| Administrative History | The section is thought to be associated with an 1808 report issued by the Bath-Easton Coal Company which included a statement by William Smith concerning the strata passed through in sinking for coal at Batheaston, near Bath, see: Eyles, J M. "William Smith, a bibliography...", 'Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History', vol 5 (1969), pp87-109. Item 8.
The Bath-Easton Coal Company was founded in 1804 by local landowner Thomas Walters who had been persuaded of the potential riches to be found on his property by an enterprising woman of the name of Mrs Mary Lane Browne. William Smith was hired to prospect for coal using his still rudimentary stratigraphical knowledge and he suggested that coal would be found below the Red Ground (marked near the bottom of the section above). Unfortunately influxes from the nearby Bath Hot Springs led to problems, and the costs of the 30 horse-power then later 80 horse-power steam engines installed to overcome the issue, and the lack of any coal measures, saw the scheme abandoned in 1813. |
| ArchNote | Source: Torrens, H S, "Timeless Order: William Smith (1769-1839) and the search for raw materials", reproduced in Phillips, J, 'Memoirs of William Smith, LLD', issued by the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, 2003. Description by John Thackray, revised by Caroline Lam |