Charles Darwin, Llanymynech, Powys, Wales, UK
Posted by: 
Ddraig Ddu
N 52° 46.995 W 003° 05.384
30U E 493947 N 5848163
A plaque showing that Charles Darwin came to this spot in July 1831.
Waymark Code: WMBYB6
Location: North Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/04/2011
Views: 1
A plaque showing that Charles Darwin came to this spot in July 1831.
He used a new clinometer, a geologist tool used for measuring angles of slope.
The training her received from Prof Sedgwick, here and a number of places in Wales lead to him being appointed as the naturalist on board the HMS Beagle.
"1831 was a momentous year for Charles Darwin. He passed his BA examination on 22 January, stayed up in Cambridge for two further terms and returned to The Mount, his home in Shrewsbury, in mid-June. On 6 August he left Shrewsbury with Adam Sedgwick for a geological field trip to North Wales, and after his lone traverse over the Harlech Dome returned to The Mount on Monday 29 August to find letters from John Stevens Henslow and George Peacock inviting him to joint HMS Beagle. This geological field trip was crucial for his work on the Beagle. For example, when he began his first geological work of the voyage on Quail Island, he was by that time a competent geologist. Though others have studied the North Wales tour in some detail, there is also another earlier and much briefer episode to consider. Darwin appears to have geologized on his own at Llanymynech in July. The contrast between his first recorded attempts at Llanymynech in July 1831 and then elsewhere in North Wales in August 1831 is most instructive, as his development as a geologist can be followed in his field notes. Retracing his steps today, and comparing his measurements and observations with new ones, throws light on what he might have learnt at different points during that summer."
-With thanks to Rev Michael B. Roberts
Type of Historic Marker: Charles Darwin
Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Powys County Council
Age/Event Date: 07/01/1831
Related Website: [Web Link]
Give your Rating: 
|
Visit Instructions:
Please submit your visiting log with a picture of the object and include some interesting information about your visit.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|