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The William Smith 1815 Geological Map is a groundbreaking document that’s still renowned over 200 years later. It’s famed for mapping all of England’s, Wales’s, and some of Scotland’s, geology for the first time. Even more remarkably, the map was created by only one man – William ‘Strata’ Smith. Geologist Tom Sharpe tells us more about Smith and his extraordinary achievements.
What was William Smith’s background?
William Smith was born in Oxfordshire in 1769. His education was limited but he was a practical man with a talent for mathematics. Smith became an apprentice Land Surveyor and was sent to survey an estate with coal mines in Somerset. Following this he carried out more surveying work for the planned Somerset Coal Canal. While in Somerset he developed his thoughts on strata – layers of rock and soil in the earth – and recognised the association of particular fossils with certain strata. Subsequent work as an itinerant Surveyor saw Smith travel huge distances around the country. He took samples of rocks and fossils as he went, which helped him make his predictions about the strata in different areas.
What was Britain like at the time?
It was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and a period of canal building, to transport the raw materials needed for factories. It was also the era of enclosures, where previously open grounds were turned into estates. There was lots of work for surveyors to survey the land and reveal where coal and other raw materials could be found. Everyone wanted these materials to make their fortune.
What led Smith to create his map?
By 1799 Smith had worked out the strata of rocks around Bath. Two of his friends encouraged him to publish what he’d found out about the sequence of strata, and fossils as indicators of different strata. This became a prospectus for a book with a small map of the geology of England and Wales. Years later, in 1815, it became the opposite – a large map of England, Wales and parts of Scotland, with a small memoir.
It took Smith 15 years to create his map. Why did it take so long?
He didn’t have enough major sponsors, meaning he didn’t have the money to focus on the map full time. Smith worked on his map around his job. He was also mapping the strata of England, Wales and some of Scotland single handedly.
What was the process for printing the 1815 map?
John Cary, the London Cartographer and Publisher, helped Smith produce his map. Cary came on board in about 1812, after which it took three years to get the map into production. Without Cary his map would have never seen the light of day. Smith used a previous map from Cary, which he adapted to show the geology better.
The 1815 map was gigantic! Can you explain more about this?
It was on a scale of five miles to the inch. It needed to be big enough for a lot of detail. It was printed on 15 sheets which could be bought as an atlas or with the sheets mounted on linen for hanging on a wall. It was huge – over eight feet tall and six feet wide.
What else makes the 1815 map so unique?
Smith devised a novel technique for showing the rock sequence on the map, so it was clear at a glance which rocks were the oldest and which the youngest. He carefully selected different colours to represent different strata, in most cases matching the colour to that of the rock. He used a key that had the strata in order, with the oldest rock at the bottom and the youngest at the top. As the maps were hand coloured, Smith had the colourists use a darker tone for the base of each stratum, fading up to a lighter tone. It was the first time a map had been produced on that scale and with this colouring and shading. The colours Smith chose are largely those still used by the British Geological Survey today. Smith was quite savvy with the details he kept on his map too. He kept the seats of the landed gentry, so they could see exactly what was on their estates, in the hope they’d purchase his map. It’s also a beautiful map to look at.
You’ve said that “no two Smith maps are identical”. Can you tell us more about this?
Smith changed the map as he went, based on his new discoveries. The maps evolve between 1815 and the last known version in 1836. John Cary must have been tearing his hair out!
Was the map successful at the time?
It wasn’t initially. Smith thought he could sell 750 maps, but he only got 400 plus subscribers on board in the years up to 1815. He didn’t ask them for money up front. The map took so long to publish that by the time it was ready some of the subscribers were dead or had changed their minds. In the end, probably fewer than 350 copies were produced. It cost 5 guineas for the cheapest version, so it was a lot of money that many couldn’t afford. In 1820, The Geological Society also produced a more detailed map which was in direct competition with Smith’s map.
What is William Smith’s legacy?
William Smith is known to geologists as one of the pioneers of the subject. He developed the study of stratigraphy, a subset of geology. Later geological survey maps couldn’t have been produced without the principles Smith established making his map either. Today, his map is of historical interest and surviving copies are much sought after by collectors.
Is there anywhere the public can go to view the 1815 map?
The Geological Society has a copy of the map on display and it can be viewed by the public, without an appointment. In addition, William Smith’s fossil and rock collection is in the collections of the Natural History Museum.
Tom Sharpe
Tom Sharpe is a Geologist and a Contributor to STRATA: William Smith’s Geological Maps. He’s a former Curator (Palaeontology and Archives) at the National Museum Cardiff and now writes about the history of geology.
Image credits
Images one is from pp. 88-89 of STRATA: William Smith’s Geological Maps, a Section of Sheet VII of William Smith’s geological map, A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales, with part of Scotland (1815). Copyright University of Oxford, Museum of Natural History. Image two copyright trustees of the Natural History Museum. Image three copyright University of Oxford, Museum of Natural History.
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