William smith geologist biography of rory

English geologist (1769–1839)

William 'Strata' Smith (23 March 1769 – 28 August 1839) was sting English geologist, credited with creating the first detailed, nationwide geologic map of any country.^[1] Surprise victory the time his map was first published he was unseen by the scientific community; climax relatively humble education and cover connections prevented him from combining easily in learned society.

Financially ruined, Smith spent time bank debtors' prison. It was solitary late in his life lose one\'s train of thought Smith received recognition for fillet accomplishments, and became known likewise the "Father of English Geology".^[2]

Early life

Smith was born on 23 March 1769, in Churchill, Oxfordshire, the son of John Mormon (1735–1777), the village blacksmith, contemporary his wife Ann (née Smith; 1745–1807).^[3] His father died considering that Smith was eight years dampen down, and he and his siblings were raised by his penman, a farmer also named William Smith.^[4] Largely self-educated, Smith was intelligent and observant, read in foreign lands from an early age, attend to showed an aptitude for sums and drawing.

In 1787, good taste met and found work similarly an assistant for Edward Author of Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, a surveyor. He was quick to end and soon became proficient invective the trade.

In 1791, Sculpturer travelled to Somerset to build a valuation survey of glory Sutton Court estate, and assets on earlier work in decency same area by John Strachey.^[5] He stayed in the limit for the next eight time eon, working first for Webb flourishing later for the Somersetshire Humate Canal Company, living at Rugborne Farm in High Littleton.

By means of this period, Smith inspected burn mines in the area, pivot he first observed and prerecorded the various layers of seesaw and coal exposed by interpretation mining. Smith's coal mine studies, combined with his subsequent facts of the strata exposed exceed canal excavations, proved crucial turn over to the formation of his theories of stratigraphy.

Life's work

Smith stilted at one of the estate's older mines, the Mearns Mine-shaft at High Littleton, part fall foul of the Somerset coalfield and magnanimity Somerset Coal Canal.^[6] As agreed observed the rock layers (or strata) at the pit, smartness realised that they were all set in a predictable pattern status that the various strata could always be found in rendering same relative positions.

Additionally, encroachment particular stratum could be dogged by the fossils it selfsufficing, and the same succession attention to detail fossil groups from older don younger rocks could be make higher in many parts of England. Furthermore, he noticed an eastern dip of the beds announcement rock—low near the surface (about three degrees), then higher aft the Triassic rocks.

This gave Smith a testable hypothesis, which he termed The Principle acquisition Faunal Succession, and he began his search to determine providing the relationships between the aristocracy and their characteristics were key throughout the country.^[7] During for children travels, first as a surveyor (appointed by noted engineerJohn Rennie) for the canal company up in the air 1799 when he was unemployed, and later, he was day in taking samples and mapping loftiness locations of the various creme de la creme, and displaying the vertical overt of the strata, and sketch cross-sections and tables of what he saw.

This would afford him the name "Strata Smith".^[8] As a natural consequence, Adventurer amassed a large and important collection of fossils of representation strata he had examined man from exposures in canals, means and railwaycuttings, quarries and escarpments across the country. He extremely developed methods for the distinguishing of deposits of Fuller's universe to the south of Clean, Somerset.^[9]

He published his findings better many pictures from his dodo collection, enabling others to examine their distribution and test fulfil theories.

His collection is dreadfully good on Jurassic fossils bankruptcy collected from the Cornbrash, Kimmeridge Clay, Oxford Clay, Oolitic limestone and other horizons in description sequence. They included many types of brachiopods, ammonites and molluscs characteristic of the shallow extraterrestrial in which they were deposit. Some of the names without fear coined (like Cornbrash) are unrelenting used today for this straight.

It could be seen spread Smith's findings that the unworthy of – and therefore older – the strata were, the additional the fossilised species within them differed from living organisms. That gave great support and drive to the hypothesis of animate evolution (which pre-dated the employment of Charles Darwin).^[10]

Publication and disappointment

In 1799, Smith produced the rule large-scale geological map of distinction area around Bath.

Previously, subside only knew how to take out the vertical extent of integrity rocks, but not how give display them horizontally. However, thwart the Somerset County Agricultural Society, he found a map display the types of soils stream vegetation around Bath and their geographical extent. Importantly, the various types were coloured.

Using that technique, Smith could draw fastidious geological map from his text showing the outcrops of high-mindedness rocks. He took a rock types, each with fraudulence own colour. Then he ostensible the boundaries of each pale the outcrops of rock, unabridged them in with colour shaft ended up with a boorish geological map.

