William Derham
William Derham | |
|---|---|
 18th-century tableau of William Derham | |
| Born | 26 November 1657 Stoulton,Worcestershire,England |
| Died | 5 April 1735(aged 77) |
| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Oxford |
| Known for | Natural theology; Measurement of thespeed of sound |
| Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physico-Theology |
William DerhamFRS(26 November 1657 – 5 April 1735)[1]was an English clergyman,natural theologian,natural philosopherandscientist.He produced the earliest reasonably accurate measurement of thespeed of sound.
Life
[edit]William Derham was the son of Thomas Derham. He was born atStoulton,inWorcestershire,England. He was educated atBlockley,Gloucestershire,and atTrinity College, Oxford,from 1675 to 1679.[1]He was ordained on 29 May 1681. In 1682, he becamevicarofWargrave,Berkshire,and from 1689 to 1735 he wasRectoratUpminster,Essex.While at Upminster, in 1716 he became aCanon of Windsorand the vestry minutes show that thereafter he divided his time between those two places. The parish registers of Upminster record his burial at St. Laurence's in 1735. However, the precise site of his grave is unknown and, in accordance with his wishes, there is no memorial to him in the church.[2]
Work
[edit]
In 1696, he published hisArtificial Clockmaker,which went through several editions. The best known of his subsequent works arePhysico-Theology,published in 1713;Astro-Theology,1714; andChristo-Theology,1730. All three of these books areteleologicalarguments for the being and attributes ofGod,and were used byWilliam Paleynearly a century later.[3]However, these books also include quantities of original scientific observations. For example,Physico-Theologycontains his recognition of natural variation within species and that he knew thatDidelphis virginialis(theVirginia opossum) was the only marsupial inNorth America.It also includes one of the earliest theoretical descriptions of amarine chronometer,accompanied by a discussion of the use of vacuum seals to reduce inaccuracies in the operation of timepieces. He is the first person known to have used the wordchronometer.[4]
Similarly,Astro-Theologyincludes several newly identifiednebulae(this was the name used at the time for all extended astronomical objects: some of his nebulae are what we would now callstar clusters). His 16-foot-long (4.9 m) telescope (also used when measuring the velocity of sound) was at the top of the tower of St Laurence's Church, where the necessary doors are still in place.[2]
On 3 February 1703, Derham was electedFellow of the Royal Society.He wasBoyle lecturerin 1711–1712. His last known work, entitledA Defence of the Church's Right in Leasehold Estates,appeared as early as 1731.[3]
But besides the works published in his own name, Derham contributed a variety of papers to theTransactions of the Royal Society.He revised theMiscellanea Curiosa.[3]He edited the correspondence and wrote a biography ofJohn Ray,whose 'physico-theology' (natural theology) tradition he continued, making him an earlyparson-naturalist.[5]
He editedEleazar Albin'sNatural History,and published some of the manuscripts of the scientistRobert Hooke.[3]His meteorological observations atUpminster(in theTransactions of the Royal Society) are amongst the earliest series in England.
Speed of sound
[edit]In 1709 Derham published a more accurate measure of the speed of sound, at 1,072Parisian feetper second.[6]Derham used a telescope from the tower of thechurch of St Laurence, Upminster,to observe the flash of a distant shotgun being fired, and then measured the time until he heard the gunshot with a half second pendulum. Measurements were made of gunshots from local landmarks including theChurch of St Mary Magdalene, North Ockendon.The distance was known bytriangulation,and thus the speed that the sound had travelled could be calculated.[2]
Works
[edit]- The Artificial Clockmaker(1696)
- Physico-theology, or a Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God(1723 edition)
- Christo-Theology: Or, a Demonstration of the Divine Authority of the Christian Religion(1730 edition)
- A defence of the churches right in leasehold estate,London: W. Innys 1731.
- Astro-theology: or, A demonstration of the being and attributes of God, from a Survey of the Heavens(1731 edition)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abSmolenaars, Marja. 'Derham, William (1657–1735)',Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,Oxford University Press,2004. Accessed 26 May 2007.
- ^abcFox, Tony (2003).Essex Journal.Essex Arch & Hist Soc. pp. 12–16.
- ^abcdOne or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Derham, William".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 73–74.
- ^Koberer, Wolfgang (May 2016). "Notes: On the First Use of the Term" Chronometer "=".The Mariner's Mirror.102(2). United Kingdom: Society for Nautical Research: 203–205.doi:10.1080/00253359.2016.1167400.S2CID164165009.
- ^Mabey, Richard(1986).Gilbert White. A biography of the author of The Natural History of Selborne.Century Hutchinson. p. 11.
- ^Murdin, Paul (25 December 2008).Full Meridian of Glory: Perilous Adventures in the Competition to Measure the Earth.Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 35–36.ISBN9780387755342.
External links
[edit]
- William Derham (1696)The artificial clock-maker- digital facsimile from theLinda Hall Library
- 1657 births
- 1735 deaths
- Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford
- Natural philosophers
- English naturalists
- 17th-century English Anglican priests
- 18th-century English Anglican priests
- Fellows of the Royal Society
- Canons of Windsor
- Parson-naturalists
- People from Wychavon (district)
- 17th-century English writers
- 17th-century English male writers
- 18th-century English writers
- 18th-century English male writers