Herbert Henry Thomas
Encyclopedia
Herbert Henry Thomas FRS (13 March 1876 - 12 May 1935 ) was a British geologist who linked the bluestone
s at Stonehenge
with rocks in south west Wales. He won the Murchison Medal
.
Thomas was born at Exeter
, the son of Frederick Thomas, a hatter and councillor, and his wife Louisa. He was educated at Exeter School under W. A. Cunningham and was admitted to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
, on 1 October 1894. He was a Harkness Scholar and was awarded a 1st class BA degree in Natural Sciences. He won the Sedgwick prize in 1903 and was also assistant to Professor Sollas at Oxford, earning B.A. and B.Sc. at Oxford. From 1901 to 1911, he was geologist to the Geological Survey of Great Britain and was a petrographer from 1911 to 1935 working for the Geological Survey Department. He was a leading paleobiologist and carried out some work on carboniferous palaeobotany. At Cambridge at this time he was an influence on Lucy Wills
and was awarded Sc.D. in 1914.
Thomas was an archaeologist, and an expert on how rock was used by primitive people for weapons and monuments. In 1923, he was the first to propose that the bluestones used in the construction of Stonehenge
were identical to rocks in the Preseli Hills
in Pembrokeshire
, Wales.
Thomas was secretary of the Geological Society of London
from 1912 to 1922 and its vice-president from 1922 to 1924. He won the Murchison Medal
of the Geological Society in 1925 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 12 May 1927.
Thomas married Anna Maria Mosley, the daughter of Rev. Oswald Mosley, late vicar of Prickwillow
in 1904. They lived at Surbiton
and had a son and daughter.
Bluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:*a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S. and Canada;*limestone in the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S...
s at Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
with rocks in south west Wales. He won the Murchison Medal
Murchison Medal
An award established by Roderick Murchison, who died in 1871. One of the closing public acts of Murchison’s life was the founding of a chair of geology and mineralogy in the University of Edinburgh. Under his will there was established the Murchison Medal and geological fund to be awarded annually...
.
Thomas was born at Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, the son of Frederick Thomas, a hatter and councillor, and his wife Louisa. He was educated at Exeter School under W. A. Cunningham and was admitted to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.The college was founded in 1596 and named after its foundress, Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex. It was from its inception an avowedly Puritan foundation: some good and godlie moniment for the mainteynance...
, on 1 October 1894. He was a Harkness Scholar and was awarded a 1st class BA degree in Natural Sciences. He won the Sedgwick prize in 1903 and was also assistant to Professor Sollas at Oxford, earning B.A. and B.Sc. at Oxford. From 1901 to 1911, he was geologist to the Geological Survey of Great Britain and was a petrographer from 1911 to 1935 working for the Geological Survey Department. He was a leading paleobiologist and carried out some work on carboniferous palaeobotany. At Cambridge at this time he was an influence on Lucy Wills
Lucy Wills
Lucy Wills, MA , LRCP, MB BS was a leading English haematologist. She conducted seminal work in India in the late 1920s and early 1930s on macrocytic anaemia of pregnancy. Her observations led to her discovery of a nutritional factor in yeast which both prevents and cures this disorder...
and was awarded Sc.D. in 1914.
Thomas was an archaeologist, and an expert on how rock was used by primitive people for weapons and monuments. In 1923, he was the first to propose that the bluestones used in the construction of Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
were identical to rocks in the Preseli Hills
Preseli Hills
The Preseli Hills or Preseli Mountains are a range of hills in north Pembrokeshire, West Wales...
in Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
, Wales.
Thomas was secretary of the Geological Society of London
Geological Society of London
The Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
from 1912 to 1922 and its vice-president from 1922 to 1924. He won the Murchison Medal
Murchison Medal
An award established by Roderick Murchison, who died in 1871. One of the closing public acts of Murchison’s life was the founding of a chair of geology and mineralogy in the University of Edinburgh. Under his will there was established the Murchison Medal and geological fund to be awarded annually...
of the Geological Society in 1925 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 12 May 1927.
Thomas married Anna Maria Mosley, the daughter of Rev. Oswald Mosley, late vicar of Prickwillow
Prickwillow
Originally a small hamlet on the banks of the River Great Ouse, but now on the banks of the River Lark since re-organisation of the river system, the village of Prickwillow has an estimated mid-2005 population of 440...
in 1904. They lived at Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
and had a son and daughter.
Publications
- Thomas, H.H. 1923. "The source of the stones of Stonehenge." Antiquaries Journal 3, 239-260
- E. B. Bailey (and others) 1924 Tertiary and post-Tertiary geology of Mull, Loch Aline, and Oban. A description of parts of sheets 43, 44, 51, and 52 of the geological map with contributions by E. M. Anderson [and others] with petrology by H. H. Thomas and E. B. Bailey, with chemical analyses by E. G. Radley and F. R. Ennos and Paleobotany, by A. C. Seward and R. E. Holttum HMSO