Stephen Peter Rigaud (12 August 1774–16 March 1839) FRAS 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 ...

mathematical historian and

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

. Rigaud was born into a French Protestant family. His father, Stephen (also known as James Stephen) Rigaud, was Observer at the

Kew Observatory The King's Observatory (called for many years the Kew Observatory) is a Grade I listed building in Richmond, London. Now a private dwelling, it formerly housed an astronomical and terrestrial magnetic observatory founded by King George III. T ...

. The painter

John Francis Rigaud John Francis Rigaud (18 May 1742 – 6 December 1810) was an eighteenth-century history, portrait, and decorative painter. Of French descent, he was born in Turin and spent most of his career in England. Early life Rigaud was born in Turin on ...

, who painted a portrait of Rigaud, aged four, and his sister Mary Anne was not his uncle but other possible connections are unknown. He was a Fellow of

Exeter College, Oxford (Let Exeter Flourish) , old_names = ''Stapeldon Hall'' , named_for = Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter , established = , sister_college = Emmanuel College, Cambridge , rector = Sir Richard Trainor ...

, from 1794 to 1810, held the

Savilian Chair of Geometry The position of Savilian Professor of Geometry was established at the University of Oxford in 1619. It was founded (at the same time as the Savilian Professorship of Astronomy) by Sir Henry Savile, a mathematician and classical scholar who was ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

from 1810 to 1827, and was

Savilian Professor of Astronomy The position of Savilian Professor of Astronomy was established at the University of Oxford in 1619. It was founded (at the same time as the Savilian Professorship of Geometry) by Sir Henry Savile, a mathematician and classical scholar who was ...

from 1827 to 1839. He lived at 21 Richmond Green in Richmond, Surrey (now

Richmond, London Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Com ...

) from 1815 to 1826. "He devoted his leisure to research and authorship in the field of scientific biography. A well-informed friend has said of him, — " He had a peculiar delight in tracing the history of an invention, or illustrating the biography of those who, however eminent in their day, were in after ages known to have lived, flourished for a time, and died. To collect the materials for their lives, to throw light upon their habits, enumerate their works, and do justice to their merits, was a principal source of his amusement ; and his perseverance in seeking for materials was exceeded only by the discrimination and impartiality which accompanied his researches and rendered them of permanent value."

Published works

* ''Historical essay on the first publication of Sir Isaac Newton’s Principia'' (1838) * ''An account of some early proposals for steam navigation'' (1838) * ''Defence of the resolution for omitting Mr Panizzi's bibliographical notes from the catalogue of the Royal Society'' (1838) * ''Correspondence of scientific men of the seventeenth century: including letters of Barrow, Flamsteed, Wallis and Newton, printed from the originals in the collection of the Honorable the Earl of Macclesfield'' (1841)

Death and legacy

He died on 16 March 1839 and was buried at St James, Piccadilly, London, where a memorial to him lies in the church. His eldest son, Stephen Jordan Rigaud (1816–1859), was an English clergyman and schoolmaster who became Bishop of

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

. Some of his large book collection, concerning astronomy, mathematics and physics, was purchased by the

Radcliffe Observatory Radcliffe Observatory was the astronomical observatory of the University of Oxford from 1773 until 1934, when the Radcliffe Trustees sold it and built a new observatory in Pretoria, South Africa. It is a Grade I listed building. Today, the ...

in Oxford. Some of the remaining materials were presented to the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the sec ...

in 1935 and some were sold at auction. This collection at the Bodleian contains 840 books.

References

1774 births 1839 deaths Burials at St James's Church, Piccadilly 19th-century British astronomers English people of French descent Fellows of Exeter College, Oxford Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society Richmond, London Savilian Professors of Astronomy Savilian Professors of Geometry 19th-century English historians {{UK-astronomer-stub