The first half of the nineteenth century saw a remarkable explosion of interest in natural history. In order to promote collaboration between the many different organisations and societies in this field already operating in Yorkshire, a special meeting was held at Heckmondwike in September 1861. This established the West Riding Consolidated Naturalists\' Union, the forerunner of the Yorkshire Naturalists\' Union.
During the 1860s the Victorian obsession with egg collecting and shooting wild animals, particularly birds, reached a peak. The slaughter of sea birds for \'sport\' was widespread, but a noted spot was the area of high cliffs at Bempton and Flamborough between Bridlington and Scarborough on the Yorkshire coast. The mass destruction by sea-borne parties from Bridlington was graphically described by Charles Waterton in his Essays on Natural History (1838). There was also commercial exploitation of birds and their feathers for the millinery trade.
In 1868 Professor Alfred Newton, a founder of the British Ornithologists\' Union , drew attention to this situation in his address to the British Association. This resulted in much publicity, and the levelling of blame on the people of Bridlington and its environs. This persuaded the Rev Henry Frederick Barnes-Lawrence (1823-1896), who was then vicar of the Priory Church of Bridlington, to call a meeting of local clergy and naturalists to consider ways of stopping the practice. He received strong support from another East Riding clergyman and nationally-known ornithologist, Rev Francis Orpen Morris (1810-1893), the vicar of Nunburnholme.
十九世纪上半叶，人们对博物学的兴趣显著增长。为了促进已经在约克郡运作的该领域的许多不同组织和学会之间的合作，1861年9月在Heckmondwike召开了一次特别会议。这建立了西骑马联合自然主义者联盟，约克郡自然主义者联盟的前身。 在19世纪60年代，维多利亚时代对收集鸟蛋和射杀野生动物，尤其是鸟类的痴迷达到了顶峰。为了“运动”而屠杀海鸟是很普遍的，但一个著名的地点是约克郡海岸的布里德灵顿和斯卡伯勒之间的本普顿和弗兰伯勒的高悬崖地区。查尔斯·沃特顿在他的《自然史随笔》(1838年)中生动地描述了从布里德灵顿出发的海上团体的大规模破坏。女帽贸易中也有对鸟类及其羽毛的商业开发。 1868年，英国鸟类学家联盟的创始人阿尔弗雷德·牛顿教授在他对英国协会的讲话中提请注意这种情况。这导致了大量的宣传，以及对布里德灵顿及其周边地区人民的指责。这说服了牧师亨利·弗雷德里克·巴恩斯-劳伦斯(1823-1896)，他当时是布里德灵顿隐修会的牧师，召集当地的神职人员和博物学家开会，考虑停止这种做法的方法。他得到了另一位东骑术牧师和全国知名的鸟类学家，牧师弗朗西斯·奥尔本·莫里斯(1810-1893)的大力支持，他是农伯恩汉姆的牧师。