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His father was a sailor ; aiiel at the age of fourteen Edward 

 Simpson entered the service of Dr. Young, the historian of Whitby, 

 from whom he acquired his knowledge of geology and archaeology, 

 frequently accompanying his master on fossil-hunting expeditions. 

 He left Dr. Young to serve Dr. Ripley, with whom he remained 

 until the doctor's death in 1840. At that time he was described 

 as an " active and more tlian ordinarily intelligent young fellow." 



From Photograph kindly lent by Major Fitch. 



Upon his master's decease, Edward Simpson took to a roving life 

 around AVhitby and Scarborough, gathering and cleaning genuine 

 fossils. During this period he appeared before the Scarborough 

 magistrates for some offence, but escaped on the plea of being a 

 geologist. In 1843 he was shown a barbed flint arrowhead by a 

 dealer at AVhitby, who asked if he could make one like it. At 

 first he had many failures, and Avas musing one morning, Avhen he 

 took off the hasp of a gate, and with the curved part absent- 



