University Archives
Association for the Protection of Sea-Birds
During the 1860s the Victorian obsession with egg collecting and shooting wild animals, particularly birds, reached a peak. A noted black spot for the slaughter of sea birds for 'sport' was the area around Bempton and Flamborough on the Yorkshire coast. Concern amongst ornithologists led Rev. Henry Frederick Barnes - Lawrence, who was then vicar of the Priory Church of Bridlington, to call a meeting of local clergy and naturalists in 1868 to consider ways of stopping the practice. This led to the formation of the Association for the Protection of Sea-Birds. Leading members and supporters included local landowners, the Archbishop of York, and several local Members of Parliament. One of these, Christopher Sykes MP, of Brantingham Thorpe, introduced a parliamentary bill which had the support of many scientific organisations. In June 1869 this reached the Statute Book as the Sea Birds Preservation Act, providing protection for 35 species by introducing a closed season running annually from 1 April to 1 August. After its early success the Association for the Protection of Sea-Birds was quickly wound up.
This small collection of 216 items comprises mainly letters to Rev. HF Barnes-Lawrence, between 1868 and 1874, including from Rev. FO Morris, Professor Alfred Newton, John Cordeaux, Frank Buckland and Christopher Sykes MP. There is also some contemporary publicity material, including, unusually, five poems by Richard Wilton, appealing on behalf of sea birds. [DSB]