Anna Thynne

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This article is about the British marine zoologist. For the Hungarian actress, see Anna Thynn, Marchioness of Bath.

Anna Thynne, Lady John Thynne
Anna Constantia (née Beresford), Lady Thynne; Selina Thynne; Emily Thynne by Richard James Lane.jpg
Anna Thynne with her daughters Selina and Emily
Born
Anna Constantia Beresford

1806[1]
Walford, Waterford, Ireland[2]
Died22 April 1866
NationalityBritish
CitizenshipBritish
Known formarine zoology
Spouse(s) (1798–1881)
Scientific career
Fieldszoology

Anna Constantia Thynne, Lady John Thynne (née Beresford; 1806–1866) was a British marine zoologist.[1] In 1846, she built the first stable and sustained marine aquarium and maintained corals and sponges in it for over three years.[3]

Lady John Thynne’s first love was geology, but in 1846 she encountered her first Madrepore and became enraptured with something that appeared to be a rock, but was a living being.[4] Wanting to take specimens back to London from Torquay, she fixed the Madrepores to a sponge with a needle and thread, within a stone jar. She then transferred them to a glass bowl, changing the water every other day. Not having enough of a supply to continue to replace the seawater, she then switched to aerating it by transferring the water between vessels in front of an open window, a task usually undertaken by her servant.[5]

In 1847 she added marine plants to the bowls, and in two years had created the first balanced marine aquarium.[6]

Thynne’s work inspired Philip Henry Gosse, who developed the Fish House at London Zoo in 1853.[7]

She was married to (1798–1881), a Canon and Sub-Dean of Westminster Abbey, and the third son of Thomas Thynne, 2nd Marquess of Bath. Her correct style was thus "Lady John Thynne".

Publication[]

"On the increase of Madrepores". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. London: Taylor and Francis. 3 (29): 449–461. 1859.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Stott, Rebecca, Theatres of Glass: The woman who brought the sea to the city, Short Books, 2003.
  2. ^ "Anne Constantia Thynne (Beresford; c.1800 - 1866)". Geni.[unreliable source?]
  3. ^ William Atford LLoyd (1876). "Aquaria : their Past, Present, and Future". The American Naturalist. Cambridge, MA: The Riverside Press. X (10): 615. doi:10.1086/271750. S2CID 85148792.
  4. ^ The Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Zoology, Botany, and Geology. Taylor & Francis, Limited. 1859. p. 449. anne thynne zoology.
  5. ^ Adamowsky, Natascha (6 October 2015). The Mysterious Science of the Sea, 1775–1943. Routledge. ISBN 9781317317203.
  6. ^ Adamowsky, Natascha (6 October 2015). The Mysterious Science of the Sea, 1775–1943. Routledge. ISBN 9781317317203.
  7. ^ "The Fish House at ZSL London Zoo - the first public aquarium". Zoological Society of London (ZSL). Retrieved 29 July 2019.


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