De la Beche, Sir Henry Thomas
b. 1796-02-10
d. 1855-04-13
De La Beche was the primary authority regarding the terms of a proposed lease to mine minerals from an area near Una Point. De La Beche's recommendations for the lease, which were requested by Richard Taylor on behalf of Gray, Easterby, and Rooney, included a shorter term, higher royalties, and further discussion regarding the terms of payment.1
De La Beche advanced quickly in the field of Geology; he became a member of the Geological Society at the age of 21 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, awarded for substantial contributions to the improvement of natural knowledge, at 23.2 He later founded the Geological Survey of Great Britain in 1835, and played a key role in the development of the Museum of Practical Geology in 1851, which housed multiple collections, the Royal School of Mines, and Geology Survey offices.3 De La Beche was knighted (K.C.B.) in 1842.4
De La Beche's father owned a sugar plantation in Jamaica. In 1790, he changed the family name from “Beach” to “De La Beche” reflecting his understanding of his family's genealogy before passing away when Henry was 5.5 Henry began his education with the military but left during the peace of 1815 and developed an interest in paleontology and geology shortly after.6
Mentions of this person in the documents
People in this document

Easterby, Anthony Y.

Gray, Francis

Rooney, Matthew

Taylor, Richard

Places in this document

Una Point