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.
File — Box Lyell Box 1.18 (Formerly Gen 117): Series Coll-203/1 (Lyell 1); Series Coll-203/7 (Lyell 7)
Identifier:Coll-203/7/1
Scope and Contents
A series of folders reflecting Lyell's work, which contain editorial manuscripts and correspondence; some with their original newspaper wrapping. Papers on lectures have been removed and placed with the other records in that series. These files were found at the end of the Offprints, but have originally been part of the 1927 gift from the family, but were separated at some point, and accessioned into the Library from the School of Geology in 1975. Their old references have been...
Scope and Contents
Written whilst in Zanesville, Ohio, and Brimfield, Massachusetts. Subjects include Casteroides, limestone, sandstone, Silurian, schist, a comparison of fossil elephants from Ohio and Oregon, and, the U.S. government. The summaries created by Lyell and his team are given below:
Foster of Zanesville on Casteroides & Mountain Limestone of Ohio Feb[ruar]y 2nd 1846 [supplement is written in light pencil]...
Scope and Contents
Correspondence consists of:
Lyell summarises first letter as: Gen. Humphreys to queries on the Missi[ssippi] Delta - 24th June [18]'65. Letter also contains a small diagram and discusses the geology of New Orleans and the presence of types of clay.
Letter containing a memorandum of sediment papers collected at Carrolton by the Delta Survey in 1851 and reporting in of the results of...
Scope and Contents
This red leather notebook contains Charles Lyell's notes from his travels through Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Cincinnati, Ohio; Marietta, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; and Niagara. Notes are in pencil and ink and are primarily daily journal entries, lists and sketches. The index is located at the back of the notebook. The following table of contents is Lyell's own words, copied from Lyell's own "Index", found at the beginning and end of the...
Scope and Contents
This notebook contains Charles Lyell’s notes from 20 - 28 February 1846 while traveling around Mobile (Alabama) and New Orleans (Louisiana). The index is written by Mary Lyell and is located in the back of the notebook on pages 105, 107, 109, 111-115, and one unnumbered page. Notes are in pencil and ink, and include field sketches. Content warning: Content warning: Lyell uses his Scientific Notebooks to gather evidence,...
Scope and Contents
This notebook contains Charles Lyell's notes from his travels on the Mississippi River, through Louisiana and New Orleans over a period of 6 days in March 1846. This notebook covers geology and ecology along the Mississippi River, Balize swamp and Pontchartrain estuary around New Orleans, Louisianna. Lyell also takes notes on Creole culture, race relations and politics in this region. Far few people are mentioned, and the notes are mostly observational, and with references to old sources....
Scope and Contents
This notebook contains Charles Lyell’s notes from March 13 to March 20, 1846, while traveling in Natchez, Jackson, Mississippi. Notes are in pencil and ink and include field sketches. The index is written by Mary Lyell and is located in the back of the notebook on pages 109-115. Content warning: Lyell uses his Scientific Notebooks to gather evidence, based on both his own observation, by reviewing other people's works, by correspondence,...
Scope and Contents
This notebook contains Charles Lyell's notes from 20th to 27th March 1846, while travelling on the Mississippi River, and considering local environs, particularly interested in the earthquakes at New Madrid, Missouri. The start of the notebook appears to focus on observations of local people and customs - as well as scenery, rather than geology. Notes are primarily in pencil. The index is located at the back of the notebook, is primarily in ink and is in the hand of Mary Horner...
Scope and Contents
This black notebook contains a record of Charles Lyell’s discussions, ideas, and recordings when in London, starting in January 1848 and including some focus on ’Americana’ before his second travels in American was published in 1849. The first pages (and from p 78] are notes on pages and references relating to the other American notebooks - which could be publishing related or organisational. It covers conversations, queries, and discussions he started in America including geological,...
