Leith Hill Place
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection published in On The Origin of Species in 1859, re-shaped the way we understand the natural world and our place within it. The book was the result of decades of research during Darwin’s global travels.Charles Darwin often visited his sister, Caroline, at Leith Hill Place. Caroline had helped to raise her brother, after the early death of their mother and they enjoyed a close bond throughout their lives. He also enjoyed the company of his three nieces; Sophy, Margaret and Lucy and with their help, he undertook an experiment in the grounds of Leith Hill Place. This experiment, replicating similar projects at his own home and at Stonehenge, involved measuring how far large stones had sunk into the ground due to the actions of earthworms underneath. He found that a large stone would sink an average of 0.2 inches per year, so after 100 years it would be buried 20 inches deep. Darwin writes about these experiments in his book, The formation of vegetable mould, through the action of worms, with observations on their habits (1881) which became an unlikely bestseller. In the book Darwin credits, “A lady, on whose accuracy I can implicitly rely” who collected worm castings for the experiment every day for a year at two separate sites “near Leith Hill Place, in Surrey.” Darwin was probably referring to one of his nieces, but whilst he does not name them in the book, it is clear that Leith Hill Place was a useful space for thought, experimentation and family connection for Darwin. The book offered important observations for geologists and has been influential on the field of archaeology as well as useful for gardeners. It was Darwin’s last book to be published before his death is 1882.
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