| Authorised form of name | Smethwick; Francis (1619-1682); virtuoso |
| Other forms of surname | Smithwick |
| Dates | 1619 - 1682 |
| Nationality | British |
| Date of birth | 9 January 1619 |
| Date of death | 1682 |
| Activity | Education:
Pupil of William Oughtred; University of Oxford (MA 1642); Incorporated at Cambridge (1671)
Career:
Library-Keeper at Westminster; amateur instrument maker
|
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 04/04/1667 |
| Proposer | John Wilkins |
| Date of ejection or withdrawal | 9 August 1682 |
| Other Royal Society activity | Presented some telescopic glasses and other instruments to the Society (1667/8); Expelled due to non-payment of arrears |
| Relationships | Parents: Thomas Smethwick and Mary Lawrence |
| OtherInfo | Not much is known about Smethwick's life and career although some sources state that, in relation to his activities as an instrument maker, he also worked with Robert Hooke (FRS 1663). His inventions were discussed in Royal Society correspondence. |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; Venn; Hunter
References:
Hegarty, A. 2011. A Biographical Register of St John's College, Oxford, 1555-1660' (Boydell & Brewer)
Sweet, J M. 1953. 'Sir Hans Sloane's Metalline Cubes', in Notes and Records, vol. 10, pp. 99-100
Turnbull, G H. 1953. 'Samuel Hartlib's Influence on the Early History of the Royal Society', in Notes and Records, vol. 10, pp. 101-130
Notes:
Taylor 'Math Practitioners' gives year of death as 1685. VIAF could possibly refer to different Francis Smethwick, bookseller. Possible baptism on 23 April 1620 at Brereton-cum-Smethwick in Cheshire. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/68762021 |
| Code | NA7341 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| NLB/10/106 | Copy letter from Herbert Rix, to W H Brown, Royal Microscopical Society, 20 Hanover Square, W. | 1 October 1894 |
| CLP/6/26 | Paper, regarding experiments to show the weight of some metals, stones and liquids by Mr Reynolds | 1670 |