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 marbled paper and red leather notebook includes Charles Lyell's geological notes on Kinnordy and surrounding area, as well as other areas of Scotland, illustrated with a watercolor cross section on page 61. There are also 'to do' lists, notes on correspondence sent, meeting agendas and lists of persons to whom papers were sent, and notes on conversations with Agassiz. He makes more observations on glacial moraines, and lists of Faluns fossils. Notes are in pencil and ink and complete...
Scope and Contents
This dark leather notebook contains Charles Lyell's notes in ink, occasional pencil, mostly relates to notes on Touraine shells and notes by Mr Bunbury. Short index written in the back of the notebook, along with a list of Touraine shells - and there are links between this list and correspondence with Colonel E.R. Wood. Covers are blank. The following table of contents is Lyell's own words, copied from Lyell's own "Index", found at the...
Scope and Contents
This dark leather notebook contains Charles Lyell's notes which appear to be continuation of discussion on Touraine shells, notes of list of books to go to America, notes on correspondence sent and received, and notes on lectures. On p. 106 Lyell makes reference to Timothy Abbot Conrad's New York Geological Survey of 1840. The covers of the notebook are blank, the index is written on the last pages of the book. The following table of...
Scope and Contents
This green leather notebook contains diverse notes by Lyell, including lists, observations, sketches, and plans for future tours to Wales and North America. Notes are in pencil and ink. There is a sketch of a compass p. 21, and a list of books on American geology at the Geological Society of London on p. 101. The index is the last three pages of the notebook, both covers are unmarked. The following table of contents is Lyell's own words,...
Scope and Contents
This brown leather notebook contains diverse notes by Charles Lyell in pen and ink, including lists, sketches, observations on a variety of subjects. The front and back cover are blank and the index is written on folded lined paper which has been stitched into the binding at the back of the notebook.Voyage to America; Boston - Newhaven - New York The following table of contents is Lyell's own words, copied from Lyell's own...
Scope and Contents
This tan leather notebook contains Charles Lyell's notes from his North American tour of New York, including New York City, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester. Notes are predominantly pencil, some ink, a mixture of field notes and travel notes. The index is located at the back of the notebook, both covers are unmarked. 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 notes by Charles Lyell field and travel notes while in North America and Canada, mentions of Niagara Falls, and the Shores of Lake Ontario and Michigan. Notes are predominantly pencil, some ink, and 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 notebook, transcribed from digital...
Scope and Contents
This notebook contains Charles Lyells field and travel notes while in North America, observing the landscapes in Niagara, Blossberg, and Albany. Notes are in pencil occasional ink. Index is located in 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 notebook, transcribed from digital surrogates using the platform Transkribus. When known,...
Scope and Contents
This notebook contains notes by Charles Lyell from his travels in Albany, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Notes are mostly pencil, occasional ink. Covers are both blank, indexes are located in 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 notebook, transcribed from digital surrogates using the platform Transkribus. When...
Scope and Contents
This notebook contains field and travel notes by Charles Lyell while in North America, traveling between Philadelphia and Boston. There are multiple sketches and sections of geological formations, notes of lecture tickets and items 'to do' on certain dates, notes referring to lectures attended, and items borrowed. Page 67 is a sketch which appears to be Lyell planning the coloured illustration of Niagara as featured in 'Travels'. Page 74 appears to show the layout of Lyell's...
