Sir Richard John Griffith, 1st Baronet

Irish geologist and civil engineer
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Quick Facts
Born:
Sept. 20, 1784, Dublin
Died:
Sept. 22, 1878, Dublin
Subjects Of Study:
Carboniferous Period
fossil

Sir Richard John Griffith, 1st Baronet (born Sept. 20, 1784, Dublin—died Sept. 22, 1878, Dublin) was an Irish geologist and civil engineer who has sometimes been called the “father of Irish geology.”

Griffith spent two years studying to be a civil engineer in London and then went to Cornwall to gain mining experience. He attended chemistry and natural history classes in Edinburgh for two years and was elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh at age 23. In 1812 he became mining engineer to the Royal Dublin Society and government inspector of the mines in Ireland. One of his major accomplishments was the preparation, by 1835, of the first geological map of Ireland, which was followed by published large-scale maps in 1838 and 1839. Among his many other publications was a work on the Carboniferous limestone fossils of Ireland, in which he described many new species. His other endeavours included surveying coalfields and bogs in Ireland, supervising numerous public works, and serving as commissioner of valuation for land. He was created a baronet in 1858.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.