Last updated October 20231928 saw another President with a notable geographical pedigree take office.
Dr. Vaughan Cornish is someone I have been aware of for many years, and who has been described as one of the most prolific geographers of all time.
He was born in Debenham in Suffolk in December 1862, the third son of a vicar.
He was unusual when compared to many other of the early GA Presidents in that he never held a university post of any kind. This has remained relatively rare.
He was later selected by Carl Sauer as one of six geographers whose readings would provide a 'truly liberal geographic education', and was a worker of wide interests and versatility
Andrew Goudie (also GA President)
The other reason I am familiar with Cornish is through his association with Sidmouth, a town I have visited regularly for many years. He is buried in Salcombe Regis, just outside of the town.
When I was working for the Geographical Association, I was interested to see what was down in the GA collections and archives in the basement. In my lunch hour, I used to poke around in the filing cabinets partly to see what potential there was to unlock value in the objects the GA holds, but also to seek inspiration for my own projects. I came across some lantern slides, which I don't think were from the original collections from the original founding of the Association, as they were too new, but nonetheless interesting. One of the things I did find in one of the rooms was a series of large framed prints.
These were beautiful, and featured a range of subjects, including wave forms. They had lovely hand written captions and were signed by Cornish.
Image: Alan Parkinson - shared under CC license
Waves were one of the areas that Cornish had explored in detail. He studied waves, wave forms, and processes.
He was also the first British geographer to study dune formation and form, including desert dunes and sand dunes. It was this that drew him to the attention of Andrew Goudie (a future GA President).
In the late 1890s and the start of the 1900s, Cornish was active in delivering lectures.
These are described in a large section of Emily Hayes' PhD - this has been blogged about previously.
There were also some prints of images of the Kingston Earthquake, which I knew that Cornish had experienced in Jamaica in 1907. This was one of the journeys that he took with his wife Ellen.
Dr. Vaughan Cornish is someone I have been aware of for many years, and who has been described as one of the most prolific geographers of all time.
He was born in Debenham in Suffolk in December 1862, the third son of a vicar.
He was unusual when compared to many other of the early GA Presidents in that he never held a university post of any kind. This has remained relatively rare.
He was later selected by Carl Sauer as one of six geographers whose readings would provide a 'truly liberal geographic education', and was a worker of wide interests and versatility
Andrew Goudie (also GA President)
The other reason I am familiar with Cornish is through his association with Sidmouth, a town I have visited regularly for many years. He is buried in Salcombe Regis, just outside of the town.
When I was working for the Geographical Association, I was interested to see what was down in the GA collections and archives in the basement. In my lunch hour, I used to poke around in the filing cabinets partly to see what potential there was to unlock value in the objects the GA holds, but also to seek inspiration for my own projects. I came across some lantern slides, which I don't think were from the original collections from the original founding of the Association, as they were too new, but nonetheless interesting. One of the things I did find in one of the rooms was a series of large framed prints.
These were beautiful, and featured a range of subjects, including wave forms. They had lovely hand written captions and were signed by Cornish.
Image: Alan Parkinson - shared under CC license
Waves were one of the areas that Cornish had explored in detail. He studied waves, wave forms, and processes.
He was also the first British geographer to study dune formation and form, including desert dunes and sand dunes. It was this that drew him to the attention of Andrew Goudie (a future GA President).
In the late 1890s and the start of the 1900s, Cornish was active in delivering lectures.
These are described in a large section of Emily Hayes' PhD - this has been blogged about previously.
There were also some prints of images of the Kingston Earthquake, which I knew that Cornish had experienced in Jamaica in 1907. This was one of the journeys that he took with his wife Ellen.I have a few of his books, including 'The Beauties of Scenery'. This describes his ideas on the aesthetics of landscape, and the involvement of people.
My copy is pictured here, a hardback 3rd edition from 1944. The book has the subtitle 'A geographical survey', and was started in 1920, following Francis Younghusband's Presidential Address to the RGS, when he said that it was the duty of geographers to undertake the analytical study of beauty in scenery'.
Here's a list from his Wikipedia entry - I have copies of the books in bold. The GA holds copies of some others in their archive / Fleure Library.
- The Panama Canal and its Makers (1909).
