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William Buckland who discovered about Megalosaurus and Glaciation By Vedic Maths School

William Buckland who discovered about Megalosaurus and Glaciation

William Buckland was DD, FSR was an English theologian, Geologist, Paleontologist, Pioneer, Minister. Buckland was known for his efforts to accommodate the theories in the Bible with Geological discoveries and also opposing evolutionary theories.

Buckland was the first one who wrote a full account of a fossil dinosaur. He afterward changed the name to Megalosaurus.

Time and Place of birth

William Buckland was born on 12 March 1784 in Axminster, United Kingdom.

William Buckland Early life

In his childhood, William was educated at home by his father Charles Buckland and his mother was Elizabeth Buckland.

William had an interest in Geology while he used to often talk a walk to the countryside with his father while passing through a local quarry where he saw improvement in roads which lead to collecting fossilized ammonites and shells littered the ground. In the year 1797, he went to the Blundell’s School in Tiverton and then went to Winchester College.

In the year 1801, William went to Corpus Christi College, Oxford by taking some coaching from his uncle and won one of the scholarships. William then received his degree of BA in classics and theology in the year 1804.

He was also elected a fellow of his college in 1804, and he also became an ordained priest in the same year.

William also went to obtain his degree in MA in the year 1809. William also used to attend the lectures by John Kidd about mineralogy and chemistry after which he developed his interest in Geology.

William Buckland Adulthood

While William succeeded in the lectures of John Kidd he was appointed as a reader in Mineralogy, where he gave energetic and popular lectures giving more importance to the topics of Palaeontology and Geology.

He was an unofficial custodian for the Ashmolean Museum there he built collections, he also toured Europe, and also he came in contact with some great scholars one of them was Georges Cuvier.

William used to get a small amount of salary from the college and taught some pupils about classics and used to increase his earnings. William used his empty time and learned about his interests in the natural history of geology and minerals. William’s collection of rocks and fossils and specimens, later on, became the foundation of the University Museum collection.

William married Mary Morland in the year 1825 and she was an illustrator and naturalist. Both of them had the same passion for Geology and almost for a year they went to Europe to visit Geological sites for their honeymoon.

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William Buckland Education and Career

Since his childhood, William has had a great interest in geology. As a child his education was done from home by his father, later he attended Blundell’s school in Tiverton in the year 1797 and for his higher studies went to Winchester College.

William went to Corpus Christi College, Oxford in 1801 where he won the scholarship and received his BA degree in classics and theology in the year 1804 and also his degree in MA in 1809. William also studied the topics of mineralogy and chemistry in the lectures of John Kidd.

While in his career he used to go on geological trips on his favorite black mare to different parts of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. He also examined some parts of Strata and took back specimens to examine them from his journey.

William became a canon at the Christ Church in the year 1825 with this he had a residence and much-improved salary. William published 1836 his most famous and amazing work on Bridgewater Treatises of “Geology and Mineralogy” after five years of hard work.

Contribution in Science

Megalosaurus

While William was living in Corpus Christi College, that he became the president of the Geological Society of London in the year 1824, this was the time when William announced his discovery of fossil bones of a giant reptile, a great lizard which he gave a name as Megalosaurus and wrote about it fully in the account and later which was called a Dinosaur.

Glaciation theory

William Buckland was a prominent face and he was also a friend to Sir Robert Peel, Prime Minister. At that time William prepared a report on the founding Geological Survey of Great Britain.

He also started to build interest in the theories of Louis Agassiz which were almost about ancient glaciers; he went to Switzerland to meet Agassiz on a personal level in 1838, both of them went to Scotland for an extended tour and found evidence about the existence of former Glaciation.

In the same year, William became the prime minister of the Geological Society and was satisfied that Glaciation has been in the origin on the lands of which were covering Britain.

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Interesting facts

  • William Buckland believed that the word “beginning” meant an undefined amount of time in the Bible.
  • In the cave of Paviland, William Buckland discovered a skeleton on 18 January 1823.
  • William Buckland believed that the evidence of the past which was covered underwater was because of Glaciation and not by a universal flood.
  • For Darwin’s paper William Buckland was the advocate and it was about earthworms in soil formation, and he recommended it for its publication.
  • Captain Beechey in Bonin Islands named it the “Buckland Island” after him in the year 1827.
William Buckland Interesting facts

Death

William Buckland died in Islip, Oxfordshire, England on 14 August 1856. William was suffering from a tubercular disease that had spread to his brain and neck, this disease majorly disabled him and he retired and died after six years.

Books published

In the year 1836, Geology and Mineralogy considered regarding Natural Theology
Geology and Mineralogy considered with reference to Natural Theology – Volume 2
The Evolution Debate 1813-1870, Volume 2

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Awards and Medals

  • William Buckland received Wollaston Medal, 1848
  • William Buckland received the Royal Society’s Copley Medal, 1822

Quotes

The Earth from its deep foundation unites with the celestial orbs that roll through Boundless space.

The successive series of stratified formations are piled on one another, almost like courses of masonry.

No conclusions have been totally established, then the important fact of the whole absence of any vestiges of the human species throughout the complete series of the Geological series.

FAQ

When was William Buckland born?

William Buckland was born on 12 March 1784, in Axminster, United Kingdom.

When did William Buckland die?

William Buckland died at the age of 70 on 14 August 1856, in Islip, England.

Where did William Buckland find Megalosaurus?

William Buckland found Megalosaurus in Stonesfield when he became the President of the Geological Society in 1824 where he first announced his discovery of bones of a giant reptile and named it Megalosaurus.

Who found Megalosaurus?

William Buckland was the one who found Megalosaurus and named it in 1824.

What was William Buckland famous for?

William Buckland was famous for his efforts to reconcile Geological discovery with the help of the Bible and anti-evolutionary theories.

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Conclusion

William Buckland had contributed to Science for which the world is grateful today his discoveries about Megalosaurus and Glaciation have changed the world today for the better and traveling his whole life while finding this discovery is something unbelievable.

I hope my article was useful to everyone. If you have any questions you can ask in the comments, I’ll surely answer. Thank you!

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