Mary Anning ( 21 May 1799 â `` 9 March 1847 ) was an early 19th-century British fossil collector , dealer and paleontologist . She earnt her living finding and preparing fossils , in the rich Jurassic marine strata at Lyme Regis where she lived . Mary Anning ( 21 May 1799 â `` 9 March 1847 ) was a British fossil collector , dealer and palaeontologist who became known around the world for a number of important finds she made in the Jurassic age marine fossil beds at Lyme Regis where she lived .