Papers of John Smith, 1846-1930, geologist, antiquarian & natural historian, Ayrshire, Scotland

Scope and Content

  • Notebooks concerning mainly the geology of Ayrshire and dates of meetings for the Natural History Society of Glasgow, Andersonian Naturalists Society and the Geological Society. Most have illustrations contained within them, 1880-1904;
  • Index to numbered notebooks, undated;
  • Volume of 12 reprints of papers given by John Smith to the Geological Society of Glasgow, Andersonian Naturalists Society and the Liverpool Geological Society, 1883-1900;
  • Published work on John Smith entitled John Smith of Dalry, Geologist, Antiquarian and Natural Historian Part 1 - Geology, Ayrshire Monographs 16, Ayrshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, September 1995;
  • Published work on John Smith entitled John Smith of Dalry, Geologist, Antiquarian and Natural Historian Part 2 -Archaeology and Natural History, Ayrshire Monographs 17, Ayrshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, April 1996;
  • The Biography of John Smith, Ayrshire Geologist and Naturalist by Alex Boyd, 1930;
  • The Natural History Society of Glasgow membership certificate, c1890;
  • Catalogue of the Western Scottish Fossils by James Armstrong, John Young and David Robertson , 1876;
  • The Geology and Palaeontology of the Clyde Drainage Area edited by James Barclay Murdoch, 1904.

Administrative / Biographical History

John Smith was born at Clarkston, near Airdrie, Scotland, in  1846 . Smith was a keen geologist in Ayrshire, Scotland, and his interests included minerals and fossils. His achievements in these fields included the discovery of ozokerite and urpethite in the west of Scotland and the discovery of sponges and conodonts (a series of microscopic plants and fossil footprints) in Ayrshire. John Smith was a member of the Geological Society of Glasgow, the Natural History Society of Glasgow, and the Andersonian Naturalists' Society. John Smith published many articles concerning the subject of geology. He died at Kilwinning on 30th November  1930  and is buried in Cumnock's Old Cemetery.

Arrangement

The arrangement of this material reflects the original order in which it was received

Access Information

Open

Acquisition Information

Deposit of the majority of notebooks: Mr David Bell, Glasgow Geological Society: 1968

Deposit of Notebook 3: Hunterian Museum, 1978.

Deposit : Dr Ian Rolfe : Oct 1995: ACCN 1441: DC054/12/1-2.

Other Finding Aids

Digital file level list available in searchroom

Alternative Form Available

No known copies

Conditions Governing Use

Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the Archivist.

Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use and condition of documents.

Appraisal Information

This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 0248 procedures

Custodial History

Unknown

Accruals

None expected

Related Material

GB 0248 DC 167 papers of Archibald S Shanks, 1870-1951, chemist and geologist.

Location of Originals

The original of GB 0248 DC 54/1 (Notebook 1) is held with the Dick Institute, 14 Elmbank Avenue, Kilmarnock, KA1 3BU. The remainder of the material is original.

Bibliography

No known publications using this material

Additional Information

Description compiled in line with the following international standards: International Council on Archives, ISAD(G) Second Edition, September 1999and National Council on Archives, Rules for the construction of personal, place and corporate names

Fonds level compiled by Vikki Laidlaw, Hub Project Assistant, 17 December 2004. Lower levels catalogued by Glasgow University Archive Services staff. Catalogue converted to Encoded Archival Description by Michael Beesley, Archive Assistant, July 2013.

Geographical Names