| Administrative History | Charles Moore was born on 8th June 1815 in Ilminster, Somersetshire. He was educated at the Commercial School in Ilminster until he was 12 when he moved to the free grammar school. After his schooling he joined the family printing and bookselling business which eventually took him, at the age of 22, to Bath to work at Mary Meyler & Son, the bookshop and publishers of the Bath Herald. The death of his father in 1844 brought about a return to Ilminster and the family business, which he ran with his sister. Already a passionate fossil collector it was here that Moore acquired a significant part of his palaeontogical collection from the Liassic strata around Ilminster. It was also at this time that Moore began making contacts amongst many influential geologists and the value of his burgeoning fossil collection became known to the wider community.
Moore returned to Bath in 1853 where he met and married Eliza Deare. An advantageous marriage for Moore, it was owing to this that he was able to give up business and pursue his geological interests with fervour. During this time, his scientifically most active period, he was elected a Fellow of the Geological Society (1853), was a founder member of the Bath Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club (1855), was elected a member of the British Association (1859) and set up his fossil collection at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution as a free museum.
In the years that Moore dedicated to geology he wrote over thirty papers and contributions to various journals and presented his findings in talks and lectures. Even his ill health in his 60s did not deter him from pursuing his passion and continuing his work in geology. Indeed, he published his final paper shortly before his death on December 8th 1881. |