Charles Tomlinson (1808 – 1897), was a scientist who published papers on

meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did no ...

and the physical properties of liquids.

Biography

He studied science under

George Birkbeck George Birkbeck FRS (; 10 January 1776 – 1 December 1841) was a British physician, academic, philanthropist, pioneer in adult education and a professor of natural philosophy at the Andersonian Institute. He is the founder of Birkbeck, Univers ...

, the founder of the London Mechanics' Institute. For a while, he had a school with his brother Lewis, at

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

. Becoming known for original investigation, he was called to London, where he was appointed lecturer on experimental science at

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a public school in Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The school was founded in 1829 by King George IV, as the junior department of King's College London an ...

. During the 1840s and 1850s he published several notable scientific works relating to phenomena of the weather for the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. In 1872 he was elected to the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

, and in 1874 he took a leading part in founding the Physical Society. As a scientist Tomlinson made valuable contributions to the knowledge of the surface tension of liquids. His last years were devoted to literature, and he held the Dante lectureship at University College 1878–1880. He was also an avid

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

player and published a book on this subject, ''Amusements in Chess'', in 1845. His wife was the author Sarah Windsor Tomlinson who predeceased him in 1872 and was buried on the eastern side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

. Charles Tomlinson was later buried in the same grave (plot no.19920), but the grave is now under a footpath and has no headstone.

Publications

He authored over 50 books and 100 published papers and notes, among which were: * ''Amusements in Chess'' (London, 1845) * ''The Rain-Cloud: An Account of the Nature, Properties, Dangers, and Uses of Rain in Various Parts of the World'' (London, 1846) * ''Winter in the Arctic Regions: I - Winter in the Open Seas, II - Winter in a Secure Harbour, III - Winter in a Snow-Hut'' (London, 1846) * ''The Thunder-Storm: An Account of the Properties of Lightning and of Atmospheric Electricity in Various Parts of the World'' (London 1848). Includes detailed historic experiences and observations of the effects of thunder and lightning and related effects of electricity in the atmosphere. The third edition of 1877 adds more recent experiences. * '' Cyclopaedia of Useful Arts and Manufactures'' (1852–1854, supplement 1862, expanded edition 1866) * ''The Dew-drop and the Mist: An Account of the Phenomena and Properties of Atmospheric Vapour in Various Parts of the World'', (London, 1860) * ''The Tempest: An Account of the Origin and Phenomena of Wind in Various Parts of the World'' (London) * ''Natural Phenomena'' (London, 1861)
''The magnet : familiarly described; and illustrated by a box of magnetic toys''
(1861) *
A Rudimentary Treatise on Warming and Ventilation
' (1864) * ''The Rain-Cloud and The Snow-Storm: an Account of the Nature, Formation, Properties, Dangers, and Uses of Rain and Snow'' (London, 1865) * ''The Sonnet, Its Origin, Structure, and Place in Poetry'' (1874) * A translation of

Dante Aligheri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

's ''Inferno'' (1877) * ''The Literary History of the Divine Comedy'' (1879) * a volume of original Sonnets (1881) * ''Dante, Beatrice, and the Divine Comedy'' (1894) Written with his wife Sarah Tomlinson: * ''Lessons From the Animal World'' (London)

Notes

References

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External links

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The life and work of Charles Tomlinson FRS: a career in Victorian science and technology
1808 births 1897 deaths English scientists English translators Translators of Dante Alighieri Fellows of the Royal Society Academics of University College London Burials at Highgate Cemetery 19th-century British translators English male poets 19th-century English poets 19th-century English male writers English male non-fiction writers {{UK-scientist-stub