Correspondence and geological papers of Thomas Webster

Thirty letters from Sir Henry Charles Englefield to Thomas Webster, some relating to geology, especially of the Isle of Wight, 1811-1815; letters (copies and drafts) from Thomas Webster to Sir Henry Charles Englefield, mainly about the geology of the Isle of Wight, but also for Hampshire, Dorset and Sussex, 1811-1813; and a collection of Webster's notes on the geology of the Isle of Wight and parts of Dorset and Hampshire, together with more general notes, 1811-15.

Thomas Webster (1773-1844), geologist, was born in the Orkneys, educated at Aberdeen, and studied architecture and agriculture in London. He travelled through England and France making sketches for illustrated works and worked as an architect. His 'On the freshwater formations in the Isle of Wight, with some observations on the strata over the chalk in the south east of England' was published in the Geological Transactions in 1814 and he was associated as geologist with Sir Henry Charles Englefield, seventh Baronet (1762-1842), the antiquary and scientific writer, in his Description of the Isle of Wight (London, 1816). In 1826 Webster was appointed house secretary to the Geological Society and curator of the museum, and in 1841-2 he was professor of geology at University College, London.

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