Oct 2020 Talk: From Coprolites to Cholera, the life of William Buckland, by Peter Lincoln

To WGCG Members, Friends and Guests,
We are pleased to have another talk via Zoom on Wed 21 Oct 2020 at 7.00 for a prompt 7:30 pm start.
The talk will be at 7:30 pm followed by the WGCG 2020 AGM

Abstract
William Buckland (1784-1856), Oxford’s first ‘Professor’ of geology, was a central figure of the ‘heroic’ foundational age of geological investigation. Buckland was a meticulous scientist and a devout, if sometimes rather too down-to-earth, clergyman. A charismatic lecturer, his flamboyant delivery stimulated his admirers and scandalised his detractors and, as a result, he was both venerated and vilified in life and, since his death, his eccentricities have often been more remembered than his achievements. However, Buckland’s foundational work in stratigraphy and palaeontology – his explanation of hyena den at Kirkdale won him the Royal Society’s Copley Medal – and his early acceptance of glacial theory put him firmly at the forefront of early nineteenth century geological endeavour. Equally at home with queens and quarrymen, William Buckland’s humanity shone through in everything he did. Appointed Dean of Westminster in 1845, he did not hesitate to use his new position to advocate scientific solutions to the problems of famine and disease. In this talk I shall aim to restore the memory of this geological hero by describing his long and eventful life and outlining some of his many achievements, both in geology and in the wider world.

Other reading – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Buckland

Peter Lincoln
Peter Lincoln retired from careers in shipbuilding and school science-teaching to pursue his interests in history of science.
A UCL MSc dissertation project on the foundation of Ipswich Museum lead to a fascination with the person and character of William Buckland, whose life and work now form the focus of his further studies towards a PhD at the University of East Anglia.

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