Annie Massy
| Annie Massy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 January 1868 Netley, Hampshire, UK |
| Died | 16 April 1931 (aged 63) Howth, County Dublin, Ireland |
| Fields | marine biology ornithology |
| Institutions | Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction (DATI) |
| Known for | International expert on molluscs |
| Influences | Robert Lloyd Praeger, Charles William Benson, Edgar Albert Smith, Guy Coburn Robson |
Annie Letitia Massy (29 January 1868 – 16 April 1931) was a self-taught marine biologist, ornithologist, and an internationally recognised expert on molluscs, in particular cephalopods. She was one of the founders of the Irish Society for the Protection of Birds in 1904. Many of the details of her life are unknown which is attributed to the fact that she is often described as a shy and retiring person, with no known photograph of her in existence.
Massy was born in Netley, Hampshire in 1868, far her family home of Stagdale Lodge close to the border of County Tipperary and County Limerick. She was the third child of four to parents Annie and Hugh Deane Massy, descendants of Hamon de Massey. Her father was a surgeon in the British Army and was probably working at the Royal Victoria military hospital in Netley at the time of Annie’s birth. She grew up in Malahide, living close to the well known mollusc collecting location the Velvet Strand, spending some time in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow. She was probably educated at home, and appeared to develop an interest in nature from an early age. She made her first contribution to Irish zoological records at age 18 in 1885 by observing the first pair of nesting redstarts in Ireland in Powerscourt Estate, Co. Wicklow. From then on, she became a regular contributor to the Irish Naturalist journal.
Due to her membership of the Dublin Naturalists' Field Club, and the knowledge she developed, in 1901 she was employed as a temporary Assistant Naturalist as part of the fisheries division of the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction (DATI). She was employed on this basis until her death in 1931. The period from 1901-1914 was particularly productive for Irish marine biology with extensive investigations of the Irish coasts. This included the expeditions of the HMS Helga which engaged in trawling, dredging and tow-netting. Through this work she would have collaborated with Jane Stephens, Maude Delap, Edgar W.L. Holt and Rowland Southern. Her international reputation in the identification of marine species led to specimens being sent to her from all over the world.
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