James Hutton’s closest friends included Adam Smith and James Watt. They are household names throughout the world, but few apart from geologists would know Hutton. Yet his Theory of the Earth, presented in Edinburgh in 1785, fundamentally changed the way we think about the evolution of the earth and laid the foundation for modern geology. In 2026, the tercentenary it is good to see growing interest in one of the titans of the Scottish Enlightenment.
Tuesday March 10 – 7.30pm James Hutton ‘Forgotten Titan of the Enlightenment’ Dunbar History Society – Dunbar Town House
Wednesday March 18 – 7-8.30 pm James Hutton, Geologist, Old Edinburgh Club, Augustine United Church, Edinburgh
Tuesday March 24 – James Hutton, geologist: North Berwick Rotary Club