Record

Authorised form of nameRooke; Lawrence (1622 - 1662); astronomer
Dates1622 - 1662
NationalityBritish
Place of birthDeptford, Kent, England, Europe
Date of birth13 March 1622
Place of deathGresham College, London, England, Europe
Date of death27 June 1662
DatesAndPlacesBurial:
St Martin's Outwich, Threadneedle Street, London, England, Europe
Research fieldAstronomy
ActivityEducation:
Eton College; King's College, Cambridge (admitted 19 June 1639; BA (1643); MA (1647)); Wadham College, Oxford (admitted 1650)
Career:
Fellow of King's College (1643); Retired to his estate in Kent (1647); Fellow-Commoner at Wadham College, Oxford (1650); Assisted Robert Boyle (FRS 1660) with his chemical experiments; Professor of Astronomy, Gresham College (1652-1657); Featured in Seth Ward's 'De cometis' (1654); Professor of Geometry (1657-1662); Intended to complete observations on Jupiter before his death
Membership categoryFounder Fellow
Date of election30/11/1660
Other Royal Society activityFirst official meeting of the Royal Society held in his quarters at Gresham College on 28 November 1660
RelationshipsParents: George Rooke and Mary Burrell
Married: Barbara Heyman
Children: four daughters and five sons
OtherInfoWhile Rooke's astronomical work received much attention during his lifetime and shortly after, he has not become a 'household name' in the astronomy community. With the expansion of the colonialism and an increase in the Royal Society's travels to the East and West Indies, he was instructed to write a set of instructions and directions for seamen, which were published in 'Philosophical Transactions'.
Related imagesDiscover a selection of related images in our picture library
SourceSources:
DNB; DSB; Venn; Foster; Ward; Hunter
References:
Ronan, C A. 1960. 'Laurence Rooke (1622-1662)', in Notes and Records, vol. 15, pp. 113-118
Thrower, N J W. 2003. 'Samuel Pepys FRS (1633-1733) and The Royal Society', in Notes and Records, vol. 57, pp. 3-13
Gribbin, J. 2004. 'The Fellowship' (Penguin Books)
Virtual International Authority Filehttp://viaf.org/viaf/67927802
CodeNA6303
Archives associated with this Fellow
RefNoTitleDate
RBO/1/35'Direction for the Observations of the Eclipses of the Moone by Mr Rooke'nd
RBC/1/41'An Account of an Experiment made with Oile in the Long Tube By Mr Rooke and Mr Goddard'1662
CLP/8i/1Paper, 'Concerning the observations of the eclipses of the satellites of Jupiter' by Mr Rook [Lawrence Rooke]1661
RBO/1/38'An Account of an Experiment made with Oyle in the Long Tube' by Lawrence Rooke and Jonathan Goddard17 April 1662
CLP/3i/43Paper, 'Lex naturae de collisione corporum' ['The law of nature concerning the collision of bodies'] by Christopher Wren[1668]
CLP/8i/4Paper, 'Direction for the observations of the eclipse of the Moone' by Mr Rook [Lawrence Rooke]1662
RBO/1/33'Direction for Sea-men bound for farre voyages' by Mr Rookend
RBO/2i/3'Mr Rook's Discourse concerning the Observations of the Eclipses of the Satellites of Jupiter'10 July 1661
Add to My Items

    Collection highlights

    Browse the records of some of our collections, which cover all branches of science and date from the 12th century onwards. These include the published works of Fellows of the Royal Society, personal papers of eminent scientists, letters and manuscripts sent to the Society or presented at meetings, and administrative records documenting the Society's activities since our foundation in 1660.

    The Royal Society

    The Royal Society is a Fellowship of many of
    the world's most eminent scientists and is the
    oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.
    Registered charity number 207043

    Website design ©CalmView



    CONTACT US

    + 44 207 451 2500
    (Lines open Mon-Fri, 9:00-17:00. Excludes bank holidays)

    6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG

    Email Us →

    SUBSCRIBE

    Subscribe to our newsletters to be updated with the
    latest news on innovation, events, articles and reports.

    Subscribe →

    © CalmView