Martyn John Roberts

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

DL (1806–1878) was a 19th-century Welsh scientist and inventor who performed experiments with his unique galvanic battery for controlled explosion and contributed to innovations in conductors, photography theory, voltometry, electric light and much more.

Life

He was born in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

on 2 August 1806 the son of Caroline Yalden of Lovington and her husband, John Roberts. He studied science at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. In 1840 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposer was Sir John Robison. In 1864 he patented an invention to spin wool. He also in the same year patented a device to reduce friction on ships propellers but this lapsed in 1867 due to non-payment of the £50 stamp duty. He died on 8 September 1878. He is buried in

Llangenny Llangenny ( cy, Llangenau) is a village in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Powys, Wales. It is in the lower reaches of the Grwyne Fawr. The Vale of Grwyney community consists of Glangrwyney, Llanbedr, and Llangenny. Three features in Llangenny ...

Churchyard with his son beneath a majestic ornately decorated obelisk. He was a deeply caring man whose innovations characterise a most humanitarian inventor of science but who sadly, lies unknown, forgotten and uncelebrated in "The Land of his Mothers & Fathers". There will be, shortly a pioneering mini-biography to this forgotten Cymro on YouTube ; "How The Welsh assisted The World"

Family

In 1840 he married Anne Eliza Gordon daughter of William Gordon, brother of Sir John Gordon. They lived at Pendarren House near

Crickhowell Crickhowell (; cy, Crucywel , non-standard spelling ') is a town and community in southeastern Powys, Wales, near Abergavenny, and is in the historic county of Brecknockshire. Location The town lies on the River Usk, on the southern edge ...

in Wales. Their eldest son was William Scarlett Roberts (b.1849).

References

1806 births 1878 deaths 19th-century Welsh scientists British inventors Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh {{UK-scientist-stub