Papers of Sir Charles Lyell
Fonds
Identifier: Coll-203
Scope and Contents
- 10 boxes of correspondence
- 2 boxes of miscellaneous papers and lecture notes
- 24 boxes of offprints of papers
- 294 notebooks
Dates
- 1820-1874
Creator
Extent
11 metres
Arrangement
The first tranche is arranged as ten series in the collection (aka Lyell 1-10).
Custodial History
The Charles Lyell Collection is the sum of multiple accruals which have coalesced at the University of Edinburgh over a span of almost 100 years. The first of these accruals was a collection of geological specimens, minerals and shells, alongwith what was described at the time as 'The Papers of Sir Charles Lyell', presented in 1927 to the Grant Institute of Geology by Lady Lyell of Kinnordy (see University Court minutes, 14 Nov 1927).The paper records were transferred from the Grant Institute of Geology, to the University Library in 1960 and 1975. The Specimens remained with the Grant Institute, in the Cockburn Geological Museum. Other papers and Lyell's notebooks remained in the custody of the Lyell family at Kinnordy. Thanks to the dedicated support of leading institutions, groups and individuals, the University of Edinburgh led a successful campaign in 2019 to acquire Lyell's 294 notebooks. In 2020, the remaining papers of Sir Charles Lyell were allocated to the University of Edinburgh under the UK Government's 'Acceptance in Lieu of Inheritance Tax' scheme. Additionally, smaller groups of records from the original 1927 deposit, that had found their way into academic offices and stores, have been identified, and have been passed from the School of GeoSciences to the Library.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
- First tranche
- Transfered from the Grant Institute of Geology, 1960 (catalogued, Coll-203/1-10). Accession E60/3
- Second tranche
- Transfered from the Grant Institute of Geology, 1975 (uncatalogued, Gen.1999). Accession E75/45.
- Third tranche
- Purchased from Sotheby's, November 2019
Processing Information
Fonds level description compiled for NAHSTE project by Andrew Thomson , May 2000. Revised by Pamela McIntyre, September 2023.
- Auvergne (France)
- British Association for the Advancement of Science (1831-:)
- Buckland, William, 1784-1856 (English theologian, geologist)
- Darwin, Charles Robert, 1809-1882 (Naturalist)
- Deposition and Sedimentation
- Earth
- Earth, Origin
- England
- Erosion
- Etna, Mount (Italy)
- Formations (Geology)
- Fossil Hominids
- Geikie, Archibald, Sir (Professor of Geology, University of Edinburgh)
- Geological Society of London (1807-:)
- Geological Time
- Geology
- Geology, Stratigraphic Eocene
- Geology, Stratigraphic Miocene
- Geology, Stratigraphic Pleistocene
- Hutton, James, 1726-1797 (Scottish geologist)
- Lyell, Sir Charles, 1797-1875 (1st Baronet | Scottish geologist)
- Murchison, Sir Roderick Impey, 1792-1871 (1st Baronet | Scottish geologist)
- Naturalists
- Palaeontology
- Rock Cycle
- Royal Society (c1645-:) (scientific society)
- Scotland
- Uniformitarianism
- United States
- University of London. King's College London (1829-:)
- Volcanic Fields
- Title
- Papers of Sir Charles Lyell
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository
Contact:
Centre for Research Collections
University of Edinburgh Main Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44(0)131 650 8379
heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk
Centre for Research Collections
University of Edinburgh Main Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44(0)131 650 8379
heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk