Spiders are a fascinating group of invertebrates which have started to recieve the attention they deserve only during the past 50 years. The publication of British Spiders (Locket & Millidge 1951, 1953; Locket et al. 1974), the formation of the Flatland Mill Spider Group and The British Spider Study Group and the subsequent development of the British Arachnological Society provided the first firm basis for the study of arachnology in the last half of the 20th century.