- Waves of the Sea and other Water Waves (1910).
- The Travels of Ellen Cornish: being the Memoir of a Pilgrim of Science (1913).
- The Waves of Sand and Snow (1914).
- Naval and Military Geography (1916).
- Imperial Military Geography (1920).
- A Geography of Imperial Defence (1922).
- The Great Capitals (1923).
- National Parks and the Heritage of Scenery (1930).
- The Poetic Impression of Natural Scenery (1931).
- The Scenery of England (1932).
- Borderlands of Language in Europe (1933).
- Ocean Waves and Kindred Geophysical Phenomena (1934).
- Scenery and the Sense of Sight (1935).
- The Preservation of our Scenery (1937).
- The Farm upon the Cliff (1939).
- The Scenery of Sidmouth (1940).
- Historic Thorn Trees in the British Isles (1941).
- A Family of Devon (1942).
- The Beauties of Scenery (1943).
- The Photography of Scenery (1946).
- Geographical Essays (1946).
- The Churchyard Yew and Immortality (1946).
- Kestell, Clapp and Cornish (1947).
- Sketches of Scenery in England and Abroad (1949).
Image: Alan Parkinson - shared under CC license
Cornish also studied the aesthetics of landscape, and the work on the beauty of landscape is one of the areas that he is best known for.
A biography and appreciation of Cornish was written by a future GA President (who will appear in a future post) Andrew Goudie, and can be read on JSTOR (a free account can be created for those who want to read it).
Cornish's acceptance of the invitation to be President was announced in 'Geography' in 1927.
Cornish's Presidential Address in 1928 was on the theme of Scenery of course, and was called 'Harmonies of Scenery: An outline of Aesthetic Geography'. It is beautifully written and contains a great deal of sense on how the landscape could be viewed.
Cornish laid out his theory of aesthetics, which started with the Scenery of Civilisation, drawing on his childhood in Debenham, Suffolk, in a parish which was "Nature adapted to Man's needs and flourishing under his care".
"Rural England owes much of its Arcadian charm to the fact that form and movement and colour are a decorative scheme which harmonises with the quiet continuity of the least changing of industrial pursuits. It is a country of gentle undulations where rivers flow quietly in winding curves, a land well timbered by deciduous trees of rounded form, of fields divided by a bushy fence, all in a climate of soft skies, where the song of birds is heard throughout the year...."
However, this Arcadia is easily broken...
"...by buildings of harsh form or staring colour, or by clatter of mechanical noise..."
In 1930, Cornish was still active in the GA, and was involved in some work around potential plans for National Parks.
At this time, he was a Director of Technical Education in Hampshire, but resigned in 1933 to concentrate on his work.
He gave his ownl land, near Salcombe to the National Trust.
As mentioned earlier, Cornish was also a great proponent of National Parks. These finally came into being after an Act of 1949, and the Peak District was the first in 1951. In 1930, Cornish proposed his own National Park areas, some of which eventually became National Parks. He was well ahead of the game with Broadland for example.
His support for coastal protection was also well known.
This was outlined in a piece in 'Geography' at the time.
I came across a blog post from his home village of Debenham, which referenced a number of obituaries printed in The Times.
Obituary - Death of Dr. Vaughan Cornish (from The Times, 3rd May 1948)
We regret to record the death of Dr. Vaughan Cornish, which occurred at Camberley on Saturday at the age of 85 years. Dr. Cornish was a member of a well-known local family whose association with the district began in 1792. He was a great traveller and geographer and was particularly proud of his connection with Salcombe Regis. When the Sidmouth Council purchased the greater part of the land on the eastern side of Salcombe valley to prevent the establishment of a holiday camp there, Dr. Cornish gave a good deal of his land on the western side of the valley to the National Trust in order that its natural beauty should be preserved for all time.
He was a great lover of natural beauty and in spite of his wanderings it was always to Salcombe Regis he returned for refreshment and he never tired of singing its praises. With his first wife he was in Jamaica at the time of the great earthquake there and has broadcast about his experiences at the time.
During recent years Dr. Cornish has published many books, chief among them being "The Scenery of Sidmouth" which is a classic in the description of the local land- and seascape. His most recent book "Kestell, Clapp and Cornish," was lately reviewed in these columns, and as a great deal of it is autobiographical we commend it to our readers at this time.
