Joseph Townsend (4th April,1739) was a British physicist, geologist and

reverend. Son of a wealthy merchant, he was educated

at Cambridge, studied medicine in Strasbourg and was ordained an Anglican

reverend in 1763.

He toured Europe from 1769 and visited Spain between

1786-1787, although the reason for his visit to our country is not clear, we

have evidence that he left Spain with some regret

because of the admiration he had for the people of

this country.

Two and a quarter centuries ago he visited Asturias and stayed here for two months. At that

time people hadn’t a lot of knowledge about

Astur geology.

Stresses Casal's work (1762) and Count of Toreno (1785) focused on describing

some minerals, rocks, gems and

natural substances in

the region. There was no

coal mining or terrain maps.

He recognizes various types of rocks and even confirms

that they are deformed, detailing the presence of

various substances (gypsum, jet, amber). On the other hand…

…he described for the first time the existence of various fossils, especially the description of reef fauna and he reflects

genetic aspects of geological objects that he describes.

He is considered a pioneer in several geological

peculiarities of Asturias.