Chirotheriumand the Quarry Men: The 1838 Discoveries at Storeton Quarry, Cheshire, U.K.

In 1838 the hand-like footprints that had been named Chirotherium (and which are today known to be of reptilian origin) were recognized in Triassic sandstones being quarried at Storeton Hill in Cheshire. The Liverpool Natural History Society, alerted by local architect John Cunningham, helped to preserve a number of footprint-bearing slabs. However, it is clear from contemporary correspondence that the workforce at Storeton quarry was also involved, first by informing John Cunningham of the footprints' existence and then in determining which specimens were saved. The quarry owner, the site foreman, and the quarry workmen all played crucial, if sometimes conflicting, roles in this. Eight specimens from the 1838 workings, some with inaccurate attributions, have been traced to U.K. museums.