The Timeline
- 1726Born in Edinburgh
1 of 5 children
- 1733Educated at the Royal High School of Edinburgh
- 1740Edinburgh University
Studied Latin and Humanities
- 1743Apprentice of Lawyer
Apprentice to George Chalmers WS
- 1744Edinburgh University
Studied Medicine
- 1745Jacobite Rebellion
- 1747Fathered an illegitimate son
James Smeaton
- 1747Attended Paris University
- 1749Qualified MD in Leiden
- 1749Started a Medical Practice in London
- 1750Returned to Edinburgh
Having made money in London from the manufacturing chemicals (ammonium chloride from soot)
- 1752Travelled to East Anglia in England
To observe agriculture and the importance of soils
- 1754Settled at Slighhouses Farm, Berwickshire
- 1754Toured Holland, Flanders and N France
- 1759Robert Burns was born
- 1764Started studying geology more than agriculture
- 1767Worked with Clerk and Hall to develop Forth/ Clyde Canal
Member of Committee of Management Building
- 1771Sir Walter Scott born
- 1774Salt Mines of Cheshire to define geology of England
- 1777Published ‘Considerations of the Nature, Quality, and Distinctions of Coal and Culm
Recognition that his ideas for geology were being recognised
- 1778Rented out Slighhouses Farm and moved to Edinburgh
Farm was now earning good income
- 1783Royal Society of Edinburgh founded
Hutton thought his involvement was important for the advancement of science
- 1788Papers published in ‘Transitions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh’
- 1788Hutton was selected as foreign member of the French Royal Society of Agriculture
- 1794Started the principle of Natural Selection
- 1795Published ‘Theory of the Earth’ in 2 volumes
- 1797Hutton dies aged 70
- 1802Playfair publishes ‘Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth’
Hutton finally gets recognition
- 1830Darwin sailed on HMS Beagle and read Lyell’s publication, leading to his development of the ‘Theory of Natural Selection’
- 1831Charles Lyell republished many of James Hutton’s ideas and first used the term ‘Uniformitarianism’