate 10, fig. 2a of a recent monograph, and is held in Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales.

Monographs of the Palaeontographical Society Since starting publishing in March 1848 (Part 1 of Searles Valentine Wood's A Monograph of the Crag Mollusca), the society has published over 600 monographs. Many famous names have published monographs through the Palaeontographical Society. Charles Darwin published his monograph on fossil barnacles, and Richard Owen set out his early descriptions of dinosaurs, as well as his monograph on Mesozoic fossil mammals. Historically, the Palaeontographical Society published and distributed these monographs on its own. However, the society has recently established a partnership with Taylor & Francis who now take care of their publication, distribution, and online hosting. Taylor & Francis are also working to digitise all back issues of the series so that they are available to active members.

examples 1851, Darwin's Fossil Lepadidae 1855, Darwin's Fossil Balanidae and Verrucidae 1861–1881, Owen's Fossil Reptilia of the Liassic 1871, Owen's Fossil Mammals of the Liassic Formations 1901–1918, Elles & Wood's British Graptolites 2010, Hooker, J.J., The mammal fauna of the early Eocene Blackheath formation of Abbey Wood, London. Monographs of the Palaeontographical Society, 1–153 (Publ 671 part of Volume 164). 2013, Mohibullah, M., Williams, M. & Zalasiewicz, J.A. Late Ordovician ostracods of the Girvan District, south-west Scotland. Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society London: pp. 1–40, pls 1–6 (Publ 640, part of Volume 167). 2013, Copestake, P. & Johnson, B. Lower Jurassic foraminifera from the Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) borehole, north Wales, UK. Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society London: pp. 1–403, pls 1–21 (Publ 641, part of Volume 167). 2014, Smith, A.S. & Benson, R.B.J. Osteology of Rhomaleosaurus thorntoni (Sauropterygia: Rhomaleosauridae) from the Lower Jurassic (Toarcian) of Northamptonshire, England. Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society London: pp. 1–40, pls 1–35 (Publ 642, part of Volume 168). 2014, Donovan, S.K. & Fearnhead, F.E. The British Devonian Crinoidea. Part 1 – Introduction and Camerata. Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society London: pp. 1–55, pls 1–15 (Publ 643, part of Volume 168). 2015, Smith, A.B. British Jurassic regular echinoids. Part 1 (Introduction, Cidaroida, Echinothurioida, Aspidodiadematoida and Pedinoida). Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society London: pp. 1–67, pls 1–41 (Publ 644, part of Volume 169). 2015, Wright, C.W. & Kennedy, W.J. The Ammonoidea of the Lower Chalk. Part 6. Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society London: pp. 404–459, pls 125–145 (Publ 645, part of Volume 169). 2025 Gale, A.S. British Fossil Cirripedia. Part 2, Calanticomorpha, Scalpellomorpha. Monographs of the Palaeontographical Society, 105–193 (Publ 671, part of Volume 179).

Grants and awards The Palaeontographical Society has five grants and awards to celebrate and provide support for research dedicated to the taxonomy and systematic palaeontology of British and Irish fossils.

The Edward Forbes Prize The Edward Forbes Prize is awarded for publication excellence by early career researchers in the field of taxonomic and systematic palaeontology.

The Richard Owen Research Fund The Richard Owen Research Fund serves to support palaeontological research (travel and accommodation for collections visits and/or fieldwork, analytical work, etc.) for describing the fossil fauna and flora of the UK and Ireland.

The Marsh Palaeoart Award This award recognises talent in the depiction of fossil fauna and flora of the UK and Ireland.

The Bulman Fund The Bulman Fund exists to help in the preparation of illustrations for monographs of the Society that have been accepted, and especially those that are in an advanced stage of preparation.

Palaeontographical Society Medal The Palaeontographical Society Medal is awarded biennially in recognition of a sustained and important series of contributions to the taxonomic and systematic palaeontology of Great Britain and Ireland, especially those which address problems of palaeogeography, palaeoecology and phylogeny. Recipients are not limited to palaeontologists based in the UK and Ireland. Past recipients:

2014: Professor William James Kennedy (first recipient) 2016: Dr Adrian W.A. Rushton 2018: Dr Robert Owens 2020: Professor Jenny Clack 2022: Professor Susan E Evans 2024: Dr Paul Taylor 2026: Dr Jerry J. Hooker

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Palaeontographical Society

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Palaeontographical Society claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Palaeontographical Society before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Palaeontographical Society ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Palaeontographical Society

In research: Palaeontographical Society appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Palaeontographical Society in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Palaeontographical Society is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1847 establishments in the United Kingdom, Paleontological institutions and organizations, Paleontology in the United Kingdom, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Palaeontographical Society outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Palaeontographical Society in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Palaeontographical Society means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Palaeontographical Society out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Palaeontographical Society in simple terms?

Why does Palaeontographical Society matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Palaeontographical Society?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Palaeontographical Society.