Adam Sedgwick

Adam Sedgwick (March 22, 1785 – January 27, 1873) was one of the founders of modern geology. He proposed the Devonian period of the geological timescale and later the Cambrian period. The latter proposal was based on work which he did on Welsh rock strata.

Introduction

In 1817 he took holy orders, and in 1818 he became Woodwardian Professor of Geology at the University of Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences, holding a chair that had been endowed ninety years before by the natural historian John Woodward. He lacked formal training in geology, but he quickly became an active researcher in geology and paleontology. During his tenure, he immensely enlarged the geological collections of Cambridge University, and carried out important field research all over Britain. Sedgwick is said to have remarked, upon being appointed Woodwardian Professor, "Hitherto I have never turned a stone; henceforth I will leave no stone unturned." In 1822 he carried out fieldwork unraveling the complex geology of the Lake District of northern England, armed with the new discoveries and techniques of William Smith. He met and befriended the poet William Wordsworth on this expedition, and also met the poet Robert Southey and the chemist John Dalton. His lectures at Cambridge were immensely popular; he was a spellbinding lecturer, and -- breaking with the traditions of his time -- his lectures were open to women, whom Sedgwick thought could make great contributions to natural history. He continued to rise in his profession: in 1829 he became President of the Geological Society of London, and in 1845 a Vice-Master of Trinity College. As Vice-Master, he led campaigns to open Cambridge to non-Anglicans and to reorganize the academic programs, in the process meeting and becoming close to Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert. By the 1850s he was in poor health, cared for by his niece Isabella. Still, he kept giving his famous lectures until 1871.

Related Topics:
1817 - Holy orders - 1818 - Woodwardian Professor of Geology - University of Cambridge - Department of Earth Sciences - John Woodward - Paleontology - Britain - 1822 - Lake District - Northern England - William Smith - William Wordsworth - Robert Southey - John Dalton - Cambridge - Lecturer - 1829 - Geological Society of London - 1845 - Trinity College - Anglican - Queen Victoria - Prince Albert - 1871

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