Dr. Vaughan Cornish was buried at Salcombe Regis yesterday afternoon.
A second obituary was also published.
Obituary - Death of Dr. Vaughan Cornish (from The Sidmouth Observer, 5th May 1948)
One of Britain's best-known geographers, Dr. Vaughan Cornish, D.Sc., F.R.G.S, of "Inglewood," Gordon-road, Camberley, died on Saturday at the age of 85, in a Camberley nursing home. Dr. Cornish, who is survived by his widow, was famous among geographers for his studies of land and water waves. In later years he gave much of his time to the appreciation and preservation of the natural beauties of Britain. He had lived in Camberley since 1913.
He was a student of geography in all its aspects, and he was an author of ability who illustrated his works with his own sketches and photographs.
Dr. Cornish was born at Debenham Vicarage, Suffolk and was educated at St. Paul's School and at Victoria University, Manchester. He graduated with honours in chemistry in 1888 and later took the degree of D.Sc. He became Director of Technical Education to the Hampshire County Council, but after his marriage he entered the field of geographical scientific research. In 1900 the Royal Geographical Society presented him with the Gill Memorial for his research work into all types of waves, both on land and sea, on snow and sand and natural materials.
A world tour by Mr. and Mrs. Cornish in 1903 was the occasion for a great deal of important scientific work, and was followed by visits to many parts of the world. They were injured at Kingston, Jamaica, in January, 1907, when an earthquake wrecked the city and killed many of its inhabitants. A few months later they returned to Kingston to study earthquake effects.
During the first world war Dr. Cornish lectured to naval and military officers on strategic geography and subsequently published a number of books. He remained an active author until recently.
The funeral took place on Tuesday at Salcombe, Devon.
The GA obituary can be viewed from the link below.
T. C. W. “OBITUARY: DR. VAUGHAN CORNISH.” Geography, vol. 33, no. 3, 1948, pp. 149–150. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40564419.
The funeral took place on Tuesday at Salcombe, Devon.
The GA obituary can be viewed from the link below.
T. C. W. “OBITUARY: DR. VAUGHAN CORNISH.” Geography, vol. 33, no. 3, 1948, pp. 149–150. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40564419.
One final point, from Andrew Goudie's piece is that he described himself in Who's Who as a geographer.
References
Source: Goudie, Andrew. “Vaughan Cornish: Geographer (With a Bibliography of His Published Works).” Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, no. 55, 1972, pp. 1–16. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/621720.
If anyone has further information on the contributions made by Vaughan Cornish to the Association, please get in touch.
Walking along the Devon coast at low tide in the autumn of 1895, geographer Vaughan Cornish (1862–1948) watched two sets of waves interact on the shore. As one set rippled across the flat strand, the other rounded a shoal and broke onto the beach. After colliding, each set then continued on its separate path, which brought to his mind how waves of light can pass through each other unaffected. Cornish’s casual association, between the behavior of light and water, speaks to how immersed he and his contemporaries were in a world of invisible waves.
References
Source: Goudie, Andrew. “Vaughan Cornish: Geographer (With a Bibliography of His Published Works).” Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, no. 55, 1972, pp. 1–16. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/621720.
From his Wikipedia page
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaughan_Cornish
Also provided the image of Vaughan Cornish.
I amended the entry to show that he was the GA President. I think he would have appreciated that.
Cornish, Vaughan. “ON RHYTHMIC MOTION IN RIVERS. A STUDY IN SCENERY.” The Geographical Teacher, vol. 13, no. 4, 1926, pp. 276–284. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40556129.
Emily Hayes: 'Geographical light: the magic lantern, the reform of the Royal Geographical Society and the professionalisation of geography c.1885-1894
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305748817300427
Thesis:
https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10871/23096
Matless, David. “Nature, the Modern and the Mystic: Tales from Early Twentieth Century Geography.” Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, vol. 16, no. 3, 1991, pp. 272–286.
JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/622948
Cornish, Vaughan. “NATIONAL PARKS-THE CLAIM OF THE COAST.” Geography, vol. 15, no. 5, 1930, pp. 384–387. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40559155.
