This geologist William Smith posting on another exh[i]bition may (still) be of interest to ‘MAPS-L’ subscribers – or for re-forwarding to others.
Francis Herbert
“From: HOGG - History of Geology Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Nina Morgan
Sent: 24 March 2016 10:18
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: New William Smith exhbition opens in Churchill
A new exhibition about William Smith is opening on Saturday 26 March at the Churchill and Sarsden Heritage Centre. Titled William Smith: The Family Man, the exhibition focuses on the personal life of Smith, who was born in Churchill in 1769. Highlights include a scan of a sketch of his mother, drawn by Smith from memory, and facsimile extracts and transcriptions of unpublished personal correspondence between Smith and his niece, Anne Phillips [1803 – 1862] and nephew, the geologist John Phillips [1800 – 1874], between 1819 and 1839. The letters, drawn from the archives at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, highlight the personal side of Smith's life, demonstrate his lifelong loyalty to his birthplace and reveal the close and loving relationship he maintained with his niece and nephew until his death in 1839.
The letters will remain on display from 26 March to 25 September 2016. The Churchill and Sarsden Heritage Centre, located on Hastings Hill in Churchill near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire is open from 2 – 4:30 on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. Admission is free.
A visit to Churchill also provides an opportunity to examine other Smith memorabilia, including a plaque that marks the site of the house on Churchill Road where Smith was born; the monolith made of local stone erected in at the top of Hastings Hill in 1831 by the 3rd Earl of Ducie that honours William Smith as the 'Father of British [sic] Geology', and the exterior of the All Saints Church, the parish church where, in 1831, Smith describes how he and his brothers 'had the grace of presenting their bald heads in one Pew ... in supplications to their maker'.
For the full Smith experience you can round off your day with a visit to The Chequers in Churchill, where Smith's stepfather, Robert Gardner, was once landlord.
For further information see: www.churchillheritage.org.uk
Nina Morgan, Science writer and editor, tel: 01608-676530
Mailing address: Rose Cottage East End, Chadlington, Chipping Norton Oxon OX7 3LX
For information about my latest book visit www.gravestonegeology.uk”