Rev. Neville Maskelyne 1732 - 1811
Rev. Neville Maskelyne , "the Seaman's Astromoner". Fifth Astronomer Royal 1765-1811. Issue. Educ. Westminster and Cambridge. Fellow of Trinity. Took holy orders and served as curate at the Church of Chipping Barnet, Herts.. While at university became interested in astronomy. He spent 1761-62 on St. Helena recording the position of the stars and on his return published The British Mariner's Guide and in 1766, the first volume of Nautical and Astronomical Ephemeris- the precursor of the Almanac used even today by sailors. The tables became so widely used that it was inevitable that Greenwich should emerge as the point from which to measure longitude - The Prime Meridien. Encyclopaedia Britannica Longitude by Dava Sobel, pub. Fourth Estate Ltd., ISBN 1-85702-502-4 General biography / Aikin, J.. - London. - 1799-1815 (10 vols) The general biographical dictionary / Chalmers, A.. - New ed. - London. - 1812-17 (32 vols) The universal biographical dictionary / Watkins, John. - New ed. - London. - 1821 Bibliotheca britannia; or, A general index to British ... literature / Watt, R.. - Edinburgh. - 1824 (Vols. 1 & and 2) A dictionary of biography; comprising ... characters of all ages, nations and professions / Davenport, R. A.. - London. - 1831 The gallery of portraits; with memoirs. - London. -1833-37 (7 vols) A universal biography: ... scriptural, classical & and mythological memoirs ... with accounts of ... living characters / A'Beckett, Sir W.. - London. - 1836 (3 vols) Lives of eminent and illustrious Englishmen, from Alfred the Great to the latest times / Cunningham, G. G.. - Glasgow. - 1836-38 (8 vols) A general biographical dictionary / Gorton, J.. - New ed. - London. - 1841 (3 vols) A new general biographical dictionary / Rose, H. J.. - London. - 1853 (12 vols) Biography / Knight, C.. - London. - 1856-72 (7 vols) The imperial dictionary of universal biography / Waller, J. F.. - London. - 1857-63 (16 vols) A critical dictionary of English literature & and British & and American authors ... from the earliest accounts to the middle of the 19th century / Allibone, S. A.. - London. - 1859-71 (3 vols) Memoirs of the distinguished men of science of Great Britain ... 1807-08 / Walker, W.. - London. - 1862 Cassell's biographical dictionary. - London. - (1867-69) The biographical treasury; a dictionary of universal biography ... revised ... by W. L. R. Cates / Maunder, S.. New ed. - London. - 1870 http://www.math.bme.hu/mathhist/Mathematicians/Maskelyne.html Sources copied from DNB:Gent. Mag. 1811 pt. i. pp. 197, 672, 1778 p. 320; Welch's Alumni Westmonasterienses, p. 332; Chalmers's Biog. Dict.; Knight's Gallery of Portraits, vi. 20, with engraving by Scriven from Vanderburgh's picture, A. De Morgan; European Mag. xlvii. 407, with portrait; Hutton's Math. Dict. 1815; Cunningham's Lives of Eminent Englishmen, viii. 170; Delambre's âEloge, Mâemoires de l'Institut, t. xii. p. lix; Delambre's Histoire de l'Astronomie au xviiie Siáecle, p. 623; Mâemoires couronnâes par l'Acad. de Bruxelles, xxiii. 63, 1873 (Mailly); Andrâe et Rayet's l'Astronomie Pratique, i. 27; Bradley's Miscellaneous Works, p. lxxxv (Rigaud); Weale's London in 1851, p. 637 (R. Main); Grant's Hist. of Physical Astronomy, pp. 158, 429, 488; Clerke's Popular Hist. of Astronomy, p. 35, 2nd edit.; Mèadler's Geschichte der Himmelskunde; Wolf's Gesch. der Astronomie; Montucla's Hist. des Mathâematiques, iv. 313; Lalande's Bibl. Astr. p. 537; Poggendorff's Biog. Lit. Handwèorterbuch; Watt's Bibl. Brit.; Observatory, v. 198, 233 (W. T. Lynn); Weld's Cat. of Portraits, p. 48. Venn's entry reads: MASKELYNE, NEVIL College: ST CATHARINE'S Entered: 1750 Born: Died: Adm. sizar at ST CATHARINE'S, Nov. 29, 1749. 3rd s. of Edmund, of Purton, Wilts. B. Oct. 1732. School, Westminster. Matric. 1750. Migrated to Pembroke, 1750, and to Trinity. B.A. from Trinity, 1754; M.A. 1757; B.D. 1768; D.D. 1777. Fellow of Trinity, 1756. F.R.S., 1758. Assisted Bradley. Sent by the Royal Society to observe the transit of Venus at St Helena, 1761. Astronomer Royal, 1765. Established the Nautical Almanac, 1766. Copley medallist. R. of Shrawardine, Salop, 1775. R. of North Runcton, Norfolk,1782. Elected a member of the French Institute, 1802. Author, astronomical. Died Feb. 9, 1811, aged 79.Will (P.C.C.) 1811. (D.N.B.; Al. Westmon., 332.)The National Portrait Gallery, London, has 3 portraits of him: 1) NPG 1075a Engraving after 'Men of Science Living in 1807-8' (includes Sir Joseph Banks, Bt; Matthew Boulton; Robert Brown; Sir Marc Isambard Brunel; Sir William Congreve, 2nd Bt; John Dalton; Sir Humphry Davy, Bt; Sir William Herschel; Edward Jenner; William M...) by George Zobel, and William Walker Medium: engraving Measurements: 24 3/4 in. x 42 7/8 in. (629 mm x 1089 mm) Date: 1862 Primary Collection Not on display
2) NPG 1075b Key to engraving after 'Men of Science Living in 1807-8' (includes Sir Joseph Banks, Bt; Matthew Boulton; Robert Brown; Sir Marc Isambard Brunel; Sir William Congreve, 2nd Bt; John Dalton; Sir Humphry Davy, Bt; Sir William Herschel; Edward Jenner; Wi...) by William Walker Medium: engraving Measurements: 10 3/4 in. x 17 1/8 in. (273 mm x 435 mm) Date: 1862 Primary Collection Not on display
3) NPG 1075 Men of Science Living in 1807-8 (includes Sir Joseph Banks, Bt; Matthew Boulton; Robert Brown; Sir Marc Isambard Brunel; Sir William Congreve, 2nd Bt; John Dalton; Sir Humphry Davy, Bt; Henry Fourdrinier; Sir William Herschel; Edward Jenner; William ...) by Sir John Gilbert, and Frederick John Skill, and William Walker, and Elizabeth Walker (nâee Reynolds) Medium: pencil and wash Measurements: 25 1/2 in. x 50 1/2 in. (648 mm x 1283 mm) Date: circa 1857-1862 Primary Collection Not on display - spent five weeks holiday each year from Greenwich at one of the family homes " The Mansion House at Stoke " which he inherited in 1775. See Chapt. 14 Nevil Maskeyne: The Seaman's Astronomer by Derek Howse pub. Cambs, UP ISBN 0-521-36261-x
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| Born: Kensington Gore, London, , , England 6th Oct 1732 | Baptised: St. Martin in the Fields, London, , , England 27th Oct 1732
| | Died: Greenwich Observatory, London, , , England 9th Feb 1811 | Buried: Purton, Co. Wilts., , England 20th Feb 1811
| | Family: Maskelyne of Purden |
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