| Authorised form of name | Robartes; Francis (c1650 - 1718); politician and natural philosopher |
| Other forms of surname | Roberts |
| Dates | 1650 - 1718 |
| Nationality | British |
| Date of birth | January 1650 |
| Place of death | Chelsea, London, England, Europe |
| Date of death | 3 February 1718 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Baptism:
Lanhydrock, Cornwall, England, Europe (6 January 1650)
Burial:
Chelsea, London, England, Europe (7 February 1718) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Research field | Music |
| Sound |
| Activity | Education:
Mr Cary's School at Chelsea; Christ's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1663)
Career:
MP for Bossiney (1673-1679), Cornwall (1679-1681, 1685-1687, 1690-1695); MP for Lostwithiel (1689-1690, 1709-1710); MP for Tregony (1695-1702); MP for Bodmin (1702-1708, 1710-1718); Commissioner for Recusants for Cornwall (1675); Commissioner for Assessment for Cornwall (1677-1680, 1689-1690); Commissioner of Revenue (Ireland) (1692-1704, 1710-1714); Privy Councillor (Ireland) (1692); Deputy Lieutenant of Cornwall (1701); Teller of the Exchequer (1704-1710)
Memberships:
Dublin Philosophical Society |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 11/12/1673 |
| Proposer | Seth Ward |
| RSActivity | Royal Society roles:
Council 1693, 1695; VP 1704- , 1717- |
| Other Royal Society activity | Published multiple papers in the 'Philosophical Transactions', covering a broad range of topics including musical theory, statistics, and arithmetic;
Chosen as one of the auditors of accounts (1711) |
| Relationships | Parents: John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor (FRS 1666), and Letitia Isabella Smith
Married: 1) Penelope Pole; 2) Anne Boscawen (née Fitzgerald)
Children: John Robartes, 4th Earl of Radnor
Additional relatives: nephew Charles Bodvill Robartes (FRS 1693) |
| OtherInfo | As a member of parliament, Robartes showed great support for the royal court and was also interested in matters concerning Ireland. These factors led, for example, to his appointment as Privy Councillor in Ireland in 1692. His papers were considered important to the development of musical theory but he also published works concerning mathematics and astronomy. |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Venn; Hunter; Henning; Sedgwick; ODNB
References:
Hoppen, K T. 1965. 'The Royal Society and Ireland. II.', in Notes and Records, vol. 20, pp. 78-99 |
| Code | NA8413 |