Richard Sheepshanks (30 July 1794, in Leeds – 4 August 1855, in Reading) was a British

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, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

Personal life

He was born the son of Joseph Sheepshanks, a Leeds

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

manufacturer of the well-to-do Sheepshank family of Bilton, Harrogate. His brother was John Sheepshanks (clothing manufacturer and art collector), and his sister was

Anne Sheepshanks Anne Sheepshanks (1789–1876) was a British astronomical benefactor. Life Sheepshanks was born in Leeds in 1794. She was the daughter of Joseph and Ann Sheepshanks. Her mother was from Kendal and her father was a cloth manufacturer. Her broth ...

(astronomical benefactor). He received his education at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, graduating in 1816. He was called to the bar in 1824 and took orders in

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

in 1825, but did not practise either profession as the death of his father left him with sufficient wealth to pursue his scientific interests. He had six children from a relationship with an Irish dancer, one of whom was Eleanor Louisa Moravia Henry, also known as Nelly, mother of the painter

Walter Sickert Walter Richard Sickert (31 May 1860 – 22 January 1942) was a German-born British painter and printmaker who was a member of the Camden Town Group of Post-Impressionist artists in early 20th-century London. He was an important influence on d ...

and the feminist

Helena Swanwick Helena Maria Lucy Swanwick CH (née Sickert; 30 January 1864 – 16 November 1939) was a British feminist and pacifist. Her autobiography, ''I Have Been Young'' (1935), gives a remarkable account of the non-militant women's suffrage campaign ...

. Sheepshanks gave financial support to the dancer and her husband, who in turn claimed paternity.

Professional life

From 1817 until his death Sheepshanks was a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge where he was an active astronomer. He served as editor of ''

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ''Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society'' (MNRAS) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in astronomy and astrophysics. It has been in continuous existence since 1827 and publishes letters and papers reporting orig ...

'' and greatly improved their content. In 1830 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 ...

. In 1832, he got involved in the lawsuit of

Edward Troughton Edward Troughton FRS FRSE FAS (October 1753 – 12 June 1835) was a British instrument maker who was notable for making telescopes and other astronomical instruments. Life Troughton was born at Corney, Cumberland, the youngest of six child ...

against Sir

James South Sir James South FRS FRSE PRAS FLS LLD (October 1785 – 19 October 1867) was a British astronomer. He was a joint founder of the Astronomical Society of London, and it was under his name, as President of the Society in 1831, that a petiti ...

, in which Troughton demanded payment for an

equatorial mount An equatorial mount is a mount for instruments that compensates for Earth's rotation by having one rotational axis, the polar axis, parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. This type of mount is used for astronomical telescopes and cameras. The ...

ing that he had supplied to South, but which South claimed to be

defective Defective may refer to:: *Defective matrix, in algebra *Defective verb, in linguistics *Defective, or ''haser'', in Hebrew orthography, a spelling variant that does not include mater lectionis *Something presenting an anomaly, such as a product de ...

. Sheepshanks informally served as legal counsel to Troughton; South's legal counsel was Drinkwater Bethune. Troughton prevailed in the lawsuit. In 1833, he recommended withholding publication of an early edition of

Stephen Groombridge Stephen Groombridge FRS (7 January 1755 – 30 March 1832) was a British merchant and astronomer. Life He was born at Goudhurst in Kent on 7 January 1755. He succeeded when about 21 to the business in West Smithfield of a linen draper named ...

star catalogue A star catalogue is an astronomical catalogue that lists stars. In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. There are a great many different star catalogues which have been produced for different purposes over the years, ...

, which was being published posthumously, after discovering the edition contained

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

s. A final corrected edition was later published in 1838 under the auspices of

George Biddell Airy Sir George Biddell Airy (; 27 July 18012 January 1892) was an English mathematician and astronomer, and the seventh Astronomer Royal from 1835 to 1881. His many achievements include work on planetary orbits, measuring the mean density of the E ...

. In his later career he worked on establishing a

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

of length for imperial measures. He was reportedly deeply sceptical of the work of

Charles Babbage Charles Babbage (; 26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871) was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. Babbage is considered ...

and of his ability to deliver a working

Difference Engine A difference engine is an automatic mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial, polynomial functions. It was designed in the 1820s, and was first created by Charles Babbage. The name, the difference engine, is derived from the method ...

Analytical Engine The Analytical Engine was a proposed mechanical general-purpose computer designed by English mathematician and computer pioneer Charles Babbage. It was first described in 1837 as the successor to Babbage's difference engine, which was a des ...

. The two men publicly criticized each other.

Death and legacy

He suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

("apoplexy") on 29 July 1855, died on 4 August and was buried at Trinity College. There is a memorial notice at St. John's Church, Bilton in

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

After his death, Richard's sister

contributed a legacy towards research to be conducted by the

Cambridge Observatory Cambridge Observatory is an astronomical observatory at the University of Cambridge in the East of England. It was established in 1823 and is now part of the site of the Institute of Astronomy. The old Observatory building houses the Institute o ...

and a scholarship in her brother's name.

External links

*
MNRAS 16 (1856) 90, obituaryMore on South Versus Sheepshanks Authors: Hoskin, M. Journal: JOURN. HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY V.22, NO. 68/MAY, P.174, 1991

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheepshanks, Richard 1794 births 1855 deaths Scientists from Yorkshire 19th-century British astronomers Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge People from Harrogate Fellows of the Royal Society Committee members of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge

Personal life

Professional life

Death and legacy

See also

External links

References