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
This green leather notebook contains Lyell's notes while traveling in Copenhagen, Denmark. Lyell's address is written on the inside cover, "Charles Lyell, 16 Hart St, Bloomsbury Sq, London". Notes are hasty lists and reflections in pencil and ink, with some blank pages and only small sketches. Notes pertain largely to shells, mollusks, and work done by Dr. Heinrich Heinrichsen Beck, likely from his 1837 'Index of Mollusca'. The following...
Scope and Contents
This green leather notebook contains Lyell's notes from his trip to Norway in July 1837. Notes are primarily in pencil with ink amendments and sketches in margins. Reference to Keilhau is likely Baltazar Mathias Keilhau, the father of modern geology in Norway. A list of "shells received" on p. 66. Front cover reads "C. Norway July 1837 - Index p. 147"; the back cover is blank. The following table of contents is Lyell's own words, copied...
Scope and Contents
This green leather notebook contains notes by Lyell on works by others on shells, fossils, chalk in a variety of localities. Dr. Beck features in Lyell's notes, including his notes on the latest edition of Principles of Geology. Notes are made primarily in pencil with amendments made in ink. The front cover reads "Copenhagen, July + August 1837, Index p. 117". The back cover is blank. The following table of contents is Lyell's own words,...
Scope and Contents
This black and red marbled paper covered notebook contains Lyell's notes from Copenhagen to Paris, focusing on scholarship of shells from notable colleagues. The index is located in the last pages of the notebook, p. 119-121, and the address index is written in the inside cover. The front cover plate reads "No. 68, E, Charles Lyell, Aug[ust]-Sept[ember] 1837, Copenhagen to Paris, Index p. 119". The following table of contents is Lyell's...
Scope and Contents
This black leather notebook contains Lyell's notes on specific species and current relevant scholarship. On pp.140-142 is a copy of part of a letter from Darwin on species, dated 30 July, 1837. The index is located at p. 180, both covers are blank. The inside cover bears Lyell's address, "Mr C Lyell, 16 Hart Street, Bloomsbury Square". The following table of contents is Lyell's own words, copied from Lyell's own "Index", found at the...
Scope and Contents
This brown leather notebook contains notes by Charles Lyell on a variety of subjects, including geological observations from various pits in Britain, notes on the latest edition of Elements of Geology, and addresses of correspondents. The front and back cover are blank, index is located at the back of the notebook, p. 172. The following table of contents is Lyell's own words, copied from Lyell's own "Index", found at the beginning and...
Scope and Contents
This dark brown leather notebook with yellow edged pages contains notes by Charles Lyell primarily in ink and include lists, sketches, and longer form essays, chiefly notes on the Crag and Crag fossils. The index is located on p. 71, the final leaf and back inside cover. The following table of contents is Lyell's own words, copied from Lyell's own "Index", found at the beginning and end of the notebook, transcribed from digital...
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This red leather notebook include Charles Lyell's geological observations, sketches, some essays with queries, diary entry from August 29th 1838 from Kinnordy about the length and publication of Principles of Geology and Elements of Geology. The index is p. 139,140, and inside back cover. The following table of contents is Lyell's own words, copied from Lyell's own "Index", found at the beginning and end of the notebook, transcribed from...
Scope and Contents
The red leather notebook includes Charles Lyell's geological observations, sketches, some essays with queries, and a list of species names of the Geological Society Museum collection. There are many references to Charles Darwin. The index is on p. 140, inside back cover. The following table of contents is Lyell's own words, copied from Lyell's own "Index", found at the beginning and end of the notebook, transcribed from digital...
Scope and Contents
This red leather notebook focusses on Charles Lyell's study of Norwich shells and crags, with George Sowerby and others. Other than a tour of Cambridge, he seems to be based in London in this notebook. He lists specimens and queries for colleagues including other collectors, such as Captain Alexander, and Mrs. Powers [Madame Jeannette Power, who is noted in the Magazine of Natural history 1839 as having formed a collection of Argonauta in 1838, and publishes in 1839]. From p. 19 and p. 46,...
