Familypedia
Advertisement
in: Hall (surname), Born in 1761, Died in 1832,
and 14 more

James Hall (1761-1832)

Edit with form

  • 1776-1832: 4th Baronet of Dunglass
  • Scottish geologist and geophsicist
  • President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
  • Architectural and scientific writer
  • 1807-1812: Member of Parliament for St. Michael's borough

James Hall, 4th Baronet Dunglass was born 17 January 1761 in Dunglass, East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom to John Hall (1711-1776) and Magdalen Pringle (1729-1763) and died 23 June 1832 Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom of unspecified causes. He married Helen Hamilton Douglas (1762-1837) 9 November 1786 in Dunglass, East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom.

Biography

Sir James Hall of Dunglass, 4th Baronet FRS FRSE (17 January 1761 – 23 June 1832) was a Scottish geologist and geophysicist. He was a Member of Parliament for St. Michael's borough (Mitchell, Cornwall) 1807–1812.

Hall baronets, of Dunglass (1687)

Dunglass Castle c.1920

Dunglass Castle c.1920 - rebuilt following the explosion of the Rough Wooing.

The Hall Baronetcy of Dunglass (in East Lothian formerly Haddingtonshire until 1975), was created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia on 8 October 1687 for John Hall.

Dunglass Castle, East Lothian was built by the Pepdies of Dunglass in the 14th century. The original castle was destroyed in an explosion in 1640, and in 1687, John Hall (1650-1710) (1st Baronet) acquired and rebuilt this estate which would remain in the family for 232 years, when it was sold by Sir John Richard Hall, 9th Baronet in the year 1918.


Education

Hall was born at Dunglass, East Lothian, to Magdalena, daughter of Sir Robert Pringle, 3rd Baronet, of Tillich, Gloucestershire and Sir John Hall, 3rd Baronet (died 1776). He studied at Christ's College, Cambridge,[1] and the University of Edinburgh. As an Edinburgh student during the early 1780s, Hall studied chemistry under Joseph Black and natural history under John Walker. Though mineralogy was frequent taught in medical courses, Walker was one of the first professors to offer systematic lectures on the new field of geology. While attending Walker's popular course, Hall was taught how to use the chemical composition of minerals to determine relative age of strata. Walker also emphasized the geological relevance of chemists like William Cullen, Joseph Black, Johann Pitt, Norbert Bergman, Johann Waller and Alex Consecrated. After his studies, Hall traveled to continental Europe where he actively sought out book dealers who could sell him works on chemistry, mineralogy and geology. He eventually traveled to France and met Lavoisier. He returned to Scotland to promote the new French chemical nomenclature.

Geological research

Hall was fascinated by James Hutton's Theory of the Earth during the late 1780s and 1790s. Hutton's theory suggested that the strata of the earth were continually being worn down or melted, thereby making the earth one giant system of materials' circulation. In the spring 1788 Hall was with Hutton and John Playfair on the boat trip east from his home at Dunglass along the Berwickshire coast to Siccar Point where they found the famous rock formation now known as Hutton's Unconformity.[2] At this point Hall was still sceptical of the chemical viability of Hutton's theory, however, he soon reconciled these doubts and ended up publishing several papers on the chemical composition of strata. He carried out research on granite that showed that it was possible for molten rock to form conformities. He melted basalt in an iron furnace, and demonstrated that it returned to its original form when cooled. He melted limestone in a retort made from a gun barrel, to show that it did not decompose when melted under pressure. His results were published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and were well received by those like John Playfair who wanted to use Hutton's theory to promote a more mathematical approach to geology. He also carried out the first analogue modelling to investigate the formation of folds, work published in 1815.[3]

Hall travelled extensively in Europe to examine geological formations of the Alps and Mount Etna, and noted the similarity of lava flows in Italy to locations in Scotland. Sir James Hall was President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and author of various works on architecture and the sciences.

