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Gideon Mantell


Mantell's Iguanodon

New Georgian Dragon Released!

A ruby ale celebrating one of England’s less well known heroes:
Dr Gideon Mantell - The father of Palaeontology.
The Tale of Sussex’s Dragon...
A generation before Charles Darwin Published “On the Origin
of Species” a respected Lewes doctor and prolific fossil collector, Gideon Mantell recognised that some regularly shaped
curved rocks from a quarry near Cuckfield, Sussex in 1821 could only be the teeth of a huge,specially adapted, reptile.
For countless centuries, fearsome fossil skulls, limbs and claws as occasionally unearthed by mining, ploughing, landslides, or water erosion had given rise to many colourful myths depicting dragons.
His Iguanodon was reborn after millions of years below ground: the first such creature to be technically classified. Mantell’s papers and lectures stimulated much contentious discussion among scientists at The Royal Society and even attracted correspondence from King George IV. Thirty years of seminal
palaeontology work followed; but the credit was often taken by his contemporaries.
Over the past century, Gideon Mantell has become regarded as the person responsible for clearly identifying the prehistoric reptiles we today refer to as ‘dinosaurs’. His theories, together with Darwin’s, have kindled the modern understanding of the fossil record.

Our Georgian Dragon Ale will be available for a limited time only, and is available to buy from our Lewes Brewery Shop. A pint or two will also be available in Harveys Tied Estate Pubs.

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