The collection of Thomas Pennant (1726-1798), an 18th century zoologist, antiquarian and correspondent of Gilbert White, which was donated in 1912 by the Earl of Denbigh, comprises about 1000 specimens. Some of which were described in Pennant’s manuscript Reliquiae Diluviannae, or Catalogue of such bodies as were deposited in the Earth by the Deluge. This collection has fossil invertebrates and vertebrates and with the Sloane and Konig collections from the core collections of the NHM. Specimens in these collections are an invaluable resource for historical research and are the founding core of the British Museum and later The Natural History Museum. They mark the progress of early palaeontological exploration.