480 Obituary — Edwin Witchell, F.G.S. 



bourhood of Stroud the loss will be long felt, for Mr. Witcbell was. 

 much esteemed ; a man of kindly, genial nature, be was essentially 

 a peacemaker, and was never known to say a harsh or unkind word 

 of any one. 



Mr. Witchell no doubt owed his early love of geological study 

 to his long association with the late Mr. George Poulett Scrope, for 

 many years M.P. for Sti'oud. Mr. Witchell was for a long period 

 the trusted agent and friend of Mr. Scrope. In 1S61 he was elected 

 a Fellow of the Geological Society, and had since contributed papers 

 to its Quarterl}' Journal. The last of these, on " The Basement 

 Beds of the Inferior Oolite of Gloucestershire," was read for him on. 

 the 24th of February last year, his health at that time rendering 

 a journey to London undesirable. Mr. Witchell was for many years 

 an active member of the Cotteswold Naturalists' Field Club, and 

 contributed many valuable papers to its Proceedings. For several 

 j'ears he was treasurer to Ihe Club, and this year was elected one 

 of its vice-presidents. No geological discussion at the meetings of 

 the Ckib was considered complete until Mr. Witchell had taken part 

 in it, when his stores of geological knowledge would be given out 

 with his characteristic enthusiasm and ability. His last contribution 

 to the Cotteswold Proceedings, on the " Genus Nerincsa," appears in 

 the part last issued, and was illustrated by his own hand with a series 

 of beautiful and accurate drawings. Mr. Witchell took an active part 

 in all matters pertaining to scientific education in Stroud, and helped 

 to support the various institutions that succeeded the first Mechanics' 

 Institution more than thirty-five years ago. He read papers, gave 

 lectures, • and not seldom took parties of members for Geological 

 field-work on the neighbouring Cotteswolds. He was always most 

 anxious to see a local museum formed in Stroud, and his own large 

 and complete collection of local fossils was a great attraction to all 

 geologists visiting the district. It will be remembered that last 

 Whitsuntide the menabers of the Geologists' Association visited 

 Stroud, when Mr. Witchell conducted them to Eodborough and 

 Minchinhampton, an excursion which will long be a pleasant recol- 

 lection to them. The following is a list of the principal papers con- 

 tributed by Mr. Witchell to the Proceedings of the Cotteswold Club : 



1. " Sections of tlie Lias and Sands exposed in the Sewage "Works." 



2. "A Deposit on Stroud Hill containing Flint Implements, Land and Fresh- 



water Shells." 



3. " On a Section of the Lias and Eecent deposits in the Valley of the Eiver 



Frome at Stroud." 



4. " On the Denudation of the Cotteswolds." 



5. " On a Bed of Fullers' Earth at 'Whiteshill, near Stroud." 



6. " On the Angular Gravel of the Cotteswolds." 



7. "On a Section of Stroud Hill, and the Upper Eagstone'Beds of the Cottes- 



wolds." 



8. " On the Pisolite and Basement Beds of the Inferior Oolite of the Cotteswolds." 



9. " On the Genus iVm««;« and its Stratigraphical Distribution in the Cottes- 



wolds." 



In 1882 Mr. Witchell published an excellent work on "The 



Geology of Stroud," which contains a large amount of original 



information ; and at the time of his death he was collecting materials 



for the publication of another work. — Stroud News, Aug. 16, 1887. 



