Barbara Pyrah Explained

Birth Name:	Barabara Joan Pyrah
Birth Date:	1943
Death Date:	8 January 2016
Death Place:	Stamford Bridge
Occupation:	Archaeologist Museum curator
Discipline:	Geology
Workplaces:	Manchester Museum Yorkshire Museum

Barbara Joan Pyrah (1943–2016) was a British geologist, museum curator, and illustrator.^[1]

Career

From 1965–1968 Pyrah was the assistant keeper of geology at the Manchester Museum.^[2] From 1968 to her retirement in 1988, Pyrah was the Keeper of Geology at the Yorkshire Museum.^[3] During her time at the Yorkshire Museum Pyrah produced a four-part catalogue detailing the type and figured fossil specimens held in the collections.^{[4] [5] [6] [7]} This catalogue represented over 900 specimens from approximately 150 publications. The research interest in the collections of the museum rose considerably as a result of these published catalogues.^[8]

Pyrah illustrated the 1977 publication The Ice Age in Yorkshire.^[9]

Pyrah was a member of the organising committee of the Geological Curators' Group from 1975 to 1977.^[10]

She retired from the museum due to ill-health in 1988; In retirement she was a member of the Dunnington Art Club and a founding member of the Friends of Hagg Wood.

She is listed as one of the donors to the mosaic map in York Museum Gardens.^[11]

Exhibitions

Pyrah organised a major exhibition at the Yorkshire Museum: 'A New Look at the Dinosaurs' was opened in April 1984 by David Bellamy. The exhibition was inspired by a 1979 book of the same name by Alan J. Charig, who gave a lecture in the museum in celebration of its opening.^[12] The exhibition received a favourable review in New Scientist, which described it as "an exhibition of unimpeachable scholarship which provides something of interest and enjoyment at any and every age.^[13] Over 335,000 visitors saw the exhibition by the end of its year-long display.

Publications

• Pyrah, B. J. 1974. "Collections and Collectors of Note. 3. Yorkshire Museum". Geological Curators Group Newsletter 1(2). 52–55.
• Pyrah, B.1976. "Catalogue of the type and figured fossils in the Yorkshire Museum: part 1", Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society 41(1.4)
• Pyrah, B.1977. "Catalogue of the type and figured fossils in the Yorkshire Museum: part 2", Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society 41(2.23)
• Pyrah, B.1978. "Catalogue of the type and figured fossils in the Yorkshire Museum: part 3", Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society 41(4.32)
• Pyrah, B.1979. "Catalogue of the type and figured fossils in the Yorkshire Museum: part 4", Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society 42(3.24)
• Pyrah, B. J. 1981. "Edward Charlesworth and the British Natural History Society. 1: Material in the Yorkshire Museum", The Geological Curator 3(2). 88–92.
• Pyrah, B. J. 1988. The history of the Yorkshire Museum and its geological collections. York: The Ebor Press.

Notes and References

1. News: Barbara Joan Pyrah . 16 January 2016 . . 21 February 2018.
2. Book: Nature and Culture: Objects, Disciplines and the Manchester Museum . Alberti, S. J. M. M. . 2009 . Manchester Museum . 62.
3. Book: The Yorkshire Museum, 1988: Geology . Yorkshire Philosophical Society Annual Report for the year 1988 . Howard, P. . 40 . 1989.
4. Pyrah, B . 1976 . Catalogue of the type and figured fossils in the Yorkshire Museum: part 1 . Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society . 41 . 1.4.
5. Pyrah, B . 1977 . Catalogue of the type and figured fossils in the Yorkshire Museum: part 2 . Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society. 41 . 2.23.
6. Pyrah, B . 1978 . Catalogue of the type and figured fossils in the Yorkshire Museum: part 3 . Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society . 41 . 4.324. 437–460 . 10.1144/pygs.41.4.437 .
7. Pyrah, B . 1979 . Catalogue of the type and figured fossils in the Yorkshire Museum: part 4 . Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society . 42 . 3.244. 415–437 . 10.1144/pygs.42.3.415 .
8. Book: Pyrah, B. J. . 1988 . The history of the Yorkshire Museum and its geological collections . A Modern Museum (1970–1988) . North Yorkshire County Council . 134–148 . 1850720428.
9. Book: The Ice Age in Yorkshire . WorldCat . 3944285 . 26 February 2018.
10. 4TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 1977 . Newsletter of the Geological Curators' Group . 1978 . 2 . 2 . 55–57. 10.55468/GC1053 . 251697510 . Geological Curators Group .
11. Web site: GMP People . Yorkshire Philosophical Society . 24 July 2019.
12. Book: The Yorkshire Museum, 1984: Geology . Yorkshire Philosophical Society Annual Report for the year 1984 . Pyrah, B.. 33 - 37 . 1985.
13. Dinosaurs are to be enjoyed . Halstead, B. . April 1984 . New Science Publications. New Scientist . 1404 . 28 .