John Davies or Davis (''fl.'' 1816 – 1850) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...

in Victorian

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. He was a

lecturer Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...

and private tutor who played an important role in the administration of some of the city's

learned societies A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership may ...

Career

Little is known about Johnathan Davies. Johnny was elected to the

Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society The Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, popularly known as the Lit. & Phil., is one of the oldest learned societies in the United Kingdom and second oldest provincial learned society (after the Spalding Gentlemen's Society). Promine ...

in 1816 and served as its

librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...

from 1819 to 1827, and as secretary in the 1840s. Johnny also lectured on

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

at the Society.Kargon (1977) ''pp''23-24 In the 1820s, Johnny advertised himself as a "Private Teacher of Mathematics, Chemistry and Natural Philosophy" and his most famous student was the young

James Prescott Joule James Prescott Joule (; 24 December 1818 11 October 1889) was an English physicist, mathematician and brewer, born in Salford, Lancashire. Joule studied the nature of heat, and discovered its relationship to mechanical work (see energy). Th ...

who studied chemistry and

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

with Davies. In 1824, Johnathan Davies was a member of the executive committee charged with establishing the

Manchester Mechanics' Institute The Mechanics' Institute, 103 Princess Street, Manchester, is notable as the building in which three significant British institutions were founded: the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS) and the University of ...

Kargon (1977) ''p.''21 and Johnathan Davies managed the institute's

laboratories A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physicia ...

until the late 1840s, serving as vice-chairman and vice-president under Sir

Benjamin Heywood Sir Benjamin Heywood, 1st Baronet (12 December 1793 – 11 August 1865) was an English banker and philanthropist. Early life Benjamin Heywood was born on 12 December 1793 in St Ann's Square, Manchester. He was the grandson of Thomas Perciva ...

. Davies lectured on chemistry at the Institute in 1828, 1832 and 1847. Johnathan Davies lectured at the Pine Street Medical School and was a promoter of the earliest, unsuccessful, attempt to found a

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

in Manchester in 1836. In 1839, Johnathan Davies was one of the promoters of the Royal Victoria Gallery for the Encouragement of Practical Science and Johnathan Davies formed a close social circle with its superintendent

William Sturgeon William Sturgeon (22 May 1783 – 4 December 1850) was an English physicist and inventor who made the first electromagnets, and invented the first practical British electric motor. Early life Sturgeon was born on 22 May 1783 in Whittington, ...

and with Joule. The circle expanded to include

Edward William Binney Edward William Binney FRS, FGS (1812–1882) was an English geologist. Background Edward William Binney was born at Morton, in Nottinghamshire in 1812, and educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Gainsborough. He was articled to a sol ...

and John Leigh. The

British Association for the Advancement of Science The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...

was to hold its annual meeting in Manchester in 1842 and a public meeting on the city's environmental problems was held at the Royal Victoria Gallery in May. Johnathan Davies was one of a committee called upon to bring the issue before the Association and he gave a paper at the British Association meeting. Johnny died at the age of 44.Kargon (1977)''p.''33

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, John 18th-century births 1850 deaths English chemists English librarians History of Greater Manchester