Caves, Coprolites and Catastrophes

In 1824, William Buckland stood in front of the Royal Geological Society and told them about the bones he had been studying – the bones of an enormous, lizard-like creature, that he called Megalosaurus. This was the first full account of a dinosaur. In this brilliantly entertaining, colourful biography – the first to be written for over a century – Buckland’s fascinating life is explored in full. From his pioneering of geology and agricultural science to becoming Dean of Westminster, this is a captivating story of an exceptional and eccentric scientist whose legacy extends down to this day.
William Buckland DD, FRS (1784–1856) was a theologian and scientist, who is widely regarded as the founder of the science of geology. A polymath, Buckland was the first person to identify and describe the dinosaur, which he called Megalosaurus. He was an older contemporary of Charles Darwin and played a central role in the ferment of ideas about the origins of the earth and of living things. Yet while seeing the earth as in an ongoing state of physical development, Buckland consistently argued against early evolutionary ideas, seeing individual species as biologically fixed yet susceptible to extinction and replacement by divinely designed ‘higher’ ones. As a natural theologian, Buckland wrestled with the problems of interpreting the Bible in the context of a rapidly developing body of scientific data that appeared to conflict with the story of creation in the book of Genesis. A field geologist of genius, an avid hunter and brilliant interpreter of fossils, landscapes, and earth history, Buckland was also a pioneer of agricultural science and an early ecologist. He demonstrated how the earth’s climate has undergone radical changes over geological time – from carboniferous swamps to ice ages, each with their own flora and fauna. These and many other fascinating facets of Buckland’s extraordinary achievement, along with his legendarily colourful personality, are brilliantly presented and assessed in this, the first full-length biography of Buckland to be written for over a century.

‘Allan Chapman has written an irresistible biography of one of Oxford’s most colourful characters, the pioneer and populariser of paleontology William Buckland. A gifted and amusing speaker, Buckland captivated large audiences with lost worlds of prehistoric creatures, reconstructed from fossil fragments. An Anglican priest, Canon of Oxford’s cathedral and eventually, in 1845, Dean of Westminster, Buckland resolutely applied his scientific knowledge in the service of Christian philanthropy. Dr Chapman shares with his subject a proven ability to mix instruction with entertainment, but never to the detriment of two serious aims: to rescue Buckland from caricatures that have allowed his early writings on the scope of Noah’s flood to obscure his many durable contributions to geology and, secondly, to show that, as one standing in a long line of clerical scientists, he saw the earth sciences as magnifying, not threatening, the grandeur of God’s creation.’ - John Hedley Brooke, Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion, University of Oxford (1999–2006)

 ‘With sustained brio Allan Chapman restores the charismatic William Buckland to his rightful place in the scientific pantheon of the nineteenth century as a key figure in the peculiar genius of English life. As importantly, Chapman expertly navigates the historical currents that swept Buckland and his contemporaries to astonishing new insights into deep time, but never at the expense of their deep Christian conviction.’ - Simon Conway Morris FRS, Emeritus Professor of Paleantology, University of Cambridge

 ‘William Buckland was a remarkable and fascinating character who played a major part in the development of Geology as a new and important science. Allan Chapman explores the tensions that existed within Victorian Society between the development of scientific ideas and religious beliefs about the creation of the world and the evolution of life, and provides vivid descriptions of the key characters involved in these debates. He also shows the significant role that Buckland played in the cleaning up of Victorian cities and improving the health of those living in them. In all, a very engaging, informative and enjoyable read!’ - Martin Grossel, Emeritus Fellow in Organic Chemistry, University of Southampton