Antony and Cleopatra, Napoleon and Josephine, Paris and Helen of Troy. These are just a few of the passionate love affairs that have literally, it seems, changed the course of history. But what about the influence of true love on the development of geology? The pivotal role played in the 19th Century by intelligent and loving sisters and wives in assisting the researches of their brothers and husbands is now increasingly recognised and acknowledged. But important though these contributions are, one could argue that they essentially filled in details related to the understanding of geology – albeit often very important ones. But in one case, at least, the love of a good woman did have a profound effect on the course of geological history.
According to his biographer, Archibald Giekie, Roderick Murchison (Pictured, by Stephen Pearce) “had entered the [military] service with high hopes of distinction, but by a series of unfortunate circumstances and through no fault of his own, he had been grievously disappointed”. The end of Napoleonic Wars dashed Murchison’s hopes of distinguishing himself in active service, and when he returned to England from France in 1815, Murchison was at a very loose end.
But in early summer of that year, things began to look up. Murchison was introduced to Charlotte Hugonin, described by the mathematician, Mary Somerville, as “an amiable and accomplished woman, with solid acquirements which few ladies at that time possessed [and] had taken to the study of geology”. After what must have been a whirlwind romance, the pair were married at the end of August.
Marriage marked a real turning-point in Murchison’s life. “From this time he came under the influence of a thoughtful, cultivated, and affectionate woman” Geikie records. “Quietly and imperceptibly that influence grew, leading him with true womanly tact into a sphere of exertion where his uncommon powers might find full scope”. According to Somerville, it was soon after his marriage that Murchison “began that career which has rendered him the first geologist of our country”
One of Murchison’s greatest achievements was his delineation and definition of the Silurian system in Wales. But when it became obvious that some of the strata defined by Murchison as lower Silurian were equivalent to strata defined by the Reverend Adam Sedgwick as Upper Cambrian, geological warfare erupted. The result was a protracted dispute which was only solved after several decades by the adoption of a new system – the Ordovician. It's pure speculation, of course – but if Murchison had never met Charlotte, would the Ordovician ever have come into existence?
Acknowledgment
Sources for this vignette include the DNB entry for Roderick Murchison; the DNB entry for Charlotte Murchison; Life of Sir Roderick I. Murchison Based on his Journals and Letters by Archibald Geikie, John Murray, 1875; and Personal Recollections from Early Life to Old Age of Mary Somerville with selections from her Correspondence by her daughter, Martha Somerville, John Murray, 1874.
- If the past is the key to your present interests, why not join the History of Geology Group (HOGG)? For more information and to read the latest HOGG newsletter, visit: www.geolsoc.org.uk/hogg, where the programme and abstracts from the Conference on Geological Collectors and Collecting are available as a pdf file free to download.
* Nina Morgan is based near Oxford.