Death and Burial

Hall died at home at 132 George Street in the New Town in Edinburgh, Scotland.[4] He is buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard in central Edinburgh. The grave lies against the western wall of the original churchyard, backing onto George Heriots School. He was an agnostic or atheist.


Family

He married Helen Douglas (d. 1837), daughter of Dunbar Douglas, 4th Earl of Selkirk and sister of the 5th Earl of Selkirk. They had three daughters and three sons.

  1. Isabella Hall (1729-1804)
  2. John Hall (1787-1860) - Successor, 5th Baronet.
  3. Basil Hall (1788-1844) - a noted traveller and writer, officer in the Royal Navy. his daughter Eliza was mother of Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855-1927).
  4. William Hall (1790-)
  5. Helen Hall (1791-1817)
  6. Magdalene Hall (1793-1822) - married firstly 1815 Colonel Sir William Howe De Lancey and secondly Captain Henry Harvey; she was author of A Week at Waterloo (first privately published) and died in childbirth with her third child. By De Lancey, her first husband, Magdalene had no issue.
  7. Elizabeth Primrose Hall (1797-1873)
  8. Alexander Hall (1797-)
  9. Catharine Mary Hall (1799-1872)
  10. James Hall (1800-)
  11. Frances Hall (1801-1829)


Children


Offspring of James Hall, 4th Baronet Dunglass and Helen Hamilton Douglas (1762-1837)
Name Birth Death Joined with
Isabella Hall (1729-1804)
John Hall (1787-1860) 16 September 1787 Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom 2 April 1860 Dunglass Castle, Dunglass, East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom Julia Walker (1798-1874)
Basil Hall (1788-1844) 31 December 1788 Dunglass Castle, Dunglass, East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom 11 September 1844 Royal Hospital Haslar, Gosport, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom Margaret Congalton Hunter (1790-1876)
William Hall (1790-)
Helen Hall (1791-1817)
Magdalene Hall (1793-1822)
Elizabeth Primrose Hall (1797-1873)
Alexander Hall (1797-)
Catharine Mary Hall (1799-1872)
James Hall (1800-)
Frances Hall (1801-1829)



Siblings


Offspring of John Hall (1711-1776) and Magdalen Pringle (1729-1763)
Name Birth Death Joined with
James Hall (1761-1832) 17 January 1761 Dunglass, East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom 23 June 1832 Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom Helen Hamilton Douglas (1762-1837)
Robert Hall (1762-)

Residences

See Also

External Links

The grave of Sir James Hall, Greyfriars Kirkyard

The grave of Sir James Hall, Greyfriars Kirkyard

Bibliography

  • M. D. Eddy, 'Geology, Mineralogy and Time in John Walker's University of Edinburgh Natural History Lectures', History of Science, 39 (2001), 95-119.
  • M. D. Eddy, 'The University of Edinburgh Natural History Class Lists', Archives of Natural History, 30 (2003), 97-117.
  • M. D. Eddy, The Language of Mineralogy: John Walker, Chemistry and the Edinburgh Medical School, Aldershot : Ashgate Publishing Ltd, 2008, ISBN 978-0-7546-6332-4 [Hall is discussed throughout the book, especially in the introduction and conclusion].
  • The Royal Families of England, Scotland, and Wales, with their Descendants, etc., by Messrs, John and John Bernard Burke, London, 1848: vol.1, pedigree CXXVI.
  • Ten Parishes of the County of Haddington, by John Martine, edited by E.J.Wilson, Haddington, 1894, p. 214.
  • Leigh Rayment's list of baronets

Succession Charts

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
George Galway Mills 		Member of Parliament for Mitchell (or St Michael)
1807–1812
With: George Galway Mills 1807–1808
Charles Trelawny-Brereton 1808–1809
John Bruce 1809–1812 		Succeeded by
John Bruce
Baronetage of Nova Scotia
Preceded by
John Hall (1711-1776) 		Hall Baronets
(of Dunglass)
1776–1832 		Succeeded by
John Hall (1787-1860)



Footnotes (including sources)

MainTour

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
Advertisement