James Hall, 4th Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir James Hall of Dunglass, 4th Baronet FRS
FRSE (January 17, 1761 – June 23, 1832) was a Scottish
geologist
and geophysicist, born at Dunglass
, Haddingtonshire, to Sir John Hall, 3rd Baronet
(died 1776), by his spouse, Magdalen (died 1763) daughter of Sir Robert Pringle, 3rd Baronet, of Stichill, Roxburghshire
. Sir James was also Member of Parliament
for St. Michael's borough (Mitchell, Cornwall
) 1807 - 1812.
, and the University of Edinburgh
. As an Edinburgh student during the early 1780s, Hall studied chemistry
under Joseph Black
and natural history
under John Walker (naturalist)
. Though mineralogy was frequent taught in medical courses, Walker was one of the first professors to offer systematic lectures on the new field of geology. While attending Walker's popular course, Hall was taught how to use the chemical composition of minerals to determine relative age of strata. Walker also emphasised the geological relevance of chemists like William Cullen, Joseph Black, Johann Pott, Torbern Bergman, Johann Wallerius and Axel Cronstedt. After his studies, Hall travelled to continental Europe where he actively sought out book dealers who could sell him works on chemistry, mineralogy and geology. He eventually made it to France and met Lavoisier. He returned to Scotland to promote the new French chemical nomenclature.
's Theory of the Earth during the late 1780s and 1790s. Hutton's theory suggested that the strata of the earth were continually being worn down or melted, thereby making the earth one giant systems of material circulation. In the Spring of 1788 Hall was with Hutton and John Playfair
on the boat trip east from his home at Dunglass
along the coast of the Firth of Forth
, which found the famous Hutton's Unconformity
at Siccar Point
. At this point Hall was still skeptical of the chemical viability of Hutton's theory, however, he soon reconciled these doubts and ended up publishing several papers on the chemical composition of strata
. He carried out research on granite
that showed that it was possible for molten rock to form conformities
. His results were published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
and were well received by those like John Playfair who wanted to use Hutton's theory to promote a more mathematical approach to geology. Hall traveled extensively in Europe
to examine geological formations of the Alps
and Mount Etna
, and noted the similarity of lava flows in Italy
to locations in Scotland.
, and author of various works on architecture and the sciences. He married Helen (d. 1837), daughter of Dunbar Hamilton later Douglas (d. 1799), Earl of Selkirk
and sister of the 5th Earl of Selkirk
. They had issue: three sons and three daughters. Sir James Hall died at Edinburgh
, Scotland. He was succeeded by his son and heir, Sir John Hall, 5th Baronet, F.R.S.. Another son, Basil Hall
, was a noted traveller and writer; his daughter Eliza was mother of Houston Stewart Chamberlain
. His daughter Magdalene Hall (1793-1822) married firstly 1815 Colonel Sir William Howe DeLancey
and secondly Captain Henry Harvey; she was author of A Week at Waterloo (first privately published) and died in childbirth with her third child. By DeLancey, her first husband, Magdalene had no issue.
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
FRSE (January 17, 1761 – June 23, 1832) was a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
geologist
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and geophysicist, born at Dunglass
Dunglass
Dunglass is a location in East Lothian, Scotland, lying east of the Lammermuir Hills on the North Sea coast. It has a 15th century Dunglass Collegiate Church, now in the care of Historic Scotland...
, Haddingtonshire, to Sir John Hall, 3rd Baronet
Sir John Hall, 3rd Baronet
Sir John Hall of Dunglass, 3rd Baronet , was one of the Grand Jury for the trial of the Jacobite rising rebels at Edinburgh, 1748....
(died 1776), by his spouse, Magdalen (died 1763) daughter of Sir Robert Pringle, 3rd Baronet, of Stichill, Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Dumfries to the west, Selkirk to the north-west, and Berwick to the north. To the south-east it borders Cumbria and Northumberland in England.It was named after the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh...
. Sir James was also Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for St. Michael's borough (Mitchell, Cornwall
Mitchell (UK Parliament constituency)
Mitchell, or St Michael was a rotten borough consisting of the town of Mitchell, Cornwall. From the first Parliament of Edward VI, in 1547, it elected two members to the Unreformed House of Commons.-History:The borough encompassed parts of two parishes, Newlyn East and St Enoder...
) 1807 - 1812.
Education
Hall studied at Christ's College, CambridgeChrist's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
, and the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. As an Edinburgh student during the early 1780s, Hall studied chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
under Joseph Black
Joseph Black
Joseph Black FRSE FRCPE FPSG was a Scottish physician and chemist, known for his discoveries of latent heat, specific heat, and carbon dioxide. He was professor of Medicine at University of Glasgow . James Watt, who was appointed as philosophical instrument maker at the same university...
and natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
under John Walker (naturalist)
John Walker (naturalist)
John Walker was a Scottish minister and natural historian. He was Professor of Natural History at the University of Edinburgh from 1779 to 1803....
