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.
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This black notebook contains a record of Charles Lyell’s geological travels with George Hartung around Las Palmas, Canary Islands in the company of Mary Lyell, and Charles and Frances Bunbury, and is one of the longest. It starts March 21st, 1854, complying Lyell’s observations in La Palma focusing on Caldera of Palma, Alejanado [Bejenado?], Barranco de las Angustias, Fuencaliente, Tazacorte, Barranco del Pinar, San Pedro, Puerto la Ville, and Santa Cruz de Palma. This notebook primarily...
Scope and Contents
This black notebook contains a record of Charles Lyell’s geological travels around the Canary Islands with Georg Hartung, Charles Bunbury, Mary Horner, and Frances Horner in the company of Mary Lyell, and Charles and Frances Bunbury. It starts March 23rd, 1854, complying Lyell’s observations in Tenerife focusing on La Orotava, Barranco de las Lajas, San Pedro, Valley of Taoro, Tigaiga, Barranco de la Raya, Mount Teide, Güímar, La Canada de los Guancheros, Degollado del Cedro, Icod et Alto,...
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This black notebook covers the months between April and August 1854, recording Charles Lyell's final travel in Madeira and the Canary Islands, includes his voyage home and ends in London. Some of the key locations this notebook discusses are Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Madeira, Baranco de Santos, and Pico De Cruz. The beginning of this notebook includes sketches and notes on the geological formations of Madeira and Tenerife including dikes, alluvium, basalt, tuff, columnar lava and breccia. Whilst...
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This red notebook contains a record of Charles Lyell’s notes and travels from August 1854 to January 1855 whilst in Southern England after his return from Maderia. Lyell is in London, Liverpool, Mildenhall, Icklingham, and at Maidenhead on the way to Bowood. Key individuals in this notebook include Pedro Maffiote (geologist), Roderick Murchison (geologist), Edward Forbes (naturalist), Andrew Ramsay (geologist), Alcide d'Orbigny (naturalist), Georg Hartung (geologist), Charles Darwin...
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The notebook opens with Charles Lyell in Bowood, where he examines local geology while traveling around the Wiltshire area. He records geological observations in Calne, Whetham, Derry Hill, Heddington, Melksham, and Foxham. Subsequently, Lyell travels back to London, passing through Reading. In London, Lyell makes notes on various geology-related topics and records several addresses. On 16 February 1855, he likely attends the Annual General Meeting of the Geological Society of London. As...
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Following the completion of the fifth Edition of Manual of Elementary Geology in February 1855 [otherwise known as 'Elements of Geology'] Charles and Mary Lyell travel to Germany, where this Notebook was written. At the beginning, Lyell is in Brunswick, Germany, but most entries thereafter identify his location as Berlin. The notebook covers a wide range of geological observations and notes from meetings with German scientists. It includes discussions on stratigraphy, fossil identification,...
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The notebook begins with Lyell in Berlin, Germany, before he travels southwest by rail through Leipzig and Frankfurt. From there, he continues southeast, visiting Heidelberg, Bietigheim, Stuttgart, and Ulm. Lyell records detailed notes on stratigraphy, the chemical composition and formation processes of volcanic rocks, fossil identification, and glacial deposits. A number of prominent German scientists are referred to in this notebook - including Roth, Beyrich, Ehrenberg, von Meyer, Bunsen,...
