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William Smith "The Father of Geology" (1769-1839) |
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William Smith was born in 1769 in Churchill, where his father
was a blacksmith.
There are several sites in Churchill village that are connected
to his life and a William Smith village map and trail is being
developed for Spring 2013 which will be available at the
Heritage Centre.
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Smith's work established the chronological order of rock layers
in the United Kingdom, and the map he drew in 1815 of the
stratification
of the British Isles had extraordinary
repercussions - not just for science but religion too.
His
personal life, however, was not so successful. Overlooked
by the scientific community and his work plagiarised,
Smith was
financially ruined and he spent some time in a
debtors' prison.
It
was only later in his life that William Smith received the
recognition that he deserved.
The
touch screen exhibition in the Heritage Centre details this
extraordinary story,
together with examples of his revolutionary geological maps.
Full details of
William Smith's life and achievements can be found
here.
The
Rotunda Museum in Scarborough was partly designed and
established by William Smith in 1829 and has a wonderful
collection of his fossils.
Geological
societies are always particularly interested to visit the
village of Churchill and see where William Smith's love of
landscape and fossils began.
Links to local
societies can be found
here.
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