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.
Scope and Contents
Lyell summarises these letters as:
1) Caelohynchus & Williamson's criticism November 1863 - includes sketch
2) Etheridge Pleurotomaria December 1863 - includes sketch
3) No summary, envelope stamped with Museum of Practical Geology and letter replies to Lyell's questions on the museum's collections
4) Crag section at Walton with 2 coloured annotated stratigraphic illustrations
5) Etheridge on Mr. Torrell's Swedish Cambrian plants being sponges
6)...
Scope and Contents
Letters are summarised by Lyell, noting original numbering given in brackets () and with some additional commentary provided where possible, linking Lyell's letters to Philips, now held at Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
J. Phillips on fossil shells. 1836. Part for C. Stokes. (2). Reply to a letter from Lyell to Phillips (Oxford University Museum of Natural History, John Phillips...
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Mr. J. B. Wigham was writing from Heigham in Norfolk. In his death notice, dated 26th December 1851, in the Norfolk Chronicle, Wigham is described as "a Fellow of the Royal Geological Society, and was well known as having personally collected one of the best cabinets of tertiary fossils in the kingdom". Teh main themes of the letters are shells, Crags, Norfolk/Norwich, and Sand pipes, and they are summarised as:
...
Scope and Contents
Notebook containing minutes of ordinary meetings with 432 numbered pages. Full details of the Society's business is recorded including: details of honorary, corresponding and normal membership and diplomas awarded, reports from Annual General Meetings including details of office-bearers and their election, financial details, details of the publications of Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society, details of donations for the Society's museum and...
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This red leather notebook continues Charles Lyell's work on studying and listing Crag and Touraine shells and specimens, continued from notebook 74, with GB Sowerby. Lyell appears to be based solely in London in the notebook. He notes queries for colleagues and observations on other's collections - Captain Alexander, Mr Bean, Mr Colchester, and Mrs. Power's [sic Madame Jeannette Power, who is noted in the Magazine of Natural history 1839 as having formed a collection of Argonauta in 1838]. A...
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This notebook contains a record of Charles Lyell’s travels through France (started in previous notebook, Number 108), including a visit along the Allier River. It is dated 15 - 25 June 1853. Notes are written in pencil and ink and are primarily field notes and observations with numerous sketches. The index is located in the back of the notebook on pages 113-116. Lyell's own index N[umber] 109. Index. June 15th to 25th. 1843....
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This notebook contains a record of the Lyell’s stay in Boston from 4th November to 3rd December 1845. The notes are comprised of discussions about politics and religion, supplemented by commentary about social life, in New England and the United States more broadly, plus field notes and observations about geology and natural history, encompassing descriptions and sketches of regions in anticipation of future field excursions (the Claiborne Formation). Charles visits notable sites in Boston...
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This notebook contains Charles Lyell’s notes from December 13, 1845 to December 24th, 1845 while traveling through Washington, D.C., Richmond, Virginia, Wilmington, North Carolina, and en route to Charleston, South Carolina. The index is located in the back of the notebook on pages 115 and seven unumbered pages. Notes are in pencil and ink and include field sketches. An X is used to mark a pencil cross made at certain entries. A date written in the left margin has been inserted at the...
Scope and Contents
This notebook contains Lyell’s notes during his second trip to the United States, dated 5 May 1846, to 11 May 1846. The volume starts with Lyell in Baltimore, travelling through Philadelphia, New York City, Albany, and Troy, New York State. On pg. 12 Lyell notes seeing a humming bird in Miss Watson's Greenhouse. Lyell spends much of his time in upstate New York with a few colleagues: Joseph Cogswell (American librarian), Ebenezer Emmons (American Geologist), James Hall (American...
Scope and Contents
This black notebook contains a record of Charles Lyell’s discussions, ideas, and recordings of December 1846 whilst he was back in the U.K, based at 11 Harley Street, London, after his second travel to America. Throughout this notebook there are crossed out memorandums and geological references alongside contemporary political and religious discussions. The Wandering Jew references are continued in this notebook as in Notebooks 146 and 147. Places Lyell refers to in this notebook include...
