British Record Research Articles

Earth's earliest forest: fossilized trees and vegetation-induced sedimentary structures from the Middle Devonian (Eifelian) Hangman Sandstone Formation, Somerset and Devon, SW England

The evolution of trees and forests through the Devonian Period fundamentally changed the Earth's land biosphere, as well as impacting physical environments and geomorphology by stabilizing sediments and interacting with flowing air and water. From the mid-Givetian Age onwards, lignophyte flora are known to have been key parts of the machinery in the so-called Devonian landscape factory, but the impact of earlier forests, dominated by less woody cladoxylopsids, are not as well understood. We report here evidence for a previously unrecognized cladoxylopsid forest landscape, archived within the Eifelian Hangman Sandstone Formation of Somerset and Devon, SW England. This unit has previously been considered palaeobotanically depauperate, but is here shown to contain the earliest fossil evidence for such trees in the British record, as well as the oldest known evidence globally for the relative position of standing trees: in common parlance, a fossil forest. In addition to abundant fossil material attributable to the cladoxylopsid tree Calamophyton , and other early Mid-Devonian flora, the sedimentary context of the plant remains sheds light on the biogeomorphic impacts of these earliest forests. The trees colonized a sizeable distributive fluvial system that was prone to seasonal disturbance events. The nature of the sedimentary system has created a bias to those facies where biogeomorphic signatures are most frequently recorded (from the distal parts of the system), but across the whole system there is evidence of plant–sediment interactions in the form of vegetation-induced sedimentary structures, rooting features and accumulations of plant debris. Plant remains are also found in nearshore facies adjacent to the distributive fluvial system, attesting to the development of a novel non-marine/marine teleconnection from the production and export of new biological sedimentary particles. The Hangman Sandstone Formation is illustrative of the revolutionary power of cladoxylopsid trees as biogeomorphic agents, forming densely spaced forests and shedding exceptionally abundant plant debris, while also impacting local landforms and sediment accumulations and profoundly changing landform resilience against flood disturbance events. These findings provide evidence that the Eifelian Stage (393.3–387.7 Ma) marks the onset of tree-driven changes to physical environments that would forever change Earth's non-marine landscapes and biosphere. Supplementary material: Details of sedimentary facies and additional images of plant fossils are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.7084873

Big enough to matter: on the frequency and chronology of giant handaxes in the British Lower Palaeolithic

Hypertrophic ‘giant’ handaxes are a rare component of Acheulean assemblages, yet have been central to debates relating to the social, cognitive and cultural ‘meaning’ of these enigmatic tools. The authors examine giant handaxes from the perspective of the British record and suggest that they are chronologically patterned, with the great majority originating from contexts broadly associated with Marine Isotope Stage 9. Giant handaxes tend to have higher symmetry than non-giants, and extravagant forms, such as ficrons, are better represented; they may therefore be linked to incipient aesthetic sensibilities and, potentially, to changing cognition at the transition between the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic.

Ontogenetic development of the European basal aquatic turtle <i>Pleurosternon bullockii</i> (Paracryptodira, Pleurosternidae)

Abstract. Several British specimens of relatively complete and partial shells of small pleurosternid turtles, found in the Purbeck Limestone Group (Berriasian, Lower Cretaceous), are analysed in detail here. Despite having been found more than a century ago, most of them remained unpublished until now. Due to the scarce knowledge available to date about the small individuals of Pleurosternidae from the British record, their taxonomic status was doubtful. Thus, some authors proposed their attribution to a new but not defined taxon of small size, whereas others suggested that they could represent juvenile individuals of Pleurosternon bullockii, the adults of which were also found in the Purbeck Limestone Group but at different levels. Knowledge about the shell of the adult individuals of Pleurosternon bullockii has notably increased recently, abundant information on its intraspecific variability being currently available. In this context, a detailed study of the small specimens through qualitative and quantitative approaches is performed here. The results are evidence a significant range of shape variability because of ontogenetic development, as well as other types of intraspecific variation such as inter-individual variation. As a consequence, their attribution to juvenile individuals of Pleurosternon bullockii is justified, providing new data on the ontogenetic development of a basal form.

