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William Buckland Facts & Worksheets

William Buckland was an English geologist, paleontologist, and theologian who became Dean of Westminster.

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William Buckland was an English geologist, paleontologist, and theologian who became Dean of Westminster. He wrote the first detailed account of the dinosaur fossil Megalosaurus.

See the fact file below for more information on the William Buckland or alternatively, you can download our 22-page William Buckland worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

  • William Buckland was born on March 12, 1784 in Axminster, Devonshire, England.
  • He was the eldest son of Rector of Templeton and Trusham Charles Buckland, and Elizabeth Buckland.
  • When he was young, he and his father would go on walks where they collected fossil shells and ammonites from the Jurassic-period rocks in local quarries.
  • From this, Buckland took an interest in geology and natural history.

EDUCATION

  • Buckland attended Winchester College where he won a scholarship to Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
  • He first attended at Blundell’s School, a boarding school in Tiverton, Devon, then Winchester College a year later, where he was awarded a scholarship to Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
  • He obtained a BA degree in classics and theology from Corpus Christi College in 1804.
  • In 1808, he obtained his MA degree, was elected a fellow of his college, and was ordained an Anglican priest.
  • While in Oxford, he also attended chemistry and mineralogy lectures by John Kidd, an English chemist and geologist who was then the Reader of Mineralogy.
  • He also attended lectures by Sir Christopher Pegge on anatomy.
  • Buckland continued to develop his interest in geology, and during his vacations, he did field research on strata, which are layers of rock in the ground.
  • He enjoyed collecting fossils and rocks, and his specimens later became the cornerstone of the University Museum collection.

GEOLOGICAL STUDIES

  • From 1808 to 1812, he made frequent geological excursions to England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.
  • In 1813, Buckland was appointed reader in mineralogy, succeeding John Kidd.
  • Beginning in 1816, Buckland toured Europe and investigated fossil cave fauna in various parts of Europe, giving him the opportunity to be in touch with scholars including Georges Cuvier.
  • He became an unofficial curator of the Ashmolean Museum as he built up collections in the museum.
  • In 1818, he convinced the Prince Regent to establish a new Readership in geology, of which he became the first reader.
  • Buckland’s lectures gained popularity due to his vibrant personality.
  • In his inaugural geology lecture on May 15, 1819, Buckland expressed that the accounts found in the Bible (such as the creation and Noah’s Flood) were consistent with geological evidence.
  • This lecture was published in 1820 as “Vindiciæ Geologiæ” (the Connexion of Geology with Religion explained).
  • Buckland developed a new hypothesis that the word “beginning” in the book of Genesis was referring to an undefined period of time between the origin of the earth and the creation of its current inhabitants: a period consisting of the extinctions and succeeding creations of new kinds of species.

STUDY OF THE KIRKDALE CAVE

  • From his fossil investigations at Kirkdale Cave, in Yorkshire, he named the fossilized animal excrements “coprolites” and concluded that hyenas had inhabited the cave since ancient times.
  • According to Buckland, the fossils were of hyenas and the animals they had eaten.
  • In 1822, he was awarded the Copley Medal by the Royal Society for his paper on Kirkdale Cave.
  • In 1823, he published his findings and ideas in his scientific work “Reliquiae Diluvianae” (Relics of the Deluge).

SUCCEEDING DISCOVERIES AND CONTRIBUTIONS

  • On January 18, 1823, Buckland discovered a skeleton in Paviland Cave in south Wales.
  • He named the skeleton the Red Lady of Paviland.
  • The skeleton was found in the same strata as the bones of other extinct mammals. Buckland believed humans did not coexist with any extinct animals so he attributed the skeleton to a grave having been dug in historical times.
  • The Red Lady of Paviland is the oldest anatomically modern human found in the United Kingdom.
  • In 1824, Buckland became president of the Geological Society of London, where he announced the discovery of a giant reptile’s fossil bones.
  • He named his discovery the Megalosaurus (which means great lizard) and wrote the first detailed account of what is now known as a dinosaur.
  • Buckland supported claims of a global flood from Noah’s time, believing that historical submergence was due to glaciation.
  • However, he did not support the claims of flood geology because he believed that only a small amount of the strata could have been formed in the single year occupied by the deluge.
  • Buckland was commissioned to contribute one of the set of eight Bridgewater Treatises, “On the Power, Wisdom and Goodness of God, as manifested in the Creation”. His treatise was published in 1836 with the title “Geology and Mineralogy considered with reference to Natural Theology”.
  • He served as Dean of Westminster from 1845 until 1856.

PERSONAL LIFE AND DEATH

  • In December 1825, Buckland married Mary Morland, an English paleontologist and scientific illustrator.
  • They toured Europe for their honeymoon where they visited famous geological sites and geologists.
  • They had nine children, five of whom survived to adulthood.

William Buckland Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about William Buckland across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use William Buckland worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about William Buckland who was an English geologist, paleontologist, and theologian who became Dean of Westminster. He wrote the first detailed account of the dinosaur fossil Megalosaurus.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • William Buckland Facts
  • Buckland’s Biography
  • Vocabulary Review
  • Spot Buckland’s Ideas
  • Correct Order
  • Silhouette Narrative
  • Discovery Illustrations
  • Quote Review
  • Terms He Coined
  • Famous Geologists
  • Lesson Review

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