| Authorised form of name | Hautefeuille; Jean de (1647 - 1724); clergyman and inventor |
| Other forms of name | Jean |
| Other forms of surname | De Hautefeuille |
| Dates | 1647 - 1724 |
| Nationality | French |
| Place of birth | Orléans, France, Europe |
| Date of birth | 20 March 1647 |
| Place of death | Orléans, France, Europe |
| Date of death | 18 October 1724 |
| Occupation | Clergyman, Roman Catholic |
| Research field | Physics |
| Mechanics |
| Horology |
| Activity | Career:
Travelled to England and Holland with his patron the Duchesse de Bouillon, through whom he obtained a number of benefices; invented a spring watch, afterwards improved upon by Christian Huyghens (FRS 1663) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 14/12/1687 |
| Age at election | 40 |
| Other Royal Society activity | Submitted papers on astronomy to the Society (late 1690s) |
| OtherInfo | In his letters to the Society, Hautefeuille proposed alterations to a telescope and the development of a lense to observe the moon's surface. His other interests covered acoustics as well as an early form of an internal combustion engine, which used gunpowder as fuel. This, however, was likely never constructed by him. His other proposal to use a piston in a heat engine was taken up by Christaan Huyghens (FRS 1663), who constructed a quasi-prototype a few years later in 1680. Little is known about Hautefeuille's familial background. |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; Ward; Biographie Universelle; NBG
Notes:
Brock in the 'Catholic Encyclopedia' (1913) has Hautefeuille as the son of a baker. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/71525470 |
| Code | NA5683 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| LBO/12/47 | Copy letter from Jean de Hautefeuille, Paris, to the Royal Society | 10 June 1699 |
| CLP/20/91 | Paper, On M. [Jean] de Hautefeuille's method of shortening the telescope without diminishing its effect by Robert Hooke | 8 December 1697 |
| CLP/20/94 | Paper, Concerning M. [Jean de] Hautefeuille's work by Robert Hooke | 31 May 1699 |