| Authorised form of name | Ramsden; Jesse (1735 - 1800) |
| Dates | 1735 - 1800 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Salterhebble, near Halifax, Yorkshire, England |
| Date of birth | 06 October 1735 |
| Place of death | Brighton, Sussex |
| Date of death | 05 November 1800 |
| Occupation | Scientific instrument maker |
| Research field | Mathematics |
| Optics |
| Physics |
| Activity | Career:
Apprentice to a cloth worker, Halifax; apprentice to Mark Burton, mathematical instrument maker, Denmark Street, Strand, London (1758); worked in the Dollond workshop (early 1760s); opened shops in Haymarket and Piccadilly; opened a shop on the Strand (1763); also invented scientific instruments. To own a Ramsden instrument, be it one of his great theodolites or one of the many sextants and barometers produced at his London workshop, was to own not only an instrument of incredible accuracy and great practical use, but also a thing of beauty. Ramsden was a perfectionist, sometimes to the frustration of waiting customers, but this did not limit his productivity.
|
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 12/01/1786 |
| Royal Society activity | Medals and prizes:
Copley Medal 1795 |
| Relationships | Married Sarah, daughter of John Dollond (FRS 1761); her portion was a share in her father's patent for making achromatic lenses |
| Sources | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB
References:
Charles H Cotter, 'The Mariner's Sextant and the Royal Society' in NR 1978-9 vol 33 pp 23-36
John R Levene, 'Benjamin Franklin, FRS, Sir Joshua Reynolds, FRS, PRA, Benjamin West, PRA and the Invention of Bifocals' in NR 1972-3 vol 27 pp 141-163
A W Skempton and Joyce Brown, 'John and Edward Troughton, Mathematical Instrument Makers' in NR 1972-3 vol 27 pp 233-262
Douglas McKie, 'Priestley's Laboratory and Library and Other of his Effects' in NR 1956-57 vol 12 pp 114-136
Richard Sorrenson, 'Dollond and Sons pursuit of achromaticity, 1758-1789' in Historia Mathematica 28 (2) (May 2001) pp 31-55
Anita McConnell, 'Jesse Ramsden (1735-1800): London's leading scientific instrument maker' Ashgate (2007) |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/45086729 |
| Royal Society code | NA6963 |
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| IM/003739 | Ramsden, Jesse | nd |
| CB/2/636 | Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Jesse Ramsden | 27 April 1792 |
| CB/2/713 | Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Jesse Ramsden | 22 December 1791 |
| IM/003738 | Ramsden, Jesse | nd |
| MM/7/23 | Board of Longitude, Some notes about a controversy between Jesse Ramsden and William Bayley, concerning a 15 Inch Sextant made by Ramsden | c.1781 |
| MM/7/21 | Letter from James King, Serle Street, to the Board of Longitude | 3 March 1781 |
| EC/1785/18 | Ramsden, Jesse: certificate of election to the Royal Society | 1785 |
| RSL/1/29 | Letter from Dr Maskelyne, Greenwich, to Sir Joseph Banks | 23 June 1783 |
| CB/1/6/87 | Letter from J Ramsden, London to Charles Blagden, Physician at Gloucester | 23 November 1769 |
| CB/1/5/171 | Letter from C J Phipps, Mulgrave Hall to Charles Blagden | 16 September 1774 |
| MC/3/105 | Letter from Colonel [Thomas Frederick] Colby, Ordnance Map Office Tower, to the Marquis of Northampton, President of the Royal Society | 11 August 1840 |
| L&P/9/139 | Letter, 'Concerning the lenses of Chester Moore Hall' from Addison Smith to Jesse Ramsden | 4 June 1789 |
| L&P/7/101/1 | Paper, 'Two new micrometers' by Jesse Ramsden | 1779 |
| L&P/7/101 | Paper, 'Two new micrometers' by Jesse Ramsden | 1779 |
| L&P/7/101/3 | Plate, 'Eye tube of telescope' by Jesse Ramden | 1779 |
| L&P/7/101/2 | Plate, 'Small speculum divided into two equal parts' by Jesse Ramsden | 1779 |
| L&P/9/138 | Paper, 'Some observations on the invention of achromatic telescopes' by Jesse Ramsden | 1789 |
| MOB/038 | Protractor by Jesse Ramsden | 18th century |
| MM/3/30 | Letter from Jesse Ramsden, Piccadilly, to the Council of the Royal Society | 13 May 1790 |
| MM/7/25 | Letter from William Wales, Christ's Hospital, to Jesse Ramsden | 16 March 1781 |
| MM/7/22 | William Bayley, 'Some Account of a 15 Inch Sextant made by Mr Ramsden' | c.1781 |
| MS/319/221 | Bond of Jesse Ramsden to the Treasurer of the Royal Society | 19 January 1786 |
| MC/3 | Volume 3 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | 1839-1843 |
| P/0107 | Portrait of Ramsden, Jesse | c.1772 |
| MOB/037 | Theodolite by Jesse Ramsden | 1784-1787 |
| MC/28/150 | Letter from [Thomas] Holgate, 61 Calton Road, Dulwich, S.E, to The Librarian, Royal Society | 8 May 1913 |
| MOB/112 | Barometer by Jesse Ramsden | c.1770 |