. Though mineralogy was frequent taught in medical courses, Walker was one of the first professors to offer systematic lectures on the new field of geology. While attending Walker's popular course, Hall was taught how to use the chemical composition of minerals to determine relative age of strata. Walker also emphasised the geological relevance of chemists like William Cullen, Joseph Black, Johann Pott, Torbern Bergman, Johann Wallerius and Axel Cronstedt. After his studies, Hall travelled to continental Europe where he actively sought out book dealers who could sell him works on chemistry, mineralogy and geology. He eventually made it to France and met Lavoisier. He returned to Scotland to promote the new French chemical nomenclature.
Geological Research
He was particularly fascinated by James HuttonJames Hutton
James Hutton was a Scottish physician, geologist, naturalist, chemical manufacturer and experimental agriculturalist. He is considered the father of modern geology...
's Theory of the Earth during the late 1780s and 1790s. Hutton's theory suggested that the strata of the earth were continually being worn down or melted, thereby making the earth one giant systems of material circulation. In the Spring of 1788 Hall was with Hutton and John Playfair
John Playfair
John Playfair FRSE, FRS was a Scottish scientist and mathematician, and a professor of natural philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. He is perhaps best known for his book Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth , which summarized the work of James Hutton...
on the boat trip east from his home at Dunglass
Dunglass
Dunglass is a location in East Lothian, Scotland, lying east of the Lammermuir Hills on the North Sea coast. It has a 15th century Dunglass Collegiate Church, now in the care of Historic Scotland...
along the coast of the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
, which found the famous Hutton's Unconformity
Hutton's Unconformity
Hutton's Unconformity is any of various famous geological sites in Scotland. These are places identified by 18th-century Scottish geologist James Hutton as an unconformity, which provided evidence for his Plutonist theories of uniformitarianism and about the age of the Earth.-Theory of rock...
at Siccar Point
Siccar Point
Siccar Point is a rocky promontory in the county of Berwickshire on the east coast of Scotland.It is famous in the history of geology for Hutton's Unconformity found in 1788, which James Hutton regarded as conclusive proof of his uniformitarian theory of geological development.-History:Siccar...
. At this point Hall was still skeptical of the chemical viability of Hutton's theory, however, he soon reconciled these doubts and ended up publishing several papers on the chemical composition of strata
Stratum
In geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers...
. He carried out research on granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
that showed that it was possible for molten rock to form conformities
Unconformity
An unconformity is a buried erosion surface separating two rock masses or strata of different ages, indicating that sediment deposition was not continuous. In general, the older layer was exposed to erosion for an interval of time before deposition of the younger, but the term is used to describe...
. His results were published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
and were well received by those like John Playfair who wanted to use Hutton's theory to promote a more mathematical approach to geology. Hall traveled extensively in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to examine geological formations of the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
and Mount Etna
Mount Etna
Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently standing high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m higher than it was in 1981.. It is the highest mountain in...
, and noted the similarity of lava flows in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to locations in Scotland.
Other Details
Sir James Hall was President of the Royal Society of EdinburghRoyal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
, and author of various works on architecture and the sciences. He married Helen (d. 1837), daughter of Dunbar Hamilton later Douglas (d. 1799), Earl of Selkirk
Earl of Selkirk
Earl of Selkirk is a title in the Peerage of Scotland.It was created on 4 August 1646 for Lord William Douglas, third son of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas, along with the title Lord Daer and Shortcleuch...
and sister of the 5th Earl of Selkirk
Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk
Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk was a Scottish peer. He was born at Saint Mary's Isle, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. He was noteworthy as a Scottish philanthropist who sponsored immigrant settlements in Canada at the Red River Colony.- Early background :Douglas was the seventh son of Dunbar...
. They had issue: three sons and three daughters. Sir James Hall died at Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland. He was succeeded by his son and heir, Sir John Hall, 5th Baronet, F.R.S.. Another son, Basil Hall
Basil Hall
Basil Hall, FRS was a British naval officer from Scotland, a traveller, and an author. He was the second son of Sir James Hall, 4th Baronet, an eminent man of science.-Biography:...
, was a noted traveller and writer; his daughter Eliza was mother of Houston Stewart Chamberlain
Houston Stewart Chamberlain
Houston Stewart Chamberlain was a British-born German author of books on political philosophy, natural science and the German composer Richard Wagner. He later became a German citizen. Chamberlain married Wagner's daughter, Eva, some years after Wagner's death...
. His daughter Magdalene Hall (1793-1822) married firstly 1815 Colonel Sir William Howe DeLancey
William Howe DeLancey
Colonel Sir William Howe DeLancey KCB was an officer in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He died of wounds he received during the Battle of Waterloo.-Early life:Born in New York City...
and secondly Captain Henry Harvey; she was author of A Week at Waterloo (first privately published) and died in childbirth with her third child. By DeLancey, her first husband, Magdalene had no issue.