William Wickham King
Encyclopedia
William Wickham King usually known as Wickham King was a distinguished amateur geologist.
He was the younger son of William Henry King and followed him as a solicitor
in Stourbridge
and magistrates clerk for the Stourbridge and Kingswinford
Petty Sessional Divisions.
As a young man, he rowed with Bewdley
rowing club, but came to grief one day when his penny-farthing
bicycle
broke under him. He also climbed in the Alps
and Cuillins, where King's Chimney and King's Cave Gully are named after him.
His interest in geology began when he found a fossil on the Clent Hills
. This led to his attending classes privide by Birmingham University. His first published paper was on the Clent
Breccia
in 1893. This was followed by others on aspects of the Black Country
or South Staffordshire Coalfield
. He also produced a plexographic map of the Thick Coal in it.
His most important work was on the Old Red Sandstone
, which was then believed to be barren of fossils. His work on this in Shropshire
and elsewhere, particularly at Earnstrey east of Brown Clee Hill
led to him discovering fossils of a fish, named Corvaspis Kingi.
His later papers included 'The Downtonian and Dittonian Strata of Great Britain and North-Western Europe' Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society 90 (1934), pp. 526ff.
At the beginning of the Second World War, he retired to Devon and continued his geological work there, including producing a 25-inch geological map of the Abberley
area. On completing this he gave his collections to Birmingham University, where they form part of the collections of the Lapworth Museum of Geology
.
by the Geological Society of London
. Birmingham University awarded him an honorary M.Sc. degree, the unusual award.
He was the younger son of William Henry King and followed him as a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
in Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
and magistrates clerk for the Stourbridge and Kingswinford
Kingswinford
Kingswinford is a suburban area in the West Midlands.Historically within Staffordshire, the area is mentioned in the Domesday Book its name relates to a ford for the King's swine - Latin Swinford Regis. The current significance is probably in tourism, education and housing...
Petty Sessional Divisions.
As a young man, he rowed with Bewdley
Bewdley
Bewdley is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England, along the Severn Valley a few miles to the west of Kidderminster...
rowing club, but came to grief one day when his penny-farthing
Penny-farthing
Penny-farthing, high wheel, high wheeler, and ordinary are all terms used to describe a type of bicycle with a large front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel that was popular after the boneshaker, until the development of the safety bicycle, in the 1880s...
bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
broke under him. He also climbed in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
and Cuillins, where King's Chimney and King's Cave Gully are named after him.
His interest in geology began when he found a fossil on the Clent Hills
Clent Hills
The Clent Hills lie 9⅓ miles southwest of Birmingham city centre in Clent, Worcestershire, England. The closest towns are Stourbridge and Halesowen, both in the West Midlands conurbation. The Clent Hills range consists of, in order from north-west to south-east: Wychbury Hill, Clent Hill , and...
. This led to his attending classes privide by Birmingham University. His first published paper was on the Clent
Clent
Clent is a village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove District of Worcestershire, England, southwest of Birmingham and close to the edge of the West Midlands conurbation. At the 2001 census it had a population of 2,600...
Breccia
Breccia
Breccia is a rock composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock cemented together by a fine-grained matrix, that can be either similar to or different from the composition of the fragments....
in 1893. This was followed by others on aspects of the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
or South Staffordshire Coalfield
Coalfield
A coalfield is an area of certain uniform characteristics where coal is mined. The criteria for determining the approximate boundary of a coalfield are geographical and cultural, in addition to geological...
. He also produced a plexographic map of the Thick Coal in it.
His most important work was on the Old Red Sandstone
Old Red Sandstone
The Old Red Sandstone is a British rock formation of considerable importance to early paleontology. For convenience the short version of the term, 'ORS' is often used in literature on the subject.-Sedimentology:...
, which was then believed to be barren of fossils. His work on this in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
and elsewhere, particularly at Earnstrey east of Brown Clee Hill
Brown Clee Hill
Brown Clee Hill is the highest hill in the rural English county of Shropshire, at 540 metres above sea level. It is one of the Clee Hills, and is in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-Geography:...
led to him discovering fossils of a fish, named Corvaspis Kingi.
His later papers included 'The Downtonian and Dittonian Strata of Great Britain and North-Western Europe' Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society 90 (1934), pp. 526ff.
At the beginning of the Second World War, he retired to Devon and continued his geological work there, including producing a 25-inch geological map of the Abberley
Abberley
Abberley is a picturesque village in north west Worcestershire, England. It is situated on the northern slopes of Abberley Hill , between the River Severn and River Teme. The village had a population of 830 in 2001.-Location:...
area. On completing this he gave his collections to Birmingham University, where they form part of the collections of the Lapworth Museum of Geology
Lapworth Museum of Geology
The Lapworth Museum of Geology is a major geological museum run by the University of Birmingham in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England.The museum is located within the Grade II listed, Aston Webb Building, which retains the original Edwardian features. The museum has a history which dates back 1880...
.
Awards
In 1924 he was awarded the Lyell MedalLyell Medal
The Lyell Medal is a prestigious annual scientific medal given by the Geological Society of London, equal in status to the Murchison Medal, awarded on the basis of research to an Earth Scientist of exceptional quality...
by 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"...
. Birmingham University awarded him an honorary M.Sc. degree, the unusual award.