John MacEnery
Encyclopedia
Father John MacEnery was a Roman Catholic priest from Limerick
, Ireland
and early archaeologist who came to Devon as Chaplain to the Cary family at Torre Abbey in 1822. In 1825, 1826 and 1829, he investigated the prehistoric remains at Kent's Cavern
in Devon
, having being shown the cave by Thomas Northmore
.
MacEnery concluded that the palaeolithic flint tools he found in the same context
s as the bones of extinct prehistoric mammals meant that early humans and the creatures such as mammoth
s co-existed.
His contemporaries had great difficulty reconciling his findings to their pre-Darwin
ian, creationist view of the earth's history
. MacEnery left Torquay and his cave research in 1830. He never published and it was left to William Pengelly
to publicise and explore his findings in 1859, years after MacEnery's death at age 43.
External links=
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and early archaeologist who came to Devon as Chaplain to the Cary family at Torre Abbey in 1822. In 1825, 1826 and 1829, he investigated the prehistoric remains at Kent's Cavern
Kent's Cavern
Kents Cavern is a cave system in Torquay, Devon, England. It is notable for its archaeological and geological features. The caves are a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Scheduled Ancient Monument , and are open to the public.-Prehistory:The caverns and passages at the site were...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, having being shown the cave by Thomas Northmore
Thomas Northmore
-Life:The eldest son of Thomas Northmore of Cleve House, Devon, by Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Richard Osgood of Fulham, he was born at Cleve. He was educated at Tiverton School, and Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1789, and M.A. in 1792.On 19 May 1791 he was elected...
.
MacEnery concluded that the palaeolithic flint tools he found in the same context
Archaeological context
In archaeology, not only the context of a discovery is a significant fact, but the formation of the context is as well. An archaeological context is an event in time which has been preserved in the archaeological record. The cutting of a pit or ditch in the past is a context, whilst the material...
s as the bones of extinct prehistoric mammals meant that early humans and the creatures such as mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
s co-existed.
His contemporaries had great difficulty reconciling his findings to their pre-Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
ian, creationist view of the earth's history
History of Earth
The history of the Earth describes the most important events and fundamental stages in the development of the planet Earth from its formation 4.578 billion years ago to the present day. Nearly all branches of natural science have contributed to the understanding of the main events of the Earth's...
. MacEnery left Torquay and his cave research in 1830. He never published and it was left to William Pengelly
William Pengelly
William Pengelly, FRS FGS was a British geologist and early archaeologist who was one of the first to contribute proof that the Biblical chronology of the earth calculated by Archbishop James Ussher was incorrect....
to publicise and explore his findings in 1859, years after MacEnery's death at age 43.
External links=