| Authorised form of name | Reid; Sir; William (1791 - 1858); military engineer, colonial governor, and meteorologist |
| Dates | 1791 - 1858 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Kinglassie, Fife, Scotland, Europe |
| Date of birth | 25 April 1791 |
| Place of death | His residence at 117 [now 93] Gloucester Terrace, Hyde Park, London |
| Date of death | 31 October 1858 |
| Dates and places | Marriage: Clapham, Surrey (5 November 1818) |
| Occupation | Army officer |
| Research field | Meteorology |
| Activity | Education: Private school in Musselburgh and the Edinburgh Academy; Royal Military Academy, Woolwich (1806)
Career: Gazetted second lieutenant (1809); promoted to first lieutenant (1810); served in the British army in the Peninsular War (1810-1814) promoted to second captain (1814); served in the latter stages of the Anglo-American War (1814-1815); returned to Woolwich to become adjutant of of the Royal Sappers and Miners and in the same year accompanied the expedition against Algiers under Lord Exmouth; in the West Indies (1832-4); served with the Ordnance Survey in Ireland (1824-1827); promoted regimental first captain (1829); participated in the Carlist War (1835-6); promoted to lieutenant-colonel (1837); stationed in Portsmouth (1837-1839); became Governor of the Bermudas (1839–1846), of the British Windward Islands (1846–1848), and of Malta (1851–1858); chaired the executive committee of the Great Exhibition (1850-1851); returned to England (1858).
Memberships: Institution of Civil Engineers
Honours:
CB (1838); KCB (1851) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 21/02/1839 |
| Age at election | 48 |
| Proposer | Sir John Herschel; C W Pasley; Edward Sabine; C Wheatstone; Rod I Murchison; W Whewell; F Beaufort; Francis Baily; Jas C Ross; Tho Murdoch; John Richardson; Thomas Locke Lewis; J F Royle; Mich Bland |
| Royal Society activity | Royal Society roles:
VP 1849-1850 |
| Relationships | Parents:
James Reid, Presbyterian minister of the Church of Scotland at Kinglassie, Fife, and Alexandrina, daughter of Thomas Fyers, chief engineer in Scotland.
Spouse: Sarah née Bolland, youngest daughter of John Bolland, hop merchant and Member of Parliament for Bletchley, Surrey.
Children: Grace Reid; Charlotte Cuyler Reid; Sophia Reid |
| Published works | RCN R60542
RCN R60540 |
| General context | Remembered for his contribution to the intense debate on storms which dominated meteorology in the first half of the nineteenth century. In 1832–4, Reid experienced the destructive power of storms in the West Indies, particularly hurricanes. This sparked his interest in the ongoing scientific controversy surrounding storms, notably in the United States. William Redfield, a key figure in the debate, corresponded with Reid, who collected and sent data supporting Redfield's gravity and fluid tendencies theory. Reid presented Redfield's ideas at the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1838, earning acclaim. He published "Attempt to Develop the Law of Storms by Means of Facts" in the same year, rejecting theoretical positions. Reid's practical advice for ships caught in storms led to its distribution, impacting British warships and merchant mariners. In 1849, he published "Progress of the Development of the Law of Storms".
He is also remembered as a successful governor, genuinely concerned with the well-being of those he was sent to govern, affectionatelly termed the "good" governor by Bermudian historians. He advanced agriculture by introducing new crops and tillage methods, and even turning the grounds of Government House into an experimental garden, making the island a profitable supplier of early potatoes and other market crops for the United States, aided by Redfield, who provided him with seeds and equipment. He stablished the Annual Agricultural Exhibition, advocated for widespread education; founded the library; erected the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse; and championed charitable endeavours; earning praise as an indefatigable, excellent, and beloved leader. |
| Sources | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; 'Governor Reid and the Law of Storms' [https://www.thebermudian.com/heritage/heritage-heritage/governor-reid-and-the-law-of-storms/; last accessed 29/11/2023]
Obituaries:
Proc Roy Soc 1857-1859 vol 9 pp 543-546
References:
Olwyn Mary Blouet, 'Sir William Reid, FRS, 1791-1858: Governor of Bermuda, Barbados and Malta' in NR 1985-86 vol 40 pp 169-191 |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/50119638 |
| Royal Society code | NA3724 |
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| EC/1839/12 | Reid, Sir William: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |
| MC/3/8 | Letter from Lieutenant Colonel [William] Reid, 5 Maddox Street, London, to the Council of the Royal Society | 9 February 1839 |
| MC/3 | Volume 3 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | 1839-1843 |
| MC/4/188 | Letter from William Reid, governor, Windward Islands, Barbados, to Charles Richard Weld, Assistant Secretary and Librarian of the Royal Society | 2 November 1847 |
| MC/4 | Volume 4 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | 1844-1850 |
| MC/5/36 | Letter from Wm [William] Reid, governor, Malta, to the Secretary of the Royal Society | 11 April 1852 |
| MS/426/470 | Note of a letter from [the Secretaries of] the Royal Society; to Sir W [William] Reid | 9 June 1852 |
| MC/5/50 | Letter from Wm [William] Reid, [governor of] Malta, to C R [Charles Richard] Weld, [Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society] | 24 July 1852 |
| MC/5 | Volume 5 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | 1851-1858 |
| HS/14/321 | Letter, from William Reid to Sir John Herschel, dated at Chatham | 4 October 1828 |
| HS/14/323 | Letter, from William Reid to Sir John Herschel, dated at 5 Maddox Street | 8 February 1839 |
| HS/14/322 | Letter, from William Reid to Sir John Herschel, dated at Newcastle | 19 August 1838 |
| HS/14/325 | Letter, from William Reid to Sir John Herschel, dated at Woolwich | 7 August 1849 |
| HS/14/324 | Letter, from William Reid to Sir John Herschel, dated at Bermuda | 22 May 1839 |
| DM/3/117 | Letter from Lt Col William Reid, Royal Enginerrs, to J F W Herschel | 3 January 1839 |