Record

Authorised form of nameLassell; William (1799 - 1880); astronomer
Dates1799 - 1880
NationalityBritish
Place of birthBolton, Lancashire, England
Date of birth18 June 1799
Place of deathMaidenhead, Berkshire
Date of death05 October 1880
OccupationMerchant
Research fieldAstronomy
ActivityCareer:
Apprentice in a merchant's office, Liverpool; began to construct telescopes (1820); set up as a brewer (1825); built an observatory at Starfield, near Liverpool (1840); discovered Neptune's satellite (1846); built a telescope at Valetta, Malta and used it to make observations; returned to England and set up an observatory near Maidenhead
Memberships:
FRAS
Membership categoryFellow
Date of election07/06/1849
RSActivityMedals and prizes:
Royal Medal 1858
SourceSources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB
Obituaries:
Proc Roy Soc 1880-1881 vol 31 pp vii-x
References:
A A Mills and R Hall, 'The Production of a Plane Surface. As Illustrated by Specula From Some Early Newtonian Telescopes' in NR 1982-83 vol 37 pp 147-166
Virtual International Authority Filehttp://viaf.org/viaf/22923231
CodeNA7987
Archives associated with this Fellow
RefNoTitleDate
IM/002638Lassell, Willliam1992
IM/002639Lassell, Willliamnd
EC/1849/09Lassell, William: certificate of election to the Royal Society
MM/19/110Letter from William Lassell to Thomas Bell, Secretary, Southern Telescope Committee2 July 1853
MM/19/112Letter from Thomas Romney Robinson to Edward Sabine28 July 1853
RR/7/382Referee's report by Warren De La Rue, on a paper 'On polishing the specula of reflecting telescopes' by William Lassell25 January 1875
RR/6/250Referee's report by William Lassell, on a paper 'Description of the Great Melbourne telescope' by Thomas Romney Robinson and Thomas Grubb28 November 1868
MM/12/75Letter from William Lassell, Valletta, to Thomas Bell30 December 1852
IM/Maull/002637Lassell, Willliamnd
MS/257/3/33Letter from William Lassell, Malta to Edward Sabine23 July 1864
RR/7/384Referee's report by Laurence Parsons, Earl of Rosse on a paper 'On polishing the specula of reflecting telescopes' by William Lassell5 February 1875
MC/6/225Letter from Wm [William] Lassell, 9 Piazza Stierna, Malta, to General [Edward] Sabine, President of the Royal Society13 May 1862
MC/6/182Letter from Wm [William] Lassell, 9 Stierna, via Torre, Malta, to Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie, [President of the Royal Society]26 November 1861
MC/6Volume 6 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1859-1863
MC/6/364Letter from Wm [William] Lassell, Malta, to General [Edward] Sabine, President of the Royal Society7 November 1863
MC/7/103Letter from H P Welian [?], honorary secretary to the Board of Visitors, the University Melbourne, to Major-General [Edward] Sabine, President of the Royal Society24 June 1864
MC/7/234Copy letter from W P Wilson, Honorary Secretary of the Board of Visitors, to the Chief Secretary22 June 1864
MC/7Volume 7 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1864-1866
MC/8/175Letter from Wm [William] Lassell, Ray Lodge, Maidenhead, to Professor [George Gabriel] Stokes17 April 1868
MS/257/3/38Letter from William Lassell, Ray Lodge, Maidenhead to Edward Sabine12 December 1871
MS/257/3/39Letter from William Lassell, Ray Lodge, Maidenhead to Edward Sabine5 April 1872
MS/257/3/36Letter from William Lassell, Ray Lodge, Maidenhead to Edward Sabine24 March 1868
MC/8Volume 8 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1867-1869
MS/257/3/35Letter from William Lassell, Ray Lodge, Maidenhead to Edward Sabine30 September 1867
MS/257/3/31Letter from William Lassell, Malta to Edward Sabine3 December 1863
MS/257/3/37Letter from William Lassell, Ray Lodge, Swanford, Wellingborough to Edward Sabine5 August 1871
MS/257/3/34Letter from William Lassell, Malta to Edward Sabine23 March 1865
RR/7/383Letter from the Laurence Parsons, Earl of Rosse on a paper 'On polishing the specula of reflecting telescopes' by William Lassell15 February 1875
MS/426/843Copy letter from Edward Sabine; to William Lassell21 November 1863
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