IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 0064 HRS/101-107
Held at: National Maritime Museum
Title: Herschel, Sir John Frederick William, astronomer (1792-1871)
Date(s): 1832-1886
Level of description: sub-fonds
Extent: 1 box
Name of creator(s): Herschel | Sir | John Frederick William | 1792-1871 | 1st Baronet | astronomer
CONTEXT
Administrative/Biographical history:
Sir John was the son of Sir William Herschel. He was Senior Wrangler at Cambridge and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1813 for his contributions to chemistry and mathematics. Through assisting his father he came to adopt astronomy as his career and went to live at the Cape of Good Hope from 1833 to 1838, making a star survey of the southern sky. The results of this work were published in 1847. On his return to England, Herschel became an active member of several scientific societies. He was employed as Master of the Mint from 1850 to 1855 and wrote many articles for the Encyclopaedia Britannica and other general works of reference. There is a translation of Gunther Buthman's 'The shadow of the telescope. A biography of John Herschel' by B E Pagel (New York, 1970).
CONTENT
Scope and content/abstract:
Papers of Sir John Frederick William Herschel consisting of notes, news cuttings and Lady Herschel's housekeeping accounts for 1832 to 1838 and for 1852 to 1886; papers concerning the family's Molyneux chronometer together with a description of Sir John's barometer, 1832 to 1833.
ACCESS AND USE
Language/scripts of material: English
System of arrangement:
Conditions governing access:
Please contact the Archive for further information.
Conditions governing reproduction:
Please contact the Archive for further information.
Finding aids:
Detailed catalogue online at the: National Maritime Museum website .
ARCHIVAL INFORMATION
Archival history:
Immediate source of acquisition:
The papers, for the most part, were presented in 1958 by Mrs Shorland, great-great-niece of Sir John. Maggs Brothers also presented some notes and correspondence in 1958 concerning the family's Molyneux chronometer together with a description of Sir John's barometer.
ALLIED MATERIALS
DESCRIPTION NOTES
Archivist's note: Edited by Sarah Drewery, Jul 2011.
Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Date(s) of descriptions: 2010-08-26