William Bean (1787–1866) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

and conchologist. He was a pioneer of Yorkshire geology. In 1859, he sold his collection of over 15,000 fossils (mostly from localities around

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

). The majority of his collection was purchased by the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

and the

Yorkshire Philosophical Society The Yorkshire Philosophical Society (YPS) is a charitable learned society (charity reg. 529709) which aims to promote the public understanding of the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the archaeology and history of York and Yorkshire. ...

. Bean described several new species of Mollusca, including the

whelk Whelk (also known as scungilli) is a common name applied to various kinds of sea snail. Although a number of whelks are relatively large and are in the family Buccinidae (the true whelks), the word ''whelk'' is also applied to some other marin ...

'' Beringius turtoni'', named in honor of

William Turton William Turton (21 May 1762 – 28 December 1835) was an English physician and naturalist. He is known for his pioneering work in conchology, and for translating Linnaeus' ''Systema Naturae'' into English. Biography He was born at Olveston, ...

. Bean was associated with the ''

Magazine of Natural History The ''Journal of Natural History'' is a scientific journal published by Taylor & Francis focusing on entomology and zoology. The journal was established in 1841 under the name ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'' (''Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist.'') ...

'', and was a friend of

Joshua Alder Joshua Alder (7 April 1792 – 21 January 1867) was a British cheesemonger and amateur zoologist and malacologist. As such, he specialized in the Tunicata, and in gastropods. He was a member of the Natural History Society of Northumberland a ...

and

Albany Hancock Albany Hancock (24 December 1806 – 1873), English naturalist, biologist and supporter of Charles Darwin, was born on Christmas Eve in Newcastle upon Tyne. He is best known for his works on marine animals and coal-measure fossils. Albany Hanco ...

References

Ian Massey, 1978 The William Bean shell collection -Wood End Museum of Natural History, Scarborough ''Porcupine Newsletter'' Vol 1 No.6
English palaeontologists 1787 births 1866 deaths 19th-century British geologists {{Geologist-stub