Joyce lambert
Encyclopedia
Joyce Lambert was an English
botanist and stratigrapher
. She showed that the Norfolk Broads are artificial when it had been thought that they were natural.
, Norfolk
, and was educated at Norwich High School for Girls
and the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, graduating in botany
in 1939.
, then in 1942 she was appointed a botany lecturer at the University of London
's Westfield College
(now part of Queen Mary, University of London
). She began a study of the ecology of the Fens around the River Yare
. In 1946, she began to publish academic papers on her work. In 1948, she moved to the University of Cambridge
and concentrated on the Fens near the River Bure
, working with J. N. Jennings.
In 1952, Jennings's book, The Origin Of The Broads, was published by the Royal Geographical Society
. In it the stratigrapher concluded that most, if not all, of the Norfolk Broads had been formed by natural processes. But Jennings's apparently definitive interpretation was about to be spectacularly challenged. His colleague, botanist and fellow stratigrapher, Joyce Lambert, had also been investigating the Bure
and Yare
valley broads and fens.
Using a smaller peat
borer than the one employed by Jennings, Lambert obtained a series of closely spaced cores around the broads, and discovered, to her amazement, that what had been thought to be natural lakes had near-perpendicular walls; moreover, their floors, some 3 m or so below the surface, were almost flat. Clearly, they had originated as peat diggings, whose angular shape had been concealed by the overgrowth of vegetation once they had filled up with water.
In 1952, Lambert gave the presidential address at the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society, and when editing that speech for publication, she inserted into it her new findings. These, together with a follow-up article in the Geographical Journal, caused a sensation by showing that the current features of the Norfolk Broads were created by extensive excavations dug by hand long ago, now within areas of flood plain subject to regular inundation, resulting in the typical Broads landscape of today, with its reed beds, grazing marshes and wet woodland.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
botanist and stratigrapher
Stratification (archeology)
Stratification is a paramount and base concept in archaeology, especially in the course of excavation. It is largely based on the Law of Superposition...
. She showed that the Norfolk Broads are artificial when it had been thought that they were natural.
Early life
Lambert grew up at BrundallBrundall
Brundall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is located on the north bank of the River Yare opposite Surlingham Broad and about 7 miles east of the city of Norwich....
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, and was educated at Norwich High School for Girls
Norwich High School for Girls
Norwich High School for Girls is an independent fee-charging school with selective entry in Norwich, Norfolk, England. It was founded in 1875 and is now one of the twenty-nine schools of the Girls' Day School Trust. The school has one of the best academic records in Norfolk...
and the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, graduating in botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
in 1939.
Career
Her first job was as a schoolteacher in NorwichNorwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, then in 1942 she was appointed a botany lecturer at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
's Westfield College
Westfield College
Westfield College was a small college situated in Kidderpore Avenue, Hampstead, London, and was a constituent college of the University of London from 1882 to 1989. The college originally admitted only women as students and became coeducational in 1964. In 1989, Westfield College merged with Queen...
(now part of Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
). She began a study of the ecology of the Fens around the River Yare
River Yare
The River Yare is a river in the English county of Norfolk. In its lower reaches the river connects with the navigable waterways of The Broads....
. In 1946, she began to publish academic papers on her work. In 1948, she moved to the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and concentrated on the Fens near the River Bure
River Bure
The River Bure is a river in the county of Norfolk, England, most of it in The Broads. The Bure rises near Melton Constable, upstream of Aylsham, which was the original head of navigation. Nowadays, the head of navigation is downstream at Coltishall Bridge...
, working with J. N. Jennings.
In 1952, Jennings's book, The Origin Of The Broads, was published by the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
. In it the stratigrapher concluded that most, if not all, of the Norfolk Broads had been formed by natural processes. But Jennings's apparently definitive interpretation was about to be spectacularly challenged. His colleague, botanist and fellow stratigrapher, Joyce Lambert, had also been investigating the Bure
River Bure
The River Bure is a river in the county of Norfolk, England, most of it in The Broads. The Bure rises near Melton Constable, upstream of Aylsham, which was the original head of navigation. Nowadays, the head of navigation is downstream at Coltishall Bridge...
and Yare
River Yare
The River Yare is a river in the English county of Norfolk. In its lower reaches the river connects with the navigable waterways of The Broads....
valley broads and fens.
Using a smaller peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
borer than the one employed by Jennings, Lambert obtained a series of closely spaced cores around the broads, and discovered, to her amazement, that what had been thought to be natural lakes had near-perpendicular walls; moreover, their floors, some 3 m or so below the surface, were almost flat. Clearly, they had originated as peat diggings, whose angular shape had been concealed by the overgrowth of vegetation once they had filled up with water.
In 1952, Lambert gave the presidential address at the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society, and when editing that speech for publication, she inserted into it her new findings. These, together with a follow-up article in the Geographical Journal, caused a sensation by showing that the current features of the Norfolk Broads were created by extensive excavations dug by hand long ago, now within areas of flood plain subject to regular inundation, resulting in the typical Broads landscape of today, with its reed beds, grazing marshes and wet woodland.