Leslie Rowsell Moore
Encyclopedia
Professor L.R. Moore, (1912-2003), was Sorby Professor of Geology at Sheffield University, where under his leadership its geology department became one of the largest in the country. He also made significant advances in the study of palaeobotany and palynology
. He was called as an expert witness at the inquiry into the Aberfan disaster. He was instrumental in the creation of the Micropalaeontological Society and was its first President. He has been described as "one of the founders of modern Carboniferous palynology".
, Somerset
. He was the son of a miner in the Somerset coalfield
. He attended Midsomer Norton Grammar School (now Norton Hill School
). His family had encouraged him to obtain a good education and hoped that he would study medicine; however, he won a Miner's Welfare Scholarship at the University of Bristol
where he read Geology and obtained a first class degree. He was a strong sportsman, captaining the University Football team at Bristol and was later President of the football club at Sheffield University.
. His PhD was on the structure, stratigraphy and economic geology of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfields. He realised early on the value of the fossil floral and faunal evidence and using these made significant proposals relating to the regional correlation of the Coal Meassures.
His first job was in teaching in Suffolk, but he was soon appointed as an Assistant Lecturer in Geology at University of Wales
, where he expanded his research to cover the South Wales coalfield
.
He developed research interests in areas of palaeobotany that were subsequently to provide a major impetus to the emerging science of palynology
. He noted that miospores recovered from the maceration of numerous Coal Measure fructifications displayed a wide range of morphological variations. These, he suggested, represented a series of developmental stages towards maturity. The observation that similar trends could be observed in the fructifications from different plant groups was to have major implications on the emerging schemes of classification for dispersed miospores.
He moved briefly to a more senior position at the University of Glasgow
before being appointed to a Readership in the University of Bristol
.
In 1949 he became Sorby Professor of Geology in the University of Sheffield
. By the 1970s, he had led the Department to become one of the largest in Britain. He was called as an expert witness to the Government Enquiry following the Aberfan disaster in 1966.
In 1968, the Geological Society invited him to explore the potential for establishing a Specialist Group for Micropalaeontology within the Society. This led to the creation of the British Micropalaeontological Society, now the Micropalaeontological Society, of which he was its first President. He also played a major role in the establishment of the Association of Teachers of Geology (now the Earth Science Teachers’ Association).
Towards the end of his time at Sheffield University he concentrated on micropalaeobiology and the search for evidence of fungal and bacterial attack on organic matter in sedimentary rocks. He also published on the presence of fungal and bacterial structures in the Precambrian Nonesuch Shale. He was also active in the Palaeontological Association
.
in the Peak District
of Derbyshire
. His wife died in 1985. With the progressive loss of mobility over the years, he decided to move to Birmingham to be closer to his son. He died on 13 November 2003 aged 91. .
Palynology
Palynology is the science that studies contemporary and fossil palynomorphs, including pollen, spores, orbicules, dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs, chitinozoans and scolecodonts, together with particulate organic matter and kerogen found in sedimentary rocks and sediments...
. He was called as an expert witness at the inquiry into the Aberfan disaster. He was instrumental in the creation of the Micropalaeontological Society and was its first President. He has been described as "one of the founders of modern Carboniferous palynology".
Early life
He was born and grew up in Midsomer NortonMidsomer Norton
Midsomer Norton is a town near the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, south-west of Bath, north-east of Wells, north-west of Frome, and south-east of Bristol. It has a population of 10,458. Along with Radstock and Westfield it used to be part of the conurbation and large civil parish of Norton...
, 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...
. He was the son of a miner in the Somerset coalfield
Somerset coalfield
The Somerset Coalfield included pits in the North Somerset, England, area where coal was mined from the 15th century until 1973.It is part of a wider coalfield which covered northern Somerset and southern Gloucestershire. It stretched from Cromhall in the north to the Mendip Hills in the south, and...
. He attended Midsomer Norton Grammar School (now Norton Hill School
Norton Hill School
Norton Hill School is a state school with academy status in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, England. It was formerly the Midsomer Norton Grammar School....
). His family had encouraged him to obtain a good education and hoped that he would study medicine; however, he won a Miner's Welfare Scholarship at the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
where he read Geology and obtained a first class degree. He was a strong sportsman, captaining the University Football team at Bristol and was later President of the football club at Sheffield University.
Academic career
At Bristol University obtained both his BSc (1934) and PhD (1936) and later a DSc (1948). He was taught by Professor Arthur Elijah TruemanArthur Elijah Trueman
Sir Arthur Elijah Trueman, FRS, was a British geologist.-Early life and career:Trueman was born in Nottingham, son of Elijah and Thirza Trueman. He was educated at High Pavement School, Nottingham, leaving in 1911 to become student teacher at Huntington Street School, Nottingham...
. His PhD was on the structure, stratigraphy and economic geology of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfields. He realised early on the value of the fossil floral and faunal evidence and using these made significant proposals relating to the regional correlation of the Coal Meassures.
His first job was in teaching in Suffolk, but he was soon appointed as an Assistant Lecturer in Geology at University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
, where he expanded his research to cover the South Wales coalfield
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...
.
He developed research interests in areas of palaeobotany that were subsequently to provide a major impetus to the emerging science of palynology
Palynology
Palynology is the science that studies contemporary and fossil palynomorphs, including pollen, spores, orbicules, dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs, chitinozoans and scolecodonts, together with particulate organic matter and kerogen found in sedimentary rocks and sediments...
. He noted that miospores recovered from the maceration of numerous Coal Measure fructifications displayed a wide range of morphological variations. These, he suggested, represented a series of developmental stages towards maturity. The observation that similar trends could be observed in the fructifications from different plant groups was to have major implications on the emerging schemes of classification for dispersed miospores.
He moved briefly to a more senior position at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
before being appointed to a Readership in the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
.
In 1949 he became Sorby Professor of Geology in the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
. By the 1970s, he had led the Department to become one of the largest in Britain. He was called as an expert witness to the Government Enquiry following the Aberfan disaster in 1966.
In 1968, the Geological Society invited him to explore the potential for establishing a Specialist Group for Micropalaeontology within the Society. This led to the creation of the British Micropalaeontological Society, now the Micropalaeontological Society, of which he was its first President. He also played a major role in the establishment of the Association of Teachers of Geology (now the Earth Science Teachers’ Association).
Towards the end of his time at Sheffield University he concentrated on micropalaeobiology and the search for evidence of fungal and bacterial attack on organic matter in sedimentary rocks. He also published on the presence of fungal and bacterial structures in the Precambrian Nonesuch Shale. He was also active in the Palaeontological Association
Palaeontological Association
The Palaeontological Association is a charitable organisation based in the UK founded in 1957 for the promotion of the study of palaeontology.-Functions:...
.
Later life
He retired in 1997. He and his wife Peggy lived at CurbarCurbar
Curbar is a village in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, a mile north of Baslow, close to Calver on the A623.The village has a street with the highest average house value in Derbyshire. Close to the east are the popular rock-climbing escarpments of Curbar Edge and Baslow Edge. To the...
in the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
of Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. His wife died in 1985. With the progressive loss of mobility over the years, he decided to move to Birmingham to be closer to his son. He died on 13 November 2003 aged 91. .
Books published
- The Coal Measure Sequence in the Taff valley, Glamorgan, and its Correlation with the Rhondda Valley Sequence (1943), (with Professor Arthur Hubert Cox)
- The Geological Sequence of the South Wales Coalfield: the "South Crop" and Caerphilly Basin, and its Correlation with the Taff Valley Sequence (1945)
- Geology and Man (1950)