Mervyn Herbert Nevil Story-Maskelyne

Mervyn Herbert Nevil Story-Maskelyne (1823-1911) was a driving force in the development of optical mineralogy - the study of minerals and rocks under a microscope.

Working at the Museum as Keeper of Mineralogy from 1857, when the post was created, until 1880, he was one of the first people to study meteorites by slicing them into thin sections for the microscope.

During this time, he also greatly expanded the Museum's mineral collection, tripling its size in his first six years and adding at least 43,000 specimens in total.

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