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Date: 1825
Format: Sketch
Description: A proposal for the Geological Society coat of arms. It was not taken up. According to an anonymous reader of the History of Geology blog [historyofgeology.fieldofscience.com], the motto on the ribbon ("terrai penitus scrutantes abdita [?]") is similar to "terrai penitus scrutantes abdita ferro" meaning something like "With pick-axe probing round the hidden realms deep in the earth". As "Ferrus" refers to iron and hence any iron tool (e.g. a pick-axe), perhaps De la Beche's motto, with missing word, means "Probing the hidden realms of the Earth with [...]".
The upper left quadrant depicts a bone cave (such Kirkdale, that William Buckland had recently explored). The lower half of the shield depicts a geologic transect through the northern Alps. The arm above the shield is a common feature of coats of arms (bras arme´ ), though it is typically holding a weapon like a sword rather than a tool-of-the-trade. (See for instance the Massachusetts flag [en.wikipedia.org].)
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Sources & further discussion:
Boylan, P. J. (2009). The Geological Society and its official recognition, 1824–1828. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 317(1), 319-330. Link [sp.lyellcollection.org]
Image yoinked from:
Boylan, P. J. (2009). The Geological Society and its official recognition, 1824–1828. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 317(1), 319-330. Link [sp.lyellcollection.org]
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