Thomas Bonney was born in Rugeley on 27 July 1833. He was educated at Uppingham and St John's College Cambridge. In 1857 he was ordained. He was a tutor at St John's College Cambridge from 1868 to 1876. In 1877 he was appointed Yates-Goldsmid Professor of Geology and Mineralogy at University College London, later to become Emeritus Professor of Geology here. He was Whitehall Preacher from 1876-1878. He was President of the Geological Society 1884-1886. Bonney published books on geology and the history of the planet. He died on 10 December 1923.
From the guide to the Bonney Letters, 1885-1920, (University College London)