George Francis Mitchell

George Francis Mitchell, FRS, HonFRSE, MRIA (15 October 1912 – 25 November 1997) was an Irish geologist, naturalist and conservationist.

He was born in Dublin, the son of David William Mitchell, a merchant, and his wife Frances Elizabeth Kirkby.

He became assistant to the Professor of Geology, Knud Jessen, in 1934, and under his guidance carried out field studies of post-glacial sediments in Ireland.

He bought Townley Hall from Trinity College and turned it into a study centre, which he personally funded and which enabled research in several different disciplines, particularly archaeological investigations at Knowth.

[3] He was elected a Fellow of Trinity College in 1944, followed by appointment to a readership in Irish Archaeology.