Copyright - M.Bandli - Historic Meteorites
APPLEY BRIDGE
Lancashire, Wigan, England
Fell Oct. 13, 1914 - LL6 Chondrite
Collection No. B117.1 - a 10.7 gram partial slice with fusion crust.
Provenance: Oscar E. Monnig Collection, Texas Christian University (parent piece); by transfer to The Karl Collection.
Historical Notes: The Appley Bridge meteorite fell around 8:45 on the evening of October 13, 1914. Thunderous detonations shook homes and tremendous light was cast on the ground. Spawned by recent conflict with Germany, many were frightened and assumed the luminous body and explosions were a German airship.
On the day after the event, an unusual stone was found embedded in the ground on the property of Halliwell Farm. The 33 pound stone was covered in a burnt powder with an interior of light grey and spots of gold and metal. It was subsequently confirmed as a meteorite, dispelling any theories or fear of a German airship.
Left: a photo card showing the main mass as it appeared in 1922. The card is part of a five card set that was issued by the British Museum in 1922.
References:
Grady, M.M. (2001) Catalogue of Meteorites
, 5th edn. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Robinson, J.D. (2009) The Authenticated Meteoric Falls of the British Isles, (self-published) Co Durham, England.
Collection No. B117.3 - 1910's antique meteorite mounting by Herbert William Hutton Darlaston (1867-1949).
H.W.H. Darlaston was a professional slide mounter in Birmingham, England during the early 1900's. Darlaston was well-known for his outstanding slide mountings of insects and made many for the famous entomologist, Miriam Rothschild. News of the Appley Bridge fall at Wigan must have piqued Darlaston's interest, as he rarely strayed from insect mountings.
The slide itself is a capsule mounting containing loose fine fragments of the Appley Bridge meteorite.
Antique meteorite slides and thin sections are extremely rare. Over the past decade we have been vigorously pursuing them for our collection and, prior to this Darlaston slide, had only managed to acquire two.
Along with their obvious scientific appeal, antique meteorite slides are also quaint little works of art from masters of their skill. Their name and legacy continue to live on through these fragile pieces of glass.