| Activity | Benjamin Neeve Peach (1842-1926) was probably introduced to science by his father, Charles William Peach, a keen naturalist and lover of natural history. When Peach was a child, his father discovered fossils of American facies in the durness limestones in Sutherland. To show his gratitude for this discovery, Roderick Impey Murchison (1792-1871), at the time Director-General of the Geological Survey, offered to complete Benjamin's education at the Royal School of Mines. Again on Murchison's recommendation, on the completion of his studies, he was taken on to the staff of the survey.
Peach's first job on the field was in mapping the glacial features of the landscape of Lothian. During his work, he noticed the amount of Highland rock that could be found in the Lammermuir hills. He also believed, correctly, that glaciation was the only explanation for the existence of boulder-clay.
Peach's judgement is said to have been excellent, and Archibald Geikie, with whom he worked, held it in much respect. He could quickly and accurately draw conclusions on the geological structure of a region.
As chief of the survey of the North-West Highlands, Peach was able to end the controversy between Murchison and James Nicol (1810-1879) about the geology of Northern Scotland - in Nicol's favour.
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