Background
Reid was born in London in 1853.
Reid was born in London in 1853.
His family circumstances meant he was largely self-taught but he was nonetheless able to join the Geological Survey of Great Britain in 1874 and be employed in drawing up geological maps in various parts of the country. In 1894 he was appointed Geologist and in 1901 District Geologist. He retired in 1913. He was particularly concerned with tertiary geological deposits and their paleontology.
He was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1888.
In 1899 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, his application citation reading: " Geologist in the Geological Survey of England and Wales, and has served on the Staff since 1874. Has been Secretary and Recorder to the Geological Section of the British Association.
Has added largely to our knowledge of the Lower Tertiary formations of the Isle of Wight and Dorset, the Pliocene deposits of Norfolk and the North Downs (including the fauna and flora of the Cromer Forest Bed), and the Glacial Phenomena of Norfolk and Sussex. To aid his researches he has made a special study of recent and fossil seeds (a subject previously much neglected), whereby much light has been thrown on the climate conditions of later Tertiary times, and on the origin of the British flora.
Author of Geological Survey memoirs on "Geology of the Country around Cromer," 1882.
"Geology of Holderness," 1885. "Pliocene Deposits of Britain," 1890, and revised Tertiary portion of "Geology of Isle of Wight," 2nd ed, 1889. Also author of many original papers, including "Dust and Soils" (Geological Magazine, 1884).
"Norfolk Amber" (Transport Norf National Social, 1884).
"Origin of Dry Chalk Valleys" (Quart Journ Geological Social, 1887). "Geological History of the Recent Flora of Britain" (Ann Botany, 1888).
"Pleistocene Deposits of Sussex Coast" (Quart Journ Geological Social, 1892). "Natural History of Isolated Ponds" (Transport Norf National Social, 1892).
"Desert or Steppe Conditions in Britain" (National Science, 1893).
"Eocene Deposits of Dorset" (Quart Journ Geological Social, 1896). "Report on Relation of Palaeolithic Manitoba to the Glacial Epoch" (Hoxne Excavation) (Brit Association, 1896)"
In 1913 he published his book "Submerged Forests" in which he postulated a drowned land bridge between eastern England and the European mainland. His conceptual map of what is now called "Doggerland" turned out to be remarkably close to the currently known reality.
He died in Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire in 1916.
Royal Society.