Dudley Stamp: Difference between revisions

'''Sir (Laurence) Dudley Stamp''', [[CBE]], [[DSc]], [[Doctor of letters|D. Litt]], [[Legum Doctor|LLD]], Ekon D, DSc Nat ({{Birth date|1898|3|9|df=y}} –– {{Death date|1966|8|8|df=y}}), was professor of [[geography]] at [[Rangoon]] and [[London]], and one of the internationally best known British [[geographer]]s of the 20th century.

Stamp was born in [[Catford]], London, in 1898, the seventh child of a shopkeeper; his elder brother Josiah became the banker [[Josiah Stamp, 1st Baron Stamp|Lord Stamp of Shortlands]]. He attended [[University School, Rochester]] (1910–13), where he joined the Rochester and District Natural History Society.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://cityark.medway.gov.uk/query/results/?Mode=Search&PathList=%2F&SearchWords=dudley+stamp&x=9&y=9|title=Rochester and District Natural History Society Minute books 1903 -– 1926|access-date=14 March 2008-03-14|work=Medway Cityark|publisher=Medway Council}}</ref> He then studied for a BSc at [[King's College London]], graduating with first-class honours in 1917. Following military service he returned to King's as a demonstrator. His friendship with a student, his future wife Elsa Rea, led to an interest in geography. They both sat for the BA in 1921, Stamp again taking a first. He was awarded a [[DSc]] in the same year.<ref name=wise>{{cite webODNB |author=Wise M.J.|title= 'Stamp, Sir (Laurence) Dudley (1898–1966)', rev. |workyear=[[Oxford2004 Dictionary of National Biography]]|publisherdoi=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=200410.1093/ref:odnb/36238 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/36238| access-date=2008-03-14 March 2008}}</ref>

Stamp served in the [[British AarmyArmy]] during [[World War I]] in [[France]] and [[Belgium]] from 1917 to 1919. Whilst away his research paper on the [[Silurian]] of [[Clun Forest]] was read on his behalf to the [[Geological Society of London]].

In the 1930s Stamp formed the Land Utilisation Survey of Britain, a major project to survey of the whole country using volunteers including colleagues, students, school teachers and pupils, on a scale of 6&nbsp;inches to a mile.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/britainfromabove/stories/buildingbritain/dudleystamp.shtml |title=BBC Britain from Above: The Dudley Stamp Maps |access-date=2017-11-21 November 2017}}</ref> Publication of maps and reports began in 1933 and was completed in 1948, after interruption by [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.port.ac.uk/research/gbhgis/mediaresources/freearticles/filetodownload,23045,en.pdf | title= The Maps that Helped to Defeat Hitler | access-date= 21 November 2017 | archive-11date= 28 November 2009 | archive-21url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091128021240/http://www.port.ac.uk/research/gbhgis/mediaresources/freearticles/filetodownload,23045,en.pdf | url-status= dead }}</ref> Stamp reported on the reaction of a farmer who came across a school class doing land-use survey on his land. Angry at first, the farmer was pacified by the explanation of the schoolmaster, and then later wrote approvingly to his local newspaper that this approach was valuable both to the pupils and the community.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.multilingual-matters.net/irgee/008/0291/irgee0080291.pdf |title=The 1996 Geographical Association Land Use-UK Survey: A Geographical Commitment |author=Walford, R.|year=1999|work=International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education Vol. 8 No. 3|access-date=2008-03-14 March 2008}}</ref> Stamp went on to act as a consultant to many national governments and prepared a general scheme for a world land use survey which was adopted by the [[International Geographical Union]].<ref name=coleman65>Coleman, A & Maggs K.R.A (1965), ''Land Use Survey Handbook'', fourth (Scottish) Edition, Isle of Thanet Geographical Association</ref>

