He received further instruction from William Smith (1769–1839), the "Father of British geology", and finally became a land surveyor at Norwich in 1813, moving to London in October 1826.
Subsequently he was occupied in reporting on mining properties, including that of the British Iron Company in South Wales, his plaster model of which received the Isis medal of the Society of Arts.
His knowledge of theoretical geology led him to refer the old red sandstone that underlies the Pennsylvania coalfields to its true place, corresponding with its location in the series of European rocks.
He devoted much time to archæology, and published ‘Index Monasticus, or the Abbeys and other Monasteries … formerly established in the Diocese of Norwich and the Ancient Kingdom of East Anglia,’ 1821.
He also contributed fourteen papers to the archives of the United Friars of Norwich, and many articles to the Magazine of Natural History.