Charles Moore (geologist)
Encyclopedia
Charles Moore geologist, the second son, but third child, of John Moore, by his wife Sophia (née Eames), was born at Ilminster
, Somerset
, on 8 June 1815. He attended the commercial school of that town from an early age till 1827, when he was removed to the free grammar school for one year. He then assisted his father in carrying on the business of printer and bookseller, and his uncle, Samuel Moore, who conducted a like business at Castle Cary
.
About 1837 Moore appears to have first gone to Bath, where he was connected with Mr. Meyler, bookseller, in the Abbey churchyard, adjoining the Grand Pump Room. On the death of his father in 1844 he returned to Ilminster, and continued the business, with his eldest sister for a partner, till 1853, when he went back to Bath, and relinquishing business, devoted himself to his favourite pursuit, geology, and to municipal affairs. He was elected a councillor for the Syncombe and Widcombe ward on 1 Sept. 1868, and alderman on 11 Nov. 1874. He died at Bath on 8 Dec. 1881. His wife Eliza, whom he married in 1853, was only daughter of Mr. Deare of Widcombe.
Moore's attention was first directed to geology by the accidental discovery, when a boy, of a fossil fish in a nodule; from that time he became an ardent collector, and before his second removal to Bath had laid the foundation of the collection which, arranged by his own hands, now forms the ‘Geological Museum’ of the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution
. He was elected a fellow of the Geological Society in 1854. In 1864 he announced at the meeting of the British Association in Bath his important discovery of the existence in England of the Rhætic Beds, which had previously been overlooked. From these beds Moore obtained at the same time twenty-nine teeth of one of the oldest known mammals (Microlestes Moorei, Owen).
Moore was the author of some thirty papers on geological subjects contributed to the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, the Geological Magazine, the Reports of the British Association, the Transactions of the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Association, &c.
information kindly supplied by the same authority; Geol. Mag. 1882, p. 94.
Ilminster
Ilminster is a country town and civil parish in the countryside of south west Somerset, England, with a population of 4,781. Bypassed a few years ago, the town now lies just east of the intersection of the A303 and the A358...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, on 8 June 1815. He attended the commercial school of that town from an early age till 1827, when he was removed to the free grammar school for one year. He then assisted his father in carrying on the business of printer and bookseller, and his uncle, Samuel Moore, who conducted a like business at Castle Cary
Castle Cary
Castle Cary is a market town and civil parish in south Somerset, England, north west of Wincanton and south of Shepton Mallet.The town is situated on the River Cary, a tributary of the Parrett.-History:...
.
About 1837 Moore appears to have first gone to Bath, where he was connected with Mr. Meyler, bookseller, in the Abbey churchyard, adjoining the Grand Pump Room. On the death of his father in 1844 he returned to Ilminster, and continued the business, with his eldest sister for a partner, till 1853, when he went back to Bath, and relinquishing business, devoted himself to his favourite pursuit, geology, and to municipal affairs. He was elected a councillor for the Syncombe and Widcombe ward on 1 Sept. 1868, and alderman on 11 Nov. 1874. He died at Bath on 8 Dec. 1881. His wife Eliza, whom he married in 1853, was only daughter of Mr. Deare of Widcombe.
Moore's attention was first directed to geology by the accidental discovery, when a boy, of a fossil fish in a nodule; from that time he became an ardent collector, and before his second removal to Bath had laid the foundation of the collection which, arranged by his own hands, now forms the ‘Geological Museum’ of the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution
Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution
The Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution is an educational charity based in Bath, England. It was founded in 1824 and provides a museum, an independent library, exhibition space, meeting rooms and a programme of public lectures, discussion groups and exhibitions related to science, the...
. He was elected a fellow of the Geological Society in 1854. In 1864 he announced at the meeting of the British Association in Bath his important discovery of the existence in England of the Rhætic Beds, which had previously been overlooked. From these beds Moore obtained at the same time twenty-nine teeth of one of the oldest known mammals (Microlestes Moorei, Owen).
Moore was the author of some thirty papers on geological subjects contributed to the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, the Geological Magazine, the Reports of the British Association, the Transactions of the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Association, &c.
Sources
Charles Moore, by the Rev. H. H. Winwood, in Proceedings of the Bath Natural History Society (1892) vii. 232–269;information kindly supplied by the same authority; Geol. Mag. 1882, p. 94.