Goudie, Andrew. “Vaughan Cornish: Geographer (With a Bibliography of His Published Works).” Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, no. 55, 1972, pp. 1–16. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/621720.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaughan_Cornish
Also provided the image of Vaughan Cornish.
I amended the entry to show that he was the GA President. I think he would have appreciated that.
Cornish, Vaughan. “ON RHYTHMIC MOTION IN RIVERS. A STUDY IN SCENERY.” The Geographical Teacher, vol. 13, no. 4, 1926, pp. 276–284. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40556129.
Emily Hayes: 'Geographical light: the magic lantern, the reform of the Royal Geographical Society and the professionalisation of geography c.1885-1894
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305748817300427
Thesis:
https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10871/23096
Matless, David. “Nature, the Modern and the Mystic: Tales from Early Twentieth Century Geography.” Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, vol. 16, no. 3, 1991, pp. 272–286.
JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/622948
Cornish, Vaughan. “NATIONAL PARKS-THE CLAIM OF THE COAST.” Geography, vol. 15, no. 5, 1930, pp. 384–387. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40559155.
Goudie, Andrew. “Vaughan Cornish: Geographer (With a Bibliography of His Published Works).” Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, no. 55, 1972, pp. 1–16. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/621720.
If anyone has further information on the contributions made by Vaughan Cornish to the Association, please get in touch.
Updated August 2021
He took many lantern slides and we have found some in the 'Geographer's Gaze' project.
While searching some images of these I came across this paper by Emily Hayes, who I had previously been in touch with.
It describes Cornish as a eugenicist geographer and landscape heritage activist.
Here is Cornish writing on the Geography of eugenics. An address given in Toronto in 1924, before he became the President of the GA.
Klaus Dodds has also written about Cornish and eugenics.
The Debenham parish heritage site here provides a great deal of further family information on Vaughan Cornish.
From the New York Times - Monday May 3rd 1948
Updated July 2022
There are some of Cornish's writings and views which are problematic and link to ideas of eugenics - he is not alone in those amongst GA Presidents of the early 20th Century.
Emily Hayes, who features elsewhere on the blog, has written about Cornish.
Updated August 2023
The Public Domain Review article here has a link to his work on waves, and also an embedded copy of the books he wrote. It focusses on his work as a kumatologist: a term he coined for someone who studies waves.
Del mismo modo que se forman dunas y ondulaciones en la arena, debidas al viento, así se forman en la NIEVE.
— Nao Casanova (@NaoCasanova) January 14, 2023
Pero su tiempo de formación y duración son distintos pues la nieve tiende a cohesionarse y la arena, no.
El 1º en estudiarlas fue el geógrafo Vaughan Cornish. pic.twitter.com/Oq2nCNU1rg
Check out Robert MacFarlane's 'The Wild Places' for a mention as well.
I'll finish with a quote from Cornish on waves...
Most of us have felt the fascination of the wave.The waves of the sea, which are the prototype of all the phenomena which we now call waves, are perhaps the most fascinating of all. Great as is the beauty of their form, the mystery of their motion is the greater charm. For while they move they live and have a being, which, like our own, is but momentarily associated with the matter of which they are formed. The wave preserves its individuality, it’s recognisable through not unchanging form, its energy, party active, partly in reserve, whilst its material substance is constantly rejected and renewed. Of all manifestations of the inorganic world it is most like a living being. Yet when we watch it to its end we find none of the sad accompaniments of the exhaustion of life. It is at its most beautiful at the last, as it culminates to its fall and breaks in seething form.
From 'The Guardian'
I also found reference to his work on Section E of the BAAS
Source:
Beaver, S. H. “Geography in the British Association for the Advancement of Science.” The Geographical Journal, vol. 148, no. 2, 1982, pp. 173–81. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/633769. Accessed 24 Aug. 2023.Updated October 2023
He undertook to preserve the land around Salcombe Hill (1937)
He features in a book on Pioneers of the Jurassic Coast
A book on the Devon Cornishes....
An article on Vaughan and his two brothers:
I perhaps need to get here too:
Cornish travelled with his wife Ellen. He wrote about their travels in 1913. She died in 1911.
Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, vol. 61, no. 3141, 1913, pp. 297–297. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41340507. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.
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