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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 1029 Collections and/or Records:

Geological notes, c 1850

 Item
Identifier: Coll-203/2/folio(s) 41

Geological notes of Forfarshire, c1822-1824

 Item
Identifier: Coll-203/3/2
Scope and Contents

One Notebook with smaller notebook glued inside. Geological notes, pencil and ink sketches and cross sections, relating to work on Forfarshire c1822-1824.

Dates: c1822-1824

Geological Sections of Coast of Forfarshire, c1822-1824

 Item
Identifier: Coll-203/3/1
Scope and Contents

Notebook containing landscape sketches and annotated cross-sections of the coast of Forfarshire in pencil and watercolour, c1822-1824.

Dates: c1822-1824

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

Grand Canary fossils, 1855

 Item
Identifier: Coll-203/2/folio(s) 207-208
Scope and Contents

List entitled 'Grand [sic Gran] Canary fossils - numbered so as to count them along the side.

Dates: 1855

Grande Canaria, 1855

 Item
Identifier: Coll-203/2/folio(s) 185-196
Scope and Contents

Handwritten article on the geology of Grande [sic Gran] Canaria and the way in which the rocks were formed. Seeming to be a summary of Lyell's observations while on the island, 1855 - it is not in his handwriting, and is perhaps written by Mary Lyell, or Georg Hartung.

Dates: 1855

Granville, Lord George Leveson-Gower, 19 April 1853-6 December 1863

 File
Identifier: Coll-203/B3/7
Scope and Contents

Letters from Lyell relating to the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, New York 1853, and in particular the committee membership:
19 April 1853
18 April plus copy written by Mary
19 April
20 April copy letter by Mary
6 December 1863 - a review of Lyell's achievements, written by Mary, including book sales and impact.

Dates: 19 April 1853-6 December 1863

Horner, Leonard, 24 November 1829-8 September 1863

 File
Identifier: Coll-203/B3/8
Scope and Contents

Letters include notes from Mary, and many are in Mary's writing on behalf of Charles, written whilst in London, at Kinnordy, on board the Perth steamer, in America - including New York, Ontario, Georgia, Alabama, Philadelphia, Boston - Madeira and Tenerife, with two packets covering trips in Germany and Italy. They are in 3 folders:
1829-1849
1850-1859
1860-1863

Dates: 24 November 1829-8 September 1863

Howard, George, 30 June 1840, 10 January 1851

 File
Identifier: Coll-1989/32
Scope and Contents 1. Autograph letter signed ("Morpeth") from William George Howard, 8th Earl of Carlisle to Leonard Horner, dated 30 June 1840, Castle Howard [North Yorkshire]: "I am afraid my answer cannot be quite as definite as you might wish. My Father does not seem to remember very well whether he wrote the inscription entirely, but he says he certainly was concerned in the composition, which may have been arranged with other co-adjutors at Holland House [...]".2. Autograph letter signed...
Dates: 30 June 1840, 10 January 1851

Huxley, Thomas Henry, 5 June 1865-6 June 1865

 File
Identifier: Coll-203/B3/9
Scope and Contents Detailing Lyell's concerns and proposed actions, relating to a proposal by Huxley, to work to cancel a note and to add a P.S. [postscript] to the preface of 'Antiquity of Man', relating to Lubbock's challenge. Lyell writes that he has shown the resultant correspondance prior to these letters, to Hooker, Busk and then Darwin: 5 June 1865 Lyell writes in haste - Mary takes over the writing - as he is preparing to leave for 3 months on the Continent. 6 June 1865 Lyell writes again,...
Dates: 5 June 1865-6 June 1865