The Impact of the 19th Century Fossil Diggings on the Church

Download or read book The Impact of the 19th Century Fossil Diggings on the Church written by Bernard O'Connor and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2011-10-29 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the mid-1840s a new industry started in southeast Suffolk, that of digging fossils. Known as 'coprolites', some thought them to be fossilised dinosaur droppings. Rich in phosphate they were much in demand by the nation's manure manufacturers. By the 1846s the diggings had spread to Cambridgeshire, hertfordshire, bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Many thousands of men and women, boys and girls, got well-paid work in the pits but there were issues of in-migration, overcrowding and drunkenness. This book investigates the impact of the diggings on the church and its attempts to alleviate the social problems.