Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
William Pengelly
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Pengelly, William woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius)
Quizzes
Michael Faraday (L) English physicist and chemist (electromagnetism) and John Frederic Daniell (R) British chemist and meteorologist who invented the Daniell cell.
Faces of Science
Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust
Everything Earth
Related Questions
Read Next
Girl student writing in her notebook in classroom in school.
10 Common Questions Kids Have About School, Life, and Being a Student
Standardized test. Multiple choice exam sheet with pencil
Pro and Con: Standardized Tests
Lead image for "A Timeline of the World in 8 Maps"
A Timeline of the World in 8 Maps
Empty classroom, school
Pro and Con: School Vouchers
Father helping his son with his homework. Parent child student little boy
Pro and Con: Homework
Discover
Santa Claus flying in his sleigh, christmas, reindeer
Was Santa Claus a Real Person?
Woman tied to a ducking stool, a method of punishment by means of humiliation, beating, or death. (cucking stool)
8 Unusual Punishments Inflicted on Women Throughout History
Thumbnail for flags that look alike quiz Russia, Slovenia, Iceland, Norway
Flags That Look Alike
An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.
11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that
America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)
The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. (Alice in Wonderland)
11 Banned Books Through Time
Pengelly, William
Pengelly, William William Pengelly.

William Pengelly

British educator and geologist
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
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Pengelly
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.

External Websites
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Quick Facts
Born:
January 12, 1812, East Looe, Cornwall, England
Died:
March 16, 1894, Torquay, Devon (aged 82)
See all related content

William Pengelly (born January 12, 1812, East Looe, Cornwall, England—died March 16, 1894, Torquay, Devon) was an English educator, geologist, and a founder of prehistoric archaeology whose excavations in southwestern England helped earn scientific respect for the concept that early humans coexisted with extinct animals such as the woolly rhinoceros, woolly mammoth, and the mammoth.

woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius)
woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius)Woolly mammoth replica in a museum exhibit in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Supervising excavations at Brixham Cave in Devon (1858–59), he found flint tools deposited with extinct-animal bones, and his continued excavation at nearby Kent’s Cavern (1865–83) demonstrated beyond any doubt that Paleolithic humans had occupied the south Devon caves.

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