Talks take place on Thursday afternoons, starting at 2pm, and usually take place in the Lecture Hall, Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA. These are free for Oxford u3a members but you are welcome to attend as a guest for a donation of £5 (£2 for members of all other U3As).
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Dr Phillipa Towler and Dr Kevin Privett – Unearthing the Letters of William Smith: Full Transcriptions Reveal so Much More
February 26 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Dr Philippa Towler is a hydrogeologist with a BSc from the University of Bristol and a PhD from the University of Bath. Initially she investigated the impact of landfill contamination on groundwater quality at the Water Research Centre. Subsequently, she built a career in land quality management and decommissioning projects throughout the UK, including Harwell. With her wealth of experience in the consulting industry, public engagement in geosciences and family history research she has found the transcription of all William Smith’s letters reveals a modern scientist experiencing frustrations that are familiar to us.
Dr Kevin Privett is a geologist with a BSc and PhD from the University of Bristol and is currently and a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Portsmouth. He has spent his working life in engineering geology consultancy, mostly in the civil engineering sector, but also in the mining sector; plus some university teaching at Masters level. In 2018 he was awarded the prestigious Glossop Medal by the Geological Society of London in honour of his lifetime contribution made in the science of applied geology. His interest in William Smith, the ‘Father of English Geology’ stems from the fact that Smith was also the first true engineering geologist, using geological knowledge to solve practical problems for his clients.
Born out of the pandemic when GLAM (Gardens, Libraries and Museums) volunteers couldn’t come into the Museum, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History Library and Archive online transcription saw volunteers work from home to transcribe and check the scanned letters of geologist William Smith and entomologist James Charles Dale. Two volunteers in particular, Philippa Towler and Kevin Privett, became interested in the Smith letters and took the role to new heights with what they uncovered. By transcribing over 750 letters to and from William Smith, a searchable database of basic metrics and keywords was created which may be used and built upon for further research. Analysis of the keywords highlighted the importance of finding coal to both William and his clients at the start of the nineteenth century. Mapping of the locational data from the letters revealed spatial trends in Smith’s career. Some details, such as working on Christmas Day, show his dedication to his work, and the lack of religious references reveals his secular approach. Reinterpretation of some of Williams notebook entries showed his approach to understanding the geology of the Bath area, his family history and having a portrait painted.