Paralympic protest: athlete activism, apartheid South Africa, and the international sport boycott in British para sport, 1979–1981

ABSTRACT In October 1979, the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMGF) imposed a lifetime ban on Maggy Jones, a medal-winning British Paralympian. Her crime: distributing leaflets about the healthcare disparities in apartheid South Africa. Two years later, Bernard Leach, the British record holder in the freestyle swim, withdrew from the International Stoke Mandeville Games in protest when he learned that South Africa planned to send a team. ISMGF administrators took a softer line towards Leach, however, because the swimmer partnered with the British Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) to transform his withdrawal into a public relations weapon against Paralympic administrators. In recent years, historians have expanded our knowledge of the external struggle against apartheid, one of the most sustained and significant transnational movements of the twentieth century. This struggle, a notable antecedent of the Black Lives Matter movement, played out in all realms of sport, yet little has been written about campaigns of anti-apartheid solidarity within the Paralympic movement. This study of Paralympic protests and the politics of public critique adds to this literature, centres athlete agency in British disability sport, and offers an important perspective on sport, race, and protest to better understand the Black Lives Matter movement.

Morphological variability and shell characterization of the European uppermost Jurassic to lowermost Cretaceous stem turtle Pleurosternon bullockii (Paracryptodira, Pleurosternidae)

The British taxon Pleurosternon bullockii corresponds to the best represented member of Pleurosternidae, this lineage of Paracryptodira being the only one of aquatic basal turtles (stem Testudines) identified in both the Upper Jurassic and the Lower Cretaceous records of Europe. Despite the high number of available specimens of Pleurosternon bullockii, most of them found more than a century ago, the vast majority remained unpublished or poorly studied. A detailed study of the morphological variability in the shell of Pleurosternon bullockii is carried out here for the first time. It is based on the study of around sixty specimens from the British record, the vast majority from the Berriasian. The availability of so many specimens, most of them very well-preserved, is unique for a European Lower Cretaceous turtle, but also exceptional for the Mesozoic record worldwide. In this way, its shell anatomy can be characterized in detail, based on both qualitative and quantitative studies. A landmark-based geometric morphometric method has been applied to develop the quantitative approach, as well as several statistical techniques in order to extensively identify and characterize the shell elements affected by a greater range of variability. The results evidence a significant range of the shape variability for several elements at the mature stage of Pleurosternon bullockii, regarding both polymorphisms as well as sexual dimorphism. Several shell characters of this form are characterized for the first time or reinterpreted, and an amended diagnosis for the reference taxon of the clade Pleurosternidae is proposed.

A Call For Solidarity:Pro-Palestinian Activity in the Trucial States, 1936–39

While the contemporary political and economic ties between the Gulf region and the Levant are widely acknowledged, the deeper historical roots of this modern relationship are rarely recognized in light of persistent narratives of the Gulf’s relative isolation before the discovery of its hydrocarbon wealth. Building on a study of the British archival record, this article contributes to a challenge of such narratives by examining one of the earliest instances in which mutual ties became manifest: the political and financial support for the Arabs of Palestine by the population of the Trucial States (the contemporary United Arab Emirates) in the interwar years. As is shown, the development of pro-Palestinian sentiment was enabled not only by an earlier expansion of education in the Trucial States, but also by rapidly developing communication links between the Gulf and the wider Arab world. As a result of these developments, the population of the Trucial States was subject to –– and proved receptive to –– calls for Arab and Muslim solidarity emanating from Palestine in the late 1930s.

The British Record Commission, Its Secretary C. P. Cooper, and Two of His German Correspondents during the 1830s

AbstractThis paper presents previously unknown pieces of correspondence between C. P. Cooper (1793–1873), the secretary of the British Record Commission, and two German scholars who supported the Commission’s search for sources concerning the history of the English language and its literature. The letters illustrate how the Commission’s research effort on the Continent was organised by Cooper and his German partners. Their course of action will be contextualised within the Commission’s history up to its abrupt end in 1837 in order to show to what extent these research endeavours and the correspondences were determined by adversarial circumstances that led first to a Parliamentary inquiry into the Commission’s work and finally to its termination.

Matthew Davies , Catherine Ferguson , Vanessa Harding , Elizabeth Parkinson and Andrew Wareham (editors), London and Middlesex hearth tax, part I and part 2 (London: British Records Society, 2014). Pages xviii + 1825, including figures 39 + tables 41 + maps 22. £60 hardback.

Matthew Davies , Catherine Ferguson , Vanessa Harding , Elizabeth Parkinson and Andrew Wareham (editors), London and Middlesex hearth tax, part I <i>and</i> part 2 (London: British Records Society, 2014). Pages xviii + 1825, including figures 39 + tables 41 + maps 22. £60 hardback.