Stamp became professor of [[Economic geography]] in 1945 and moved to the chair of [[Social geography]] in 1948. Whilst at LSE Stamp held senior posts at many organisations, including presidency of section E of the [[British Association]] (1949), the [[Geographical Association]] (1950), the [[International Geographical Union]] (1952–61952–56) and the [[Institute of British Geographers]] (1956), and vice-presidency of the [[Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce|Royal Society of Arts]] (1954–61954–56).<ref name=wise />

He also acted as a government advisor -– as vice-chairman of the Scott committee on land utilisation in rural areas (1941–21941–42), as chief adviser on rural land utilisation in the [[Ministry of Agriculture]] (1942–55), developed the idea of land classification which was officially adopted for planning purposes and was a member of the [[Royal Commission on Common Land]] (1955–81955–58). He retired in 1958.<ref name=wise />

Besides DIY work at home in [[Bude]], [[Cornwall]], Stamp acted as a director of the family grocery firm [[Cave Austin and Company]] Ltd and was president of the [[Institute of Grocers]] (1960–63). His work as a geographer and government advisor however was far from over. He was a member of the [[Nature Conservancy (UK)|Nature Conservancy]] from 1958, chairman of the British National Committee for Geography (1961-61961–66) and president of the [[Royal Geographical Society]] (1963–61963–66). Stamp's wife Elsa died in 1962. In 1964 he chaired the organising committee of the Twentieth [[International Geographical Union]] Congress in London; a keen [[philately|philatelist]], he successfully argued for a set of commemorative stamps. In 1965 he chaired the [[National Resources Advisory Committee]] of the [[Ministry of Land and Natural Resources]].<ref name=wise /> Stamp died of heart failure in 1966 at a conference in [[Mexico City]]; he is reputed to have just completed a quest to visit every country in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geog.sussex.ac.uk/news/newsletters/n04.pdf |title=Where in the World? |author=Dodds E. |publisher=University of Sussex Department of Geography |work=Geography Newsletter Spring 2004 No.4 |access-date=2008-03-14 March 2008 |year=2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040117161713/http://www.geog.sussex.ac.uk/news/newsletters/n04.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2004 }}</ref> He was buried in Bude.<ref name=wise />

Much of the development of government policy for land-use control in Britain may be traced back to Stamp's land utilisation survey and analysis of [[land-use changeschange]]s.<ref name=wise />

The [[Royal Geographical Society]]'s Dudley Stamp Memorial Fund provides small grants for geographers to assist them in postgraduate research or study travel likely to lead to the advancement of geography and to international co-operation in the study of the subject.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://royalsociety.org/funding.asp?id=2938|publisher=The Royal Society|work=Our Work|title=Dudley Stamp Memorial Fund|access-date=2008-03-14 March 2008}}</ref>

The Stamp Papers, held at the department of geography, [[University of Sussex]], contain much information on his organisation of the Land Use Survey, together with personal and professional papers which illustrate his life and career.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sussex.ac.uk/library/speccoll/collection_descriptions/stamp.html|title=Lawrence (sic) Dudley Stamp Papers|work=Special collections Library|publisher=University of Sussex|access-date=2008-03-14 March 2008}}</ref>

* Stamp, L.D. (1919), "The highest Silurian rocks of the Clun-Forest District" (Shropshire). ''Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society'' LXXIV-3 (295); pp.&nbsp;221–246.

*Stamp, L.D. (1925), ''The Vegetation of Burma from an Ecological Standpoint''. Calcutta: Thacker, Spink & Co.

* Stamp, L.D. (1927), "Wandlungen in Welthandelsverkehr: Atlantischer oder Stiller Ozean?" (Changes in World Trade Flows: Atlantic or Pacific Ocean?),; ''Zeitschrift für Geopolitik'', 4 (12), 1927, pp.&nbsp;64–66. (in German, English translation by Rolf Meyer to be published 2009).

* Stamp, L.D. (1946), ''Britain'sPhysical StructureGeography Andand SceneryGeology'', [[NewLondon: Naturalist]]Longmans Series,Green London:and CollinsCo.