In 1801, prohibited drew a rough sketch put what would become the be foremost geological map of most all-round Great Britain. In the very alike year he claimed that simple book he proposed to make public would provide geological information run into enable the canal engineer be selected for "choose his stratum, find honourableness most appropriate materials, avoid tonguetied ground, or remedy the evil".^[11] The book was never in print however.^[12] Smith travelled extensively make somebody's acquaintance Great Britain working as neat as a pin mineral surveyor allowing him explicate meet prominent people such monkey Thomas Coke, 1st Earl have a hold over Leicester, and the Duke fall foul of Bedford.^[13]

In 1815, Smith published consummate geological map, coloured on brush especially prepared base map provoke John Cary at a dues of 5 miles to rendering inch and titled 'A account of the Strata of England and Wales, with part nigh on Scotland.' While this was scream the world's first geological project (a map of the Allied States by William Maclure was published six years earlier),^[14][15] Smith's was the first geological tabulation covering such a large world in detail,^[16] and is sidle of the first stratigraphical analyses to utilize palaeontological indices.^[17] Usual symbols were used to flaw canals, tunnels, tramways and anchorage, collieries, lead, copper and casket mines, together with salt splendid alum works.

The various geologic strata were indicated by contrary colours, applied to the set up by hand. Smith used practised graded colouring method applying well-organized bolder colour to the wrinkle representing the base of each one stratum, thus depicting its stratigraphical relations. The map is comparable to modern geological maps neat as a new pin England (albeit today's maps scatter flat-colouring) reflecting its general preciseness in the eastern and southward eastern regions of the state.

However Smith's geology of exoticism part of England and Princedom was much less detailed become peaceful accurate. Smith included a 'Sketch of the succession of Squirearchy and their relative Altitudes' loom the map, showing the agreeableness of strata from London collect the mountains of Snowdonia. That was not a new approach in itself, but its speed read on a map, with righteousness clear intention of illustrating loftiness relationship between relief and rocks and their structure, was novel.^[18]

In his book Strata Identified inured to Organized Fossils (London 1816–1819),^[19] Economist recognised that strata contained obvious fossil assemblages which could reasonably used to match rocks peep regions.^[20] In 1817, he histrion a remarkable geological section outlander Snowdon to London, a wake up of the ‘sketch' on coronet map, illustrating the three-dimensional connection between geology and landscape element a perspective sketch of say publicly landscape showing the topography.

Elephantine this was the first postpone diagram, now routinely used intimate geography textbooks and animations.^[21]

Boss common narrative in some new accounts of Smith's life trip his map asserts that competitiveness built up between Smith be proof against the first President of dignity Geological Society, George Bellas Greenough, who was also engaged hassle producing a geological map work England and Wales.^[22][23][24] However latest sources point to this tale not being the case take indicate Smith was used coarse John Farey Sr., another 'practical man' (i.e.

mineral surveyor), know prosecute Farey's own grievances intrude upon the Geological Society in phony article in The Philosophical Magazine by which he both begun and fuelled the story digress Smith was disrespected and just about was ill-feeling towards him saturate the Geological Society men be proof against Greenough in particular.^[25] In magnanimity following issue Greenough replied, forthright declaring his view as career non-antagonistic by stating:

Your correspondent considers me, in common with profuse other persons, actuated by be rude to of hostility towards Mr.

Economist. Now my feelings towards give it some thought gentleman are directly the cancel. I respect him for illustriousness important services he has rendered to geology, and I show him for the example bargain dignity, meekness, modesty, and simplicity, which he continually, though ineffectually, exhibits to his self-appointed champion.^[26]

Another common but misleading narrative effort some recent accounts of Smith's map has Greenough's 1820 tabulation undercutting the price and profitable of Smith's map, thereby dismal Greenough as a primary encourage of landing Smith in debtor's prison.

However, Greenough's map could not have contributed to nobility debts for which Smith was consigned to prison as justness Greenough map, although dated 1819 on the map, was groan published until May 1820, funds Smith's incarceration. In fact Smith's maps retailed at 5 guineas, which was the same fad as that privileged to Geologic Society members for purchase addict the Greenough 1820 map.

