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Lyell, Sir Charles, 1797-1875 (1st Baronet | Scottish geologist)

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 14 November 1797 - 22 February 1875

Biography

Charles Lyell Project - 2020

Biography

Sir Charles Lyell (1797-1875) wrote many geological papers, mainly published by the Geological Society of London (1807-present day), but his reputation rests almost entirely on his work Principles of Geology, ( 1830-1833) inspired in part by a European tour with Sir Roderick Impey Murchison and also his knowledge of James Hutton's Theory of the Earth. In this work, first published in three volumes, Lyell propounded his theory of uniformitarianism, which holds that all geological formations can be explianed solely in terms of natural processes which can be observed in operation today. This ran counter to the prevailing theory which assumed that mountain-building and other geological phenomena could only have occurred as a result of major cataclysmic events in the past. Lyell's uniformitarianism was developed in order to reject the progressionism implicit in the prevailing theory, which he saw as leading to evolution, an idea which he strongly opposed. Ironically, Lyell's opposition to evolution brought the idea to scientists' attention and the vast time scales required by uniformitarianism enabled Darwin to conceive of his version of evolutionary theory. Lyell's other works include: The Elements of Geology, ( 1837) Geological Evidences of the Antiquity of Man, ( 1863-1873).

Charles Lyell's father was an active naturalist, and Lyell had access to an elaborate library which included works on geology. Whilst at Oxford University he attended lectures by William Buckland, professor of geology, that triggered his enthusiasm for the subject. He became more and more interested in the subject and made many geological tours with his family in England and Scotland in 1817, and on the Continent the following year, the first of many trips abroad. In 1828 he explored the volcanic region of the Auvergne, then went to Mount Etna to gather supporting evidence for the theory of geology he would expound in his Principles of Geology . He also made numerous tours of the United States, described in Travels in North America, ( 1909) . His writings deal with the rock cycle, which explains how one type of rock is transformed into another. Lyell also expounds notions on volcanic forces, deposition, erosion and palaeontology in his writings. His work helped to establish the modern study of geology and geologic time. In addition to rock formation, he also wrote about palaeontology. It was Lyell who proposed the idea of reference fossils - fossils which are indicative of certain periods of geologic time. He divided geologic time into four periods: Pleistocene, Older Pliocene, Miocene and Eocene. His final work, The Antiquity of Man, ( 1863) , was a wide-ranging study of the human fossil record. In this work Lyell finally accepted Darwinian evolution, but still tried to insist that there was a radical discontinuity between humankind and the rest of the animal kingdom.

In 1823 Lyell was appointed secretary of the Geological Society of London, and 3 years later they made him their foreign secretary. He was twice President in 1836 and 1850. Lyell was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1826. He was awarded a Royal Medal in 1834 and the Copley Medal in 1858 and in 1866 he was awarded the Wollaston Medal. In 1832 he was the first professor of geology at King's College, London, and became President of the British Association in 1864.

Found in 10 Collections and/or Records:

Geology of Vesuvius and Etna extracted from the letters of Charles Lyell, September and October 1858

 Item
Identifier: Coll-203/4/26
Scope and Contents Material relating to the geology of Mount Vesuvius in Southern Italy and Mount Etna in Sicily as extracted from the letters of Sir Charles Lyell, written during a visit to the area in September and October 1858. He discusses several geological formations in the mountains and occasionally gives sketches to illustrate his points. He also mentions: that he has received a list of shells from the Pliocene clay on which Mount Etna is placed which he hopes will provide a precise paleontological...
Dates: September and October 1858

Lava flow at Messina, Sicily, 9 November 1857

 Item
Identifier: Coll-203/4/2
Scope and Contents

Document written by Sir Charles Lyell at Messina on the Island of Sicily describing his visit there in the autumn of 1857. The bulk of the document is spent describing the way lava flows down both steep and gentle slopes and specifically discusses the lava flow resulting from the 9 month long eruption of 1852/3. In addition he discusses the formation of the Val del Bove, 9 November 1857.