A ‘boaring’ tale: an interesting collection of Elaphomyces papillatus, a new British record

A ‘boaring’ tale: an interesting collection of Elaphomyces papillatus, a new British record

BACK-BONE OR BURDEN? THE ROLE OF THE RPS IN THE BRA

The place of the Records Preservation Section (RPS) within the British Records Association (BRA) has come under regular scrutiny often at times of financial crisis. Using the BRA archives deposited at the London Metropolitan Archives, this article explores the changing role of the RPS over the last 85 years and its influence in the development of the Association and the broader archive sector.

David Pearson (1941–2017)

David Pearson (1941–2017)

Open for investigation: An interview with Stephen Mallinder

Abstract

The British List: A Checklist of Birds of Britain (9th edition)

The British List: A Checklist of Birds of Britain (9th edition)

Identification of Podocnemididae (Pleurodira) in the British record by the first specimen of the coastal Eocenochelus recognized outside Continental Europe

A turtle shell from the lower Eocene of the Bracklesham Bay (Sussex, England), preserving the partial carapace and the almost complete plastron, is studied here. It is recognized as a member of Pleurodira, being attributed to the coastal podocnemidid Eocenochelus. This systematic identification confirms the presence of Podocnemididae in the British record, corresponding to the first evidence of the presence of this genus of the Erymnochelys group (Erymnochelyinae) outside continental Europe. The finding shows that this lineage of African origin not only reached southern France during the early Eocene, but its dispersion towards higher latitudes also occurred at that time, across epicontinental areas.

East–West European Middle Pleistocene correlation – the contribution of the first British record of Aracites interglacialis Wieliczk.

Abstract Reported here is the first record of the extinct Aracites interglacialis Wieliczk. (possibly in the family Araceae) from the British Pleistocene at Gilson, Warwickshire in the English Midlands. The palynological assemblages from the Aracites interglacialis seed-bearing sediments at Gilson support a correlation with those from the Hoxnian stratotype at Hoxne, Suffolk, England (Middle Pleistocene). The data indicate correlation with the middle and latter part of the Hoxnian Stage (correlated with the Holsteinian Stage). Like at Hoxne, the organic sediments at Gilson occur in a small depression (probably a kettle hole) on Anglian cold Stage (correlated with the Elsterian Stage) outwash sands and gravels, showing that they were deposited after this glaciation ended. Velichkevich et al. (2004) stated that Aracites interglacialis “is characteristic only of the Mazovian interglacial and is abundant in fossil floras in Poland, Belarus and Russia”. Using the presence of Aracites interglacialis as a biostratigraphic marker therefore allows the correlation of the British Hoxnian Stage with the Belarussian Alexandrian Stage, Polish Mazovian Stage and the Russian Likhvinian Stage.

Pioneering women archivists in England: Ethel Stokes (1870\u20131944), record agent

This paper explores the life of Miss Ethel Stokes who was significantly involved in several major historical, literary and archival enterprises in early twentieth-century England. She established the Records Preservation Section of the British Records Association, she edited historical records and wrote for publication in works of reference including local and British Record Society volumes, the Victoria County History of England and the Complete Peerage, and she established an independent and successful business as a record agent, Stokes and Cox. The article is the first in a planned series which will study the lives and professional contributions of pioneering women archivists in England. An explanation of the background to this work, a literature review and a justification of the need for this new field of study are articulated in Shepherd’s chapter, ‘Hidden voices in the archives: pioneering women archivists in early twentieth century England’ (Shepherd in Engaging with archives and records: histories and theories. Facet Publishing, London, 2016). In line with the collective biographical approach outlined there, this paper will consider Miss Stokes’s family and educational background, her friendships, charitable work and her professional activities and projects, seeking to set her into the context of her own times.

Mid-to-late Marine Isotope Stage 3 mammal faunas of Britain: a new look

Conscious of the difficulty of reliably dating Pleistocene-age bone we re-examine the British record of radiocarbon-dated fauna from mid-to-late Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and early MIS 2, largely known from carnivore accumulations at cave sites. Although the data does not allow for firm conclusions, some observations can be made. An apparent dearth of remains c. 39 ka cal BP may reflect environmental deterioration during Greenland Stadial 9. A last occurrence of hyaena shortly before 35 ka cal BP is earlier than that proposed previously, and their extirpation probably helps to explain a paucity of dated remains <34 ka cal BP; however, we do not confidently rule out their presence 32–31 ka cal BP. The records of hyaena and wolf raise the possibility that their ranges were partially separate, with wolf thriving when climatic downturns brought greater snow-cover. From 34 ka cal BP a more restricted range of taxa is attested. This change coincides with climatic deterioration observable in ice-core and terrestrial records.

