Scientist of the Day - Leonard Horner
Geological plan and section of the Malvern Hills, engraving accompanying an article by Leonard Horner, “On the mineralogy of the Malvern Hills,” Transactions of the Geological Society of London, vol. 1, 1811 (Linda Hall Library)
Leonard Horner, a Scottish geologist, merchant, and educational reformer, died Mar. 5, 1864, at the age of 79. He was born in 1785 in Edinburgh, where his father was a well-o-do cloth merchant. Leonard attended Edinburgh University, where he discovered geology, in the form of John Playfair's book, Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth, a very readable introduction to the new uniformitarian, plutonic geology of Edinburgh's own James Hutton. He may even have gotten to know Playfair, whose book was first published in 1802, when Horner was in his third year at Edinburgh.
Portrait of Leonard Horner, medium unknown, ca 1830, University College London archives, posted on ResearchGate (researchgate.net)
Upon graduation, Horner joined the family firm and moved to the London office. So he was right there when the Geological Society of London was founded in 1807. He became one of its first members, soon a secretary, and eventually its president, as he was an active member for more than 50 years. He published an article in the very first volume of the Society's Transactions (first and third images), and in many volumes thereafter. But he would never distinguish himself as a geologist. His most influential contribution to the field was to sire two intelligent and exceptionally well-educated daughters, the oldest of whom, Mary Elizabeth, married Scotland's most renowned geologist, Charles Lyell, in 1832, and the second oldest, Katherine, married Lyell's younger brother and later edited Charles' papers and correspondence. Indeed, I believe all 6 of Horner's daughters were remarkable women, which suggests that his wife, Anna Susanna Lloyd, must have been an impressive woman herself.
Detail of first paragraph, “On the mineralogy of the Malvern Hills,” by Leonard Horner, Transactions of the Geological Society of London, vol. 1, 1811 (Linda Hall Library)
Leonard made his most significant contribution to society in the area of educational reform. In the early 1820s, back in Edinburgh, he and two others founded the Edinburgh Academy, to provide Scotland with a school that could compete with the best prep schools of England. James Clerk Maxwell later attended the Academy (as did Robert Louis Stevenson). The school was such an immediate success that when the founders of the University of London wanted to bring in a distinguished leader, they invited Horner to become Warden in 1827, which he did, serving until 1831. He was, it is said, the first scientist to direct a major university in all of Europe.
First paragraph, “An account of some recent researches near Cairo…,” by Leonard Horner, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, vol. 145, p. 105, 1855 (Linda Hall Library)
From 1831 on, after he came into his inheritance, Horner mostly did what he wanted, which was geology (he spent two years in Germany studying the local geology) and social reform, in particular, becoming an inspector for Great Britain to ensure that employers were obeying the laws regarding the employment of children in factories, a position he held for nearly 30 years, and at which he was apparently quite effective.
Vertical sections from Heliopolis, showing alluvial soil as dark and sand as light, engraving by James Basire, “An account of some recent researches near Cairo…,” by Leonard Horner, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, vol. 145, plate 6, p. 137, 1855 (Linda Hall Library)
Later in life (1850s), Horner went to Egypt to study the alluvial deposits along the Nile, and he published two papers in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (1855 and 1858) on his results (fourth and fifth images). The Royal Society still has in its archives some of the peer reviews of the manuscripts Horner submitted. Two of them were written by Charles Darwin, one for each paper. Dawin approved of their publication.
After his death on Mar. 5, 1864, Horner was buried in Brookwood Cemetery, Woking, Surrey. There is a photo of his monument, not a very good one, on findagave.com
William B. Ashworth, Jr., Consultant for the History of Science, Linda Hall Library and Associate Professor emeritus, Department of History, University of Missouri-Kansas City. Comments or corrections are welcome; please direct to ashworthw@umkc.edu.