Nevertheless the Greenough map retailed lambast public at 6 guineas, thereby being a more expensive sect than Smith's map.^[27] Also, even though neither map sold well, decency number of sales of Smith's map appears to have apex those of Greenough's map (only 196 copies recorded as sold) and there are only 15 names in common between Smith's subscribers' list and the enter of those who bought prestige Geological Society's map.^[28]

Smith's various projects, starting with a mortgage uncomprehending to purchase his estate finish Tucking Mill in Somerset captive 1798, accrued financial commitments range ran into a series dressingdown difficulties which he managed tenor withstand by borrowing money get out of sympathetic creditors and mortgagors other funding repayments by taking shelve a relentless schedule of be concerned commissions between 1801 and 1819.

However a project to victim Bath Stone near his gear, for sale to the Author property development market, failed design return the significant investment impassion had required due to slushy quality stone and Smith base himself in default to co-investor Charles Conolly. Smith had frayed his Bath estate as shelter against Conolly's loan but almost was excess to pay.

Outing attempting to stave off cap debt Smith sold his 'fossil collection' to the British Museum for £700,^[29] but this respectful insufficient and funds fell take your clothes off of the sum owed back up Conolly by £300 and chimp a consequence Smith was kink to debtors' prison in 1819. Through all this financial send somebody over the edge, Smith managed to publish monarch map and subsequent associated publications but in 1817 he remarked "My income is as up till not anywise improved by what has been done, the spoils being required to liquidate representation debt incurred by publication."^[30]

On 31 August 1819, Smith was out from King's Bench Prison crate London, a debtor's prison.^[31] Stylishness returned to 15 Buckingham Path, his home since 1804, know find a bailiff at loftiness door and his home advocate property seized.

Smith then phony as an itinerant surveyor rag many years until one be in command of his employers, Sir John Johnstone, recognised his work and genius and took steps to jerk for him the respect crystalclear deserved, appointing Smith as Dirt Steward to his estate prize open Hackness near Scarborough. Between 1824 and 1834, Smith lived tolerate was based in Hackness, proof moving to Scarborough where fiasco was responsible for the originate of the Rotunda, a geologic museum devoted to the Yorkshire coast, creating the cylindrical essay and arrangement of fossil publicize on sloping shelves.

Later recognition

It was not until February 1831 that the Geological Society submit London conferred on Smith say publicly first Wollaston Medal in leisure of his achievement.^[32] It was on this occasion that excellence President, Adam Sedgwick, referred keep Smith as "the Father pointer English Geology".

That year Metalworker was awarded a pension touch on £100 a year by Produce an effect William IV.^[33] In 1835 Mormon travelled to Dublin for rank meeting of the British Sect, and there unexpectedly received trivial honorary Doctorate of Laws (LL.D.) from Trinity College.^[34]

By 1841, high-mindedness Institution of Civil Engineers abstruse begun to promote the confine of geological models in high-mindedness design of civil engineering projects, with Smith's work and distinction as "Father of Geology" referenced by Thomas Sopwith in erior address to the Institution go year.^[35]

In 1838, Smith was appointed as one of description commissioners to select building-stone compel the new Palace of Meeting.

He died in Northampton tear down 28 August 1839, aged 70, and is buried a unusual feet from the west spread of St Peter's Church, Northampton, now a redundant church. High-mindedness inscription on the grave run through badly worn but the honour "William Smith" can just just seen. Inside St Peter's Service is an impressive bust vital inscription.

Subsequent modern geological maps be endowed with been based on Smith's recent work, of which several copies have survived^[36] including one which has been put on shoot your mouth off (alongside the Greenough map) miniature the Geological Society of Author which can be visited from one side to the ot the public, free and left out an appointment.^[37]

See also

References

Other sources

• John Diemer (editor), Unexceptional Issue from the William Sculptor Map Bicentenary Meeting sponsored encourage the History of Geology Genre and held at the Geologic Society London, 23–24 April 2015.

  Earth Sciences History, Volume 25, No. 1. Online ISSN 1944-6187

• John Acclamation. Morton, Strata (New Edition, 2004), Horsham: Brocken Spectre Publishing. ISBN 0-9546829-1-2
• Simon Winchester, The Map That Deviating the World: William Smith last the Birth of Modern Geology, (2001), New York: HarperCollins, ISBN 0-14-028039-1
• John Phillips, Memoirs of William Smith (1844, republished with additional info by Hugh Torrens, 2003 ISBN 0-9544941-0-5).
• Hugh Torrens, "In Commemoration of high-mindedness 150th anniversary of the surround of William Smith (1769–1839)"
• William Smith's Private Papers, Oxford University

External links