George Barrow

From MediaWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Pioneers of BGS - Home A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Images

Timeline

Date Details
Educated at the Philological School conducted by Dr. Abbott. Turner Scholarship. Matriculated at 15. Elected Associate of King’s College.
1871 Became Private Secretary to Poulett Scrope. Recommended by him to Ramsay, then Director of Survey.
1876 Poulett Scrope died, and Barrow invited to fill vacancy on Survey staff.
1896 Geologist. First worked in E. Yorkshire; made important contributions to literature of Mesozoic rocks.
Through association with Allan Dick became interested in igneous and metamorphic rocks.
Worked at igneous and structural problems in the Eastern Highlands; the first to recognise and map zones of progressive metamorphism. Paper: “On an Intrusion of Muscovite - Biotite - Gneiss...” and others.
1900 Returned to England. Worked in the Cheadle and North Staffordshire Coalfield and later in the granitic and mining areas of Devon and Cornwall.
1909 District Geologist for London. Particularly interested in water-supply and in the construction and maintenance of tube railways.
1912 Bolitho Medal from Geological Society of Cornwall.
1913 Murchison Medal.
1915 Retired from Survey.
1932 Died July 23rd.

Biographies and obituaries

Obituary - George Barrow. [1853-1932]. Proceedings of the Geologists Association. v. 44 p.111-112. 1933

Spencer, L.J. Obituary - George Barrow. Born in 1853, died 23rd July 1932. Mineralogical Magazine. v. 23 p.341. 1933

Thomas, H.H. Obituary - George Barrow, born in 1853, died 1932. Proceedings of the Geological Society in Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society. v. 89 p.lxxxvii-lxxxix. 1933

Wilcockson, W.H. Obituary - George Barrow, M.I.M.M., F.G.S. Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society. v. 22 p.242-243. 1934

George Barrow (geologist) - Wikipedia article

BGS archives

Ref no Title Description
G Barrow: GSM/GL/Bw/29/242, 248 Letter on his appointment.
GSM/DC/A/C/24/40, 45 G Barrow: Letter on his appointment.
GSM/GL/Br G Barrow Barrow joined the Survey in 1876.
GSM/GL/Br/5 Correspondence from Barrow to: Clough, Flett, Peach, Howell, S.V.Wood and others. Letters about geological succession in Scotland and about boulder clay of Yorkshire.
GSM/GL/De/1 Two maps by H.Dewey: water contour map London; underground contours of the top of Chalk (G.Barrow...
GSM/GL/We/6 Copy letter to G.Barrow re survey of southern Skye
GSM/GX/Ga/31 Map "Barrow in Furness" 1 inch geological map (Solid)
GSM/MG/C/9 Series of papers and files on specimen presentations and donations: Includes details on specific... Includes: Correspondence and minutes re presentation to Museum of flint implements from...

George Barrow 1853-1932

Extract with permission of the author from: Cooper A.H. Yorkshire geology as seen through the eyes of notable British Geological Survey geologists 1862-200046-67 in Myerscough, R and Wallace, V. Famous Geologists of Yorkshire. York. ISBN 978-1-906604-58-5. PDF on NORA

George Barrow was one of the younger members of the team working with Fox-Strangways, who was by then in his later years at the Survey. Barrow was educated at Kings College, graduating at the age of 18 and becoming the private secretary of George Julius Poulett Scrope, an eminent volcanologist, magistrate and one time Secretary of the Geological Society. Poulett Scrope recommended Barrow to Ramsay the Survey director (from 1872-1881). Upon the death of his employer in 1876, Barrow was invited to fill a vacancy on the Survey staff and was appointed as a geologist. During his Yorkshire years from 1876 to 1881, Barrow surveyed the Mesozoic strata of East Yorkshire and worked from Whitby and Scarborough though Eskdale and Rosedale westwards to Northallerton and Thirsk (Table 1). Around 1882 the then director Archibald Geikie re-organised parts of the Survey placing a greater emphasis on surveying the highlands of Scotland. Barrow was transferred north and immortalised his name in geological literature by discovering the metamorphic zonation of the Highlands, since referred to as the Barrovian Zones. He retired in 1915.