Name Index

to

Bovey Coal of England

Organic remains of another world. An examination of the mineralised remains of the vegetables and
animals of the antideluvian world. Vol. 1, The Vegetable Kingdom.
Letters XI & XII, Bituminous Coal, Surterbrand of Iceland, pp. 104-129.

by

James Parkinson

London: C Whittingham (1804). illus. xii, 496 pp.

Prepared by Michael Steer

Bovey physician, Dr J.G. Croker in 1856 first described the physical features of the basin, surrounding the junction of the Teign and Bovey Rivers, in which are found large beds of lignite and their associated clays (used in pottery). His study was followed by that of Dr William Pengelly of Torquay and his colleague, the Rev Dr Oswald Heer of Zurich. The Bovey Formation is the major source in England for ball clay, which is of great importance to the pottery industry. Large excavations have been made for the extraction of these clays. The lignite or "Bovey Coal" was in the past burned in local kilns, and in steam engines and workmen's cottages, but it was not economical. Robert Sture, ancestor of Bovey's long-settled Steer family is described as a "collyor" in a 1541 Deed of Sale held at the Devon Records Office. Pengelly and Heer's book contains a fascinating catalogue with illustrations of the remarkable fossil plant life they discovered and catalogued in the Bovey Basin. This book, held as part of the Bodleian Library Collection was produced from a digital copy at Google Books. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.