William Samuel Symonds (13 December 181815 September 1887) was an English cleric,

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

and author.

Life

He was born in Hereford, and educated at

Cheltenham College ("Work Conquers All") , established = , closed = , type = Public school Independent School Day and Boarding School , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Nicola Hugget ...

and Christ's College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1842. Having taken holy orders he was appointed curate of Offenham, near Evesham in 1843, and two years later he was presented to the living of Pendock in

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...

, the

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living ...

of which, together with the lordship of the manor, had been bought by his grandfather, Samuel Beale of

Upton-on-Severn Upton-upon-Severn (or Upton on Severn, etc. and locally simply Upton) is a town and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England. Lying on the A4104 (formerly A440), the 2011 census recorded a population of 2,881 for the ...

. Here he remained until 1877. While at Offenham he became acquainted with HE Strickland and from him developed an interest in natural history and geology, which consumed him from that point. He was one of the founders of the

Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club The Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club (or simply the Woolhope Club) is a society devoted to the natural history, geology, archaeology, and history of Herefordshire, England. Founded in 1851, it has had many notable members and played an important ...

(1851) and of the Malvern Naturalists' Field Club (1853), and was an active member of the Cotteswold Field Club and other local societies. In 1858 he edited an edition of

Hugh Miller Hugh Miller (10 October 1802 – 23/24 December 1856) was a self-taught Scottish geologist and writer, folklorist and an evangelical Christian. Life and work Miller was born in Cromarty, the first of three children of Harriet Wright ('' ...

's ''Cruise of the "Betsey."'' He was the author of numerous essays on the geology of the

Malvern Malvern or Malverne may refer to: Places Australia * Malvern, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide * Malvern, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne * City of Malvern, a former local government area near Melbourne * Electoral district of Malvern, an e ...

country, notably of a paper "On the passage-beds from the Upper Silurian rocks into the Lower Old Red Sandstone at Ledbury" (''Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc.'' 1860). His principal work was ''Records of the Rocks'' (1872), indexed by the young Caroline Alice Roberts.Alice Roberts, later wife of the English composer Edward Elgar. Young, p.59 He was author of ''Stones of the Valley'' (1857), ''Old Bones, or Notes for Young Naturalists'' (1859, 2nd ed. 1864), and other popular works including historical romances such as ''

Malvern Chase Malvern Chase was a royal chase that occupied the land between the Malvern Hills and the River Severn in Worcestershire and extended to Herefordshire from the River Teme to Cors Forest. The following parishes and hamlets were within the Chase ...

'' and '' Hanley Castle''. He died at Cheltenham on 15 September 1887. His daughter Hyacinth was the second wife of the Scottish naturalist

Sir William Jardine, 7th Baronet Sir William Jardine, 7th Baronet of Applegarth FRS FRSE FLS FSA (23 February 1800 – 21 November 1874) was a Scottish naturalist. He is known for his editing of a long series of natural history books, ''The Naturalist's Library''. Life an ...

, and then the second wife of the great botanist Sir

Joseph Dalton Hooker Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For twenty years he served as director of ...

, one of the closest friends of

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...

Notes

References

*Rev. J.D. La Touche, ''A Sketch of the Life of the Rev. W.S. Symonds'' * * * *

External links

Literary heritage entry
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Symonds, William 1818 births 1887 deaths People from Hereford Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge 19th-century English Anglican priests 19th-century British geologists English historical novelists English male novelists 19th-century English novelists 19th-century English male writers