Sir John St Aubyn's mineral collection in detail

The exact origins of Sir John St Aubyn’s mineral collection is unknown, but he must have had a substantial collection at least as early as 1794, when he met and employed Count Jacques Louis de Bournon (1751 to 1825), to order his collection.

In 1799, Sir John made two major purchases: the minerals formally owned by Richard Greene (for £100), and the enormous collection of minerals assembled by Dr. Babington, who had previously bought the collection from the Earl of Bute. These acquisitions, along with St Aubyn’s collection, were amalgamated and catalogued by Count de Bournon in 1815.

Transferral of the collection

When St Aubyn died, his own estate was deeply in debt, and much of his property had been sold. The mineral dealer Isaiah Deck (1792 to 1853) was commissioned to help dispose of the mineral collection in 1834. A small collection was formed for Lady St Aubyn and another for Mrs Parnell (his daughter). An extensive collection was then arranged for the Civil Military Library at Devonport and the remaining minerals were auctioned, many of which were bought by Deck himself.

The Devonport collection was later presented to the Mechanics Institute of Devonport in 1876 and subsequently transferred to the Devonport Museum in 1881. After the amalgamation of the Three Towns in 1915, an attempt was made to restore the collection to its original condition before transferring it to the main Plymouth City Museum in 1924.

Identifying St Aubyn minerals

There is much interest in the 'missing' elements of the collection and the journey to their respective resting places. As part of the St Aubyn Project, Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery is trying to locate other specimens from Sir John’s mineral collection to record their existence and whereabouts. The museum has identified a number of older labels that are associated with the specimens.

To find out more about the research and significance of these labels and others associated with the collection, please see the mineral labels page. If you have a mineral with any of these labels or you think you may have a Sir John St Aubyn specimen, please contact the Natural History Project Assistant on 01752 304774.

You can find out more about Sir John St Aubyn, or return to the natural history collections page for information on the other collections we hold.

Sources

• Cooper, M P (2006), Robbing the Sparry Garniture - a 200-year history of British mineral dealers, Mineralogical Record, Inc. Tucson, Arizona
• Wilson, WE (1994), The history of mineral collecting 1530 to 1799, The Mineralogical Record, 25(6)
• Hunt, FW (1902), Libraries of Devonport, Devonport, UK
• Church, AH (1876), IV. - some notes from an old catalogue of minerals, Mineralogical Magazine, 1(2);  48-49
• Collins, JH (1880), remarks on some mineral collections in the West of England, The English Mechanic, 12 August

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