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Gowin Knight FRS (10 September 1713 – 8 June 1772) was a British
Capsule biography of Gowin Knight at ''Science & Society Picture Library'' websiteGowin Knight entry at the ''Encyclopædia Britannica Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Gowin 1713 births 1772 deaths People from West Lindsey District Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford 18th-century English people English physicists English inventors English librarians Fellows of the Royal Society Directors of the British Museum Employees of the British Museum Recipients of the Copley Medal
Gowin Knight FRS (10 September 1713 – 8 June 1772) was a British physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe.
Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...
who, in 1745, discovered a process for producing strongly magnetised steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
. He also served as the first principal librarian of the British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
.
Biography
Born in Corringham, a smallparish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
, Knight was educated at Leeds Grammar School
Leeds Grammar School was an independent school founded 1552 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Originally a male-only school, in August 2005 it merged with Leeds Girls' High School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. The two schools physically ...
and Magdalen Hall, Oxford
Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colleg ...
. He was awarded a BA in October 1736, MA in June 1739 and MB in February 1742, after which he lived in London as a practising physician.
In 1745, he discovered a process for forming strongly magnetised steel, which he used to develop a compass
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...
needle able to function with greater precision. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
the same year after presenting his findings to the Society. He was honoured in 1747 with the Copley Medal
The Copley Medal is an award given by the Royal Society, for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science". It alternates between the physical sciences or mathematics and the biological sciences. Given every year, the medal is t ...
in recognition of his achievements and, by 1752, his technologically advanced compasses were adopted by the Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
, with renowned London instrument craftsman, George Adams, engaged in their manufacture.
In 1756, Knight received an appointment as the first principal librarian of the British Museum. He died in London, three months before his 59th birthday.
References
Capsule biography of Gowin Knight at ''Science & Society Picture Library'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Gowin 1713 births 1772 deaths People from West Lindsey District Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford 18th-century English people English physicists English inventors English librarians Fellows of the Royal Society Directors of the British Museum Employees of the British Museum Recipients of the Copley Medal