Scottish geologist and geophysicist
Sir James Hall of Dunglass, 4th Baronet
FRS
FRSE
(17 January 1761 ? 23 June 1832) was a
Scottish
geologist
and
geophysicist
. He was a
Member of Parliament
for St. Michael's borough (
Mitchell
, Cornwall) 1807?1812.
Education
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]
Hall was born at
Dunglass Castle, East Lothian
, to Magdalena, daughter of
Sir Robert Pringle, 3rd Baronet
, of Tillich,
Gloucestershire
and
Sir John Hall, 3rd Baronet
(died 1776). He studied at
Christ's College, Cambridge
,
[1]
and the
University of Edinburgh
. As an Edinburgh student during the early 1780s, Hall studied
chemistry
under
Joseph Black
and
natural history
under
John Walker
. Though mineralogy was frequent taught in medical courses, Walker was one of the first professors to offer systematic lectures on the new field of geology. While attending Walker's popular course, Hall was taught how to use the chemical composition of minerals to determine relative age of strata. Walker also emphasized the geological relevance of chemists like
William Cullen
, Joseph Black, Johann Pitt,
Norbert Bergman
, Johann Waller and Alex Consecrated. After his studies, Hall travelled to continental Europe where he actively sought out book dealers who could sell him works on chemistry, mineralogy and geology. He eventually travelled to France and met
Lavoisier
. He returned to Scotland to promote the new French chemical nomenclature.
At his home at Dunglass Castle he built by his own hand a model (3m tall) cathedral based on the cloister of
Westminster Abbey
. This was made of willow, some of which took root, transforming the structure into a small copse.
[2]
Geological research
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Hall was fascinated by
James Hutton's
Theory of the Earth
during the late 1780s and 1790s. Hutton's theory suggested that the strata of the earth were continually being worn down or melted, thereby making the earth one giant system of materials' circulation. In the spring 1788 Hall was with Hutton and
John Playfair
on the boat trip east from his home at
Dunglass
along the
Berwickshire
coast to
Siccar Point
where they found the famous rock formation now known as
Hutton's Unconformity
.
[3]
At this point Hall was still sceptical of the chemical viability of Hutton's theory, however, he soon reconciled these doubts and ended up publishing several papers on the chemical composition of
strata
. He carried out research on
granite
that showed that it was possible for molten rock to form
conformities
. He melted
basalt
in an iron furnace, and demonstrated that it returned to its original form when cooled. He melted limestone in a retort made from a gun barrel, to show that it did not decompose when melted under pressure. His results were published in the
Transactions
of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and were well received by those like John Playfair who wanted to use Hutton's theory to promote a more mathematical approach to geology. He also carried out the first
analogue modelling
to investigate the formation of folds, work published in 1815.
[4]
Hall travelled extensively in Europe to examine geological formations of the
Alps
and
Mount Etna
, and noted the similarity of
lava flows
in
Italy
to locations in Scotland.
Sir James Hall was President of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh
, and author of various works on architecture and the sciences.
Family
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He married Helen Douglas (d. 1837), daughter of
Dunbar Douglas, 4th Earl of Selkirk
and sister of
the 5th Earl of Selkirk
. They had three daughters and three sons.
Hall died at home at 132 George Street in the
New Town
in
Edinburgh
, Scotland.
[5]
He is buried in
Greyfriars Kirkyard
in central Edinburgh. The grave lies against the western wall of the original churchyard, backing onto George Heriots School.
He was succeeded by his son and heir,
Sir John Hall, 5th Baronet
,
FRS
. Another son,
Basil Hall
, was a noted traveller and writer; his daughter Eliza was mother of
Houston Stewart Chamberlain
. His daughter
Magdalene Hall
(1793-1822) married firstly 1815 Colonel Sir
William Howe De Lancey
and secondly Captain Henry Harvey; she was author of
A Week at Waterloo
(first privately published) and died in childbirth with her third child. By De Lancey, her first husband, Magdalene had no issue.
[
citation needed
]
He was an agnostic or atheist.
[6]
Publications
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]
See also
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References
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Bibliography
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]
- M. D. Eddy, 'Geology, Mineralogy and Time in John Walker's University of Edinburgh Natural History Lectures',
History of Science
, 39 (2001), 95-119.
- M. D. Eddy, 'The University of Edinburgh Natural History Class Lists',
Archives of Natural History
, 30 (2003), 97-117.
- M. D. Eddy, The Language of Mineralogy: John Walker, Chemistry and the Edinburgh Medical School, Aldershot : Ashgate Publishing Ltd, 2008,
ISBN
978-0-7546-6332-4
[Hall is discussed throughout the book, especially in the introduction and conclusion].
- The Royal Families of England, Scotland, and Wales, with their Descendants
, etc., by Messrs, John and John Bernard Burke, London, 1848: vol.1, pedigree CXXVI.
- Ten Parishes of the County of Haddington
, by John Martine, edited by E.J.Wilson, Haddington, 1894, p. 214.
- Leigh Rayment's list of baronets
External links
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