Arthur Bruce and the historical importance of Frogden, Roxburghshire to the Scottish flora

Arthur Bruce is a little-known eighteenth-century Scottish botanist and land surveyor who discovered Eriophorum latifolium at Frogden in 1793. This was one of the very earliest records in the British Isles for this misunderstood species and a first for Scotland. He corresponded with Sir James Edward Smith, the founder of the Linnean Society, and gifted his herbarium to the Society. Epipactis palustris was another of his discoveries at Frogden. His younger botanical friend, the Rev. William MacRitchie from Perthshire, was introduced to Frogden by Bruce and added the first dated British record of Potamogeton coloratus from there in 1790. William Dawson, the highly regarded progressive farmer at Frogden, systematically drained the site assisted by Bruce, and the plants were lost. Unexpectedly, a new site for the Eriophorum was recently discovered relatively close to Frogden.

Largest shell of a basal eucryptodiran turtle reveals Late Jurassic Thalassemys hugii in the British record

A British turtle specimen with the largest shell of a basal eucryptodiran turtle recognized globally is presented and analyzed. It belongs to Thalassemys hugii, the type species of both Thalassemys and Thalassemydidae, a poorly-known European Late Jurassic clade. T. hugii is recognized outside Central Europe for the first time. Therefore, this finding offers new data on its geographical distribution and on its intraspecific variability.

Dinosaur Palaeontology and their Environment

Since 1999 the small town of Salas de los Infantes (Burgos, Spain) has been the meeting point where a palaeontology congress on dinosaurs and their biotic environment has been and continues to be held. This is the only theme conference on Mesozoic dinosaurs that is organized in Spain. The sixth edition was published in September 2013 (VI Jornadas Internacionales de Dinosaurios y su Entorno/VI International Conference on Dinosaurs and their Environment; Torcida Fernandez-Baldor and Huerta, 2013). From its beginning, the symposium has presented studies that reflect the state of research on these fascinating animals, and have showed that several research groups located in different Spanish institutions have grown in number and experience over the years. Currently in Spain, the research work on dinosaurs and other contemporary species that interacted with them during the Mesozoic is internationally recognized for the interest of the studied fossil-sites and for the quality of the developed projects, despite living immersed in an unfavorable time for funding scientific research. This situation has led to the collaboration with specialists from other countries and greater attention in international scientific forums towards the Iberian palaeontological heritage. This special issue Dinosaur Palaeontology and Environment consists of twelve papers dealing with diverse topics on vertebrate palaeobiology. It provides a view of the current state-of-the-art of the vertebrate palaeontology made in Spain. The majority of the contributions are based on fossils found in the Iberian Peninsula and particularly in the Iberian Range, either skeletal bones or tracks and eggshells. The articles are focused on the second half of the Mesozoic: four in the Middle-Late Jurassic or the Jurassic-Cretaceous interval, four in the Early Cretaceous and four in the latest Cretaceous. Topics of study are diverse and range from the diversity of the Late Jurassic turtles of Europe to the evolution of the latest Cretaceous Iberian dinosaurs and associated fauna, passing through new records of crocodylomorphs in Teruel and the palaeobiological implications based on sauropod tracks from Portugal and Spain, among others. Two articles are related to European turtles. In the first one, Perez-Garcia (2015a) revised the British record of Tropidemys, a plesiochelyd genus well known in the Kimmeridgian of Switzerland and Germany. “Pelobatochelys” blakii from the Kimmeridge Clay of Dorset (England) is considered to be a valid species of Tropidemys. Moreover, the presence of Tropidemys in the Lusitanian Basin enlarges the diversity of plesiochelyd turtles in the Late Jurassic of Portugal. In the second paper, the diversity of eucryptodiran turtles in the Late Jurassic of Europe is increased thanks to the revision of two problematic specimens: Enaliochelys chelonia from the Kimmeridgian of Cambridgeshire (England), regarded as a valid taxon by Perez-Garcia (2015b), and “Thalassemys moseri” from the Tithonian of the Oleron Island (France), which Preface Dinosaur Palaeontology and Environment