* Stamp, L.D. (19461947), ''PhysicalThe GeographyBritish Isles a Geographic and GeologyEconomic Survey'', London: Longmans Green and Co. (with Stanley H. Beaver)

* Stamp, L.D. (1948), ''The Land of Britain: Its Use and Misuse''. London: Longmans, Green and Co.

* Stamp(1949), L.D. & Kimblewith G. H. T. (1949)Kimble, ''An Introduction to Economic Geography'', Toronto, New York and London: Longmans, Green and Co.

* Stamp(1951), L.Ded. &with [[Sidney William Wooldridge|Wooldridge S.W.]], eds (1951) ''London Essays in Geography''. London: (Longmans, Green & Co., (for London School of Economics).

* Stamp, L.D. (1952), ''Land for Tomorrow: the Underdeveloped World'', Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

* Stamp, L.D. (1955), ''Man and the Land'', London: Collins. (New Naturalist Series,Library London: Collins.series)

* Stamp, L.D. (1957), ''India, Pakistan, Ceylon and Burma'', London: Metheun & Co. Ltd.

* Stamp, L.D. (1959), ''A Regional Geography, Part I: The Americas''. (9th ed 1959), Longman.

* Stamp, L.D. (1960), ''Applied Geography''. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin.

* Stamp, Sir L.D. (1961), ''A Glossary of Geographical Terms'', London: Longmans, {{ISBN|0-582-31062-8}}

* Stamp, L.D. (ed) (1961), ed. ''A History of Land Use in Arid Regions'', UNESCO Arid Zone Research Publication XVII, Paris: [[UNESCO]].

* Stamp, Sir L.D. (1962), ''The Land of Britain: Its use and misuse''. 3rd enlarged ed.

* Stamp, L.D. (1962), ''Britain's Structure And Scenery'', Fontana.

* (1963), with [[W. G. Hoskins|Hoskins, W.G.]] & Stamp, L.D., (1963), ''The Common Lands of England and Wales'', New Naturalist Series, London: Collins.

* Stamp, L.D. (1969), ''Nature Conservation in Britain'', London: Collins. (New Naturalist Series,Library London: Collins.series)

* Stamp, Sir L.D. (1969), ''Our Developing World'', London: Faber and Faber, {{ISBN|0-571-04639-8}}.

Stamp was appointed [[CBE]] in 1946 and knighted in 1965. He received the Daniel Pidgeon award of the [[Geological Society of London|Geological Society]] (1920) and the gold medal of the Mining and Geological Institute of India (1922). Later he received the [[Gold Medal (RGS)|Founder's Medal]] of the [[Royal Geographical Society]] (1949), the [[American Geographical Society]]'s [[Charles P. Daly Medal]] (1950), the [[Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography]]'s [[Vega medal]] (1954), the [[Tokyo Geographical Society]]'s medal (1957) and the [[Royal Scottish Geographical Society]]'s [[Scottish Geographical Medal]] (1964). The [[Royal Town Planning Institute|Town Planning Institute]] elected him to honorary membership in 1944. Honorary degrees included [[Legum Doctor|LLD]] from [[Edinburgh]] (1963)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.registry.ed.ac.uk/graduations/Honorary_Grads/Hons_1950_1999.htm |publisher=The University of Edinburgh Registry|work=Honorary Graduates of The University of Edinburgh|title=1950-19991950–1999|access-date=14 March 2008-03-14}}</ref> and [[DSc]] from [[University of Exeter|Exeter]] (1965).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.exeter.ac.uk/honorarygraduands/prev_hongrads.shtml |publisher=University of Exeter |title=Honorary Graduands |work=Previous Honorary Graduands |access-date=2008-03-14 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071104033122/http://www.exeter.ac.uk/honorarygraduands/prev_hongrads.shtml |archive-date=4 November 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Yangon faculty]]