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William Smith

Father of English Geology
(1769-1839)

William Smith: The Family Man (Exhibition 2016)

With thanks to Kathleen Diston and her team at Oxford University Museum of Natural History who curated this exhibition, and to Nina Morgan, author of The Geology of Oxford Gravestones, for her help and advice.

William Smith was born in 1769 in Churchill, where his father was a blacksmith. He attended the village school.
Legend has it that his interest in the landscape and geological enquiry was sparked by the echinoid fossils ('poundstones') that he found in local fields.
Later, while surveying the Somerset Coal Canal in the 1790s, Smith noticed 'regularity in the direction and dip of the various strata in the hills...' 
Observing that rock layers occurred in a predictable pattern, he also noted that fossil assemblages could be used to order strata in terms of relative age. 
This was his Principle of Faunal Succession. 
In 1815 Smith published his hand-coloured geological map of England, Wales and part of Scotland, famously establishing the chronological order of rock layers in the United Kingdom.
 
2015 was the bicentenary of this famous geological map

But it did not stop there.  After his sister’s death, William Smith brought up her children and instilled in them his love of geology.  The eldest son, John Phillips, eventually became Professor of Geology, Oxford University, President of the Geological Society and the first keeper of OUMNH, and Anne, the only daughter, provided her brother with valuable scientific back-up as well as essential domestic and emotional support during their 33 years together.  These family connections were the focus of our 2016 exhibition William Smith: The Family Man. 

250th birthday of William Smith 300
On 23 March 2019, the village of Churchill celebrated the 250th birthday of William Smith with flowers and a visit to his birthplace from Joy Timms, a relative of the geologist, who lives locally.



Full details of William Smith's life and achievements: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Smith

The Rotunda Museum in Scarborough was partly designed and established by William Smith in 1829 and has a wonderful collection of his fossils. https://www.scarboroughmuseumstrust.com/rotunda-museum/

In March 2014, the Natural History Museum in Oxford launched William Smith Online with digital images from their William Smith Collection, his biography, a William Smith blog and more. https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/william-smith

There are several sites in Churchill village that are connected to his life and a William Smith village map and trail is available by post (£2.00 +p&p). Local Publications
 

We have been working on a new exhibition for some time – the Heritage Centre has always boasted of its four important ‘sons’ but now it is time for the women of the village to be celebrated.  Each in her own way has changed lives both in Churchill and in the wider world.

OUR Four remarkable women

 Elizabeth Bourne (1549-1599)
Who controversially petitioned for divorce from her philandering husband and left letters which are now considered a most significant and valuable historical source of early modern literature and inform a greater understanding of women’s negotiations for legal autonomy in the sixteenth century.
A seventeenth-century eccentric

Anne Walter (Unknown – 1707)
Who lived in fear of being murdered but left a trust which is still providing grants for education purposes.
A nineteenth-century grocer

Emily Jennings (1814-1885)
Whose legacy launched a village charity.
A twentieth-century High Sheriff

Judy Hutchinson (1916-1989)
Whose secret war work has never been fully acknowledged.

From Our Guest Book

  • "Congratulations to all on this initiative.  So well-organised and user-friendly."

  • "Such a wonderful enterprise. The locality should be proud of it."

  • "Fantastic, absolutely first class. Most interesting and informative."

  • "A fine chance discovery"

  • "Very good new interactive displays, very comprehensive."

  • "Excellent to have this centre as a focus for Churchill's history - especially in relation to William Smith."

  • "Lovely spot, so grateful this part of the old church was saved."

  • "Beautiful restoration, very nicely done! Unexpected hive of information."

  • "Beautiful setting, very peaceful & informative"

  • "Why haven't we been here earlier? We shall certainly return!"

  • "A fascinating visit. William Smith was a wonderful man! "

  • "Great building, well restored. Charming!"

  • "What a lovely treat to stumble upon. Thank you for preserving a part of our Heritage"

  • "A fascinating display in a very beautiful setting."

  • "A little gem I didn't know existed."