Description: Prof. Sir William Boyd Dawkins (1837-1929) was Curator of the Manchester Museum from 1869 and became the first Professor of Geology at Owens College (later the Victoria University of Manchester) from 1874 until his retirement in 1908. Although famed for his work as a palaeontologist and 'cave-hunter', from 1870 he gave increasing time to 'the practical side of geology' - a change that led to his important involvement in many of the major engineering schemes of the day. His 1898 'James Forrest' lecture to the Institution of Civil Engineers' on 'The Relation of Geology to Engineering' ensured his rightful position as Britain's first true Engineering Geologist. He had married Frances Evans, daughter of Robert Speke Evans, in 1866. In 1919 he was knighted. His first wife died in 1921 and in 1922 he married Mary, widow of Hubert Congreave. (This picture was dated c 1920's, so it is not clear which wife was with him on this occasion). He left a voluminous collection of papers which are now housed in the John Rylands University Library, Manchester. Buxton Museum has the major collection of Boyd Dawkins papers though unfortunately no hand list is available (though they have recently been microfilmed by Royal Commission on Historical Monuments); Buxton Museum also has a room devoted to him in which many of his books and other belongings are displayed.