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Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery are currently undertaking a large project on a collection previously owned by Sir John St. Aubyn, the 5th Baronet (1758 to 1839).  Recently we secured a grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to enable the museum’s natural history department to conduct a variety of work on this collection. Currently, there is much interest in the ‘missing’ elements of the mineral collection and the journey to their respective resting places.  After his death, Sir John St. Aubyn’s collection was split by the mineral dealer Isaiah Deck (1792-1853), and although an extensive collection was arranged for the Civil Military Library at Devonport (now at Plymouth City Museum), the remaining minerals were auctioned.

As part of the project, Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery is trying to locate other specimens from Sir John’s mineral collection.  We hope to locate as many specimens as we can so that Sir John’s collection is fully documented.  Our wish is to authenticate and photograph every specimen both in the museum and in other collections so that we can create an online digital database. Above is an example of two of the oldest and most frequently occurring labels associated with St. Aubyn’s mineral specimens. If you think you may have a Sir John St. Aubyn specimen or you have any information about the history of this collection, please contact Plymouth City Museum. We understand that you may not want to participate in this project, but we would like to reassure you that we would only want to authenticate and photograph your specimen. For more information about Sir John, his collection and the labels associated with his minerals, please contact Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery on 01752 304765 or email st.aubyn@plymouth.gov.uk. You can also visit our website http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/museumstaubyncollection.