William Daniel Conybeare (° June 7th 1787 - † August 12th 1857) is a geologist and British paleontologist .

Conybeare was born with London and studies with Christ Church, Université of Oxford. It enters the orders and becomes Vicaire of Wardington close to Bristol. During this period it is one of the founders of the Bristol Philosophical Institution in 1822. He is vice-chancellor of Sully in the Glamorganshire of 1823 with 1836 and vicar of Axminster of 1836 with 1844. He is in charge of teaching in 1839 and becomes senior of Llandaff in 1845.

He is attracted with geology by the courses of John Kidd (1775-1851). After its studies he travels to the the United Kingdom and on the unintermitting and off becomes one of the first members of the Geological Society London. William Buckland (1784-1856) and Adam Sedgwick (1785-1873) recognized the role of Conybeare in their training in geology. In 1821 it is characterized by the description of a skeleton of Plésiosaure discovered by Mary Anning (1799-1847). The principal elements of its report were confirmed by later research. It publishes also work on coal the seams of the England of south-west (with William Buckland in 1824), on the valley of the the Thames, on the theory of the formation of the assembly lines of Leonce Élie de Beaumont (1798-1874) and on a landslide close to Lyme Regis in 1839.

However its principal work is Outlines off the Geology off England and Wales 1822, one second edition of a work of William Philips (1775-1828) Co-written with the author. The contributions of Conybeare form the principal part of this edition of which only the first part, describing the Carbonifère and the more recent layers, is published. This work will exert a great influence in the United Kingdom.

Conybeare is member of the Royal Society and corresponding member of the Institut of France. In 1844 it receives the Médaille Wollaston.

Source