John Woodward: Geological Notebook

Geological notebook, consisting of fair copies of Woodward's geological, mineralogical and metallurgical writings; 124 loose leaves. It is probably in the same hand as 'A catalogue of some of my antiquities' (MS.Add.7570), which was written for Woodward by John Hindle. [1] 'Journey into Cornwall', covering ore deposits, wells and geological sites. It includes 'Of Pyran sands', 'Veins of tin extending to the sea', 'Cleggo cliffs. Of the tin found in them. Of growan or moorstone', 'The works about St. Agnes', 'The mines at Gamp near Redruth...engines used there for raising of water', 'Poldice Works', 'The copper works at Wheal Gilbert...[and] Tolgash Downs', 'Pollards tin mine near Redruth', 'Godolphin Ball', 'Tin loads of the D[uke] of Boltons estate at St. Ives and Zenner', 'Murva Ball', 'Murva cliffs: and the iron ore in them', 'Cornish Mount: and the springs at top', 'Well, 4 miles from the Lizard Point, erroneously suppos'd to ebb and flow', 'The works at Creek-Braus, near Poldice', 'The metall works, in Mr. Boscowens estate, near Poldice', 'Native copper in a vein near the Lands End...', 'Antimony at Endellion... [and] St. Cue', 'Pedankarn, or tin in strata of growan', 'A vein or load of lead near Truro', 'Lay-Well, that ebbs & flows, near Torbay', and a list of questions to be answered and specimens collected. [2] 'Of the Forest of Dean. Of the ancient slags. Of the iron ore: spar, and other things observable in the mines'. [3] 'Computation of smelting lead ore, and refining the same'. [4] 'Mr. Wm. Wallers acct. of the great lead mines in Cardiganshire of Sr. H. Mack worth and the Comp. of Mine Adventurers' (extracts from A description of the mines of Cardiganshire, 1704). [5] 'Of Mr. Eltons and Mr. Waynes copper smelting furnaces', methods used at various furnaces; 'The condition of the strata in Caldy Island'; 'A stratum of spar near Muscleridg. Wales'; 'Flints in the strata of whitish soft stone near Beere, beyond Lime'; notes on various veins, strata, etc.; 'Cornish cobalt a poyson to flyes'; and 'The strata in the cliffs of Minehead variously inflected' (with 2 sketches of strata apparently cut from Woodward's field notes). [6] 'Of the ores of gold: & of silver', notes on deposits around the world, collected from Nathaniel Davis, An account of the gold-mine of Cannia, Wafer's Voyages, and William Downes' Of the gold of Sumatra. [7] 'Of a lead-mine at Bakewell in the Peak', description from a lead-miner, William Oxspring. [8] 'Fossils rank'd according to their various disposition to be wrought upon by the fire...effects that it hath upon them'. [9] 'Of gemms. Notes relating to gemms. Mr. Morois'. [10] 'Gemms, or pretious stones, rang'd according to their difference in hardness; beginning with the softest'. [11] 'Mineralia aliquot Germanica apud G. Agricolam Lib. de re metall. cum nominibus eorum Latinis et Germanicis'. [12] 'Excerpta ex Duhamel, et Rayio' (Extracts from Du Hamel's Phys. Vet. et Nov., and Ray's account of the preparation of metals, at the end of his collections of English words). [13] 'Miscellanea chymica, et affinia', various chemical notes. [14] 'Observations made on my return from Bath in Sept. 1722', geological notes taken near Marlborough, Hungerford, Newbury, and Reading; and 'Of the slate quarryes in Charlwood, in the parish of Box, abt. 5 miles from Bath, and at abt. a mile from London Road'.

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Purchased 1996

A catalogue of the collection can be found on ArchiveSearch.

Cambridge University Library also holds John Woodward's A catalogue of some of my antiquities, MS.Add.7570, and correspondence and papers on geology, medicine etc., MS.Add.7647.