Dates: 9 November 1857

Letter to Leonard Horner from Sir Charles Lyell, 10 December 1857

 Item
Identifier: Coll-203/4/3
Scope and Contents

Letter to Leonard Horner from Sir Charles Lyell discusing the internal structure of lava flows. Lyell also remarks on the probable nature of the additions to the core of Mount Vesuvius that had occurred that year, with illustrations, 10 December 1857.

Dates: 10 December 1857

Map of Mount Vesuvius, Italy, c1857

 Item
Identifier: Coll-203/4/5
Scope and Contents

Map of Mount Vesuvius, Italy, showing the crater and several other geological formations, c1857.

Dates: c1857

Notebook No.87, February 1841- June 1841

 Item — Box Lyell-temp-box 4: Series Coll-203/A1
Identifier: Coll-203/A1/87
Scope and Contents This dark leather notebook contains Charles Lyell's notes which appear to be continuation of discussion on Touraine shells, notes of list of books to go to America, notes on correspondence sent and received, and notes on lectures. On p. 106 Lyell makes reference to Timothy Abbot Conrad's New York Geological Survey of 1840. The covers of the notebook are blank, the index is written on the last pages of the book. The following table of...
Dates: February 1841- June 1841

Notebook No.103 - ABSENT, July 1842

 Item — Box Lyell-temp-box 4: Series Coll-203/A1
Identifier: Coll-203/A1/103
Scope and Contents This notebook is absent from Lyell's original run of 266 Scientific notebooks. Through the work of Leonard G. Wilson, copies have been identified, digitised and will be available via the Charles Lyell website (estimated to be live end of March 2024). The copies have been used to create this catalogue entry. This notebook contains Charles Lyell’s notes from mid to late July of 1842 starting en route from Montreal to Boston. He then takes the Caledonia steamer from Boston to Nova...
Dates: July 1842

Notebook No.104, August 1842- September 1842

 Item — Box Lyell-temp-box 4: Series Coll-203/A1
Identifier: Coll-203/A1/104
Scope and Contents Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the return to London. Lyell's Own Index N[umber] 104. Index. Aug[ust]. and Sept[ember]. 1842. Nova Scotia and London. p. 3, Dickson’s Mills vertical Coal plants p. 8, - [Dickson’s Mills] section at p. 3 Bird tracks, recent p. 3, 4, 10, 58 Joggins, fossil trees p. 3 - [Joggins] shells p. 45 - [Joggins] lowest bed reddest p. 58 - [Joggins] thickness of Coal...
Dates: August 1842- September 1842

Notebook No.111, July 1843-11 August 1843

 Item — Box Lyell-temp-box 5: Series Coll-203/A1
Identifier: Coll-203/A1/111
Scope and Contents This notebook contains Charles Lyell’s notes from his travels through France (started in previous notebook, Number 110), London, and Bristol (continued in following notebook Number 112). It is dated July to Aug 11th 1843. Notes are in pencil and ink and are primarily field notes. The index is located in the back of the notebook on pages 113-116. Lyell's own index Index. July to Aug[ust] 11th 1843. France - London -...
Dates: July 1843-11 August 1843

Notebook No.115, January 1844- May 1844

 Item — Box Lyell-temp-box 5: Series Coll-203/A1
Identifier: Coll-203/A1/115
Scope and Contents This notebook contains Charles Lyell’s notes from January to May 1844 while in London. Notes are in pencil and ink. The notebook index is located in the back of the notebook on pages 112-115. From pp.20-22, 32 - with Darwin Lyell's own index Index London Jan[uary] to May 1844. p. 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 Acc[ount]. with C. Sowerby p. 3 Latin poetry, De ape electro inclusa - [p. 3 Latin poetry] De vipera...
Dates: January 1844- May 1844

Notebook No.116, May 1844-11 June 1844

 Item — Box Lyell-temp-box 5: Series Coll-203/A1
Identifier: Coll-203/A1/116
Scope and Contents The notebook contains Charles Lyell’s notes from May to June 11th 1844 while in London. It then continues through June 13th to July 27th in Scotland. Much of the content is about an upcoming trip to the United States - and also covers research on Canada. Notes are in penci and ink. The notebook index is located in the back of the notebook on pages 112-115. Pages 67-72 is an Essay on the 'Constitution of the United States'. Lyell's own index...
Dates: May 1844-11 June 1844