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Authorised form of namePriestley; Joseph (1733 - 1804)
Dates1733 - 1804
NationalityBritish
Place of birthFieldhead Farmhouse, parish of Birstall, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Date of birth13 March 1733
Place of deathNorthumberland, Pennsylvania, USA
Date of death06 February 1804
DatesAndPlacesBurial:
Quakers' burial-ground, Northumberland, Pennsylvania, USA
OccupationPresbyterian Minister
Research fieldChemistry
Electricity
Natural philosophy
Theology
ActivityEducation:
Batley Grammar School (1745), Daventry Academy (1751)
Career:
Minister, Needham Market, Suffolk; Minister, Nantwich, Cheshire; taught in Warrington; librarian-companion to Lord Shelburne (1774); Minister of the New Meeting, Birmingham (1780-1790)
Membership categoryFellow
Date of election12/06/1766
RSActivityMedals and prizes:
Copley Medal 1772
RelationshipsMarried the sister of one of his pupils; three children: Sarah (1803), Joseph (1768-1833), William
SourceSources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB
References:
W H G Armytage, 'Science and Education: a Note' in NR 1956-57 vol 12 pp 226-229
W A Smeaton, 'Louis Bernard Guyton de Morveau, FRS (1737-1816) and his Relations with British Scientists' in NR 1967 vol 22 pp 113-130
T E Allibone, 'The Club of the Royal College of Physicians, the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers and their Relationship to the Royal Society Club' in NR 1967 vol 22 pp 186-192
Robert E Schofield, 'The Lunar Society of Birmingham; A Bicentenary Appraisal' in NR 1966 vol 21 pp 144-161
R E W Maddison and Francis R.Maddison, 'Joseph Priestley and the Birmingham Riots' in NR 1956-57 vol 12 pp 98-113
John Thomas, 'Josiah Wedgwood's Portrait Medallions of Fellows of the Royal Society' in NR 1963 vol 18 pp 45-53, plate
Douglas McKie, 'Priestley's Laboratory and Library and Other of his Effects' in NR 1956-57 vol 12 pp 114-136
D McKie, 'A Note on Priestley in America' in NR 1953 vol 10 pp 51-59
Anon, 'A Portrait of Joseph Priestley, FRS, by James Millar, 1789' in NR 1939 vol 2 pp 32-33, plate
J S Rowlinson, review of R G W Anderson and C Lawrence (eds), Science, Medicine and Dissent: Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) in NR 1989 vol 43 pp 275-276
Stephen F Mason, 'Jean Hyacinthe de Magellan, FRS, and the Chemical Revolution of the Eighteenth Century' in NR 1991 vol 45 pp 155-164
J Edmund White, 'The Priestley Memorial Volume' in NR 1994 vol 48 pp 85-96
Alan Q Morton, 'Previous Public Perceptions of Science', review of Larry Stewart, The Rise of Public Science: Rhetoric, Technology and Natural Philosophy in Newtonian Britain, 1660-1750 and Jan Golinski, Science as Public Culture: Chemistry and Enlightenment in Britain, 1760-1820 in NR 1994 vol 48 pp 157-159
A V Simcock, '"Reason's Dim Telescope": A Poetic Tirade Against Joseph Priestley, FRS' in NR 1995 vol 49 pp 79-84
Linde Katritzky, 'Coleridge's Links with Leading Men of Science' in NR 1995 vol 49 pp 261-276
Paul Elliott, 'Abraham Bennet, FRS (1749-1799): A Provincial Electrician in Eighteenth-Century England' in NR 1999 vol 53 pp 59-78
J B Morrell, 'Professors Robison and Playfair, and the Theophobia Gallica: Natural Philosophy, Religion and Politics in Edinburgh, 1789-1815' in NR 1971 vol 26 pp 43-63
Maurice Crosland, 'Explicit Qualifications as a Criterion for Membership of the Royal Society: A Historical Review' in NR 1982-83 vol 37 pp 167-187
R V Jones, 'Benjamin Franklin' in NR 1976-7 vol 31 pp 201-225
William P Griffith, 'Priestley in London' in NR 1983-84 vol 38 pp 1-16, plate
L B Glyn, 'Israel Lyons: a short but starry career. The life of an eighteenth-century Jewish botanist and astronomer' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp 275-305
R W Jones, 'Dalton's unfortunate choice' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 15-33
N G Coley, 'George Pearson MD, FRS (1751-1828): 'The greatest chemist in England'? in NR 2003 vol 57 pp
161-175
D King-Hele, 'Makers of the future. The Lunar Men: the friends who made the future, by J Uglow' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 348 - 350
J S Rowlinson, 'Displacing Phlogiston. Robert Siegfried, From elements to atoms: a history of chemical composition' in NR 2004 vol 58 pp 242-243
Virtual International Authority Filehttp://viaf.org/viaf/120696744
CodeNA8274
Archives associated with this Fellow
RefNoTitleDate
MM/5/18Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood16 January 1784
MM/5/12Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood8 January 1783
MM/5/3Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood31 May 1781
MM/5/9Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood16 September 1782
MM/18/143Letter from Arthur Bennett and E James Hall, Warrington Society, to Thomas Edward Thorpe1 February 1904
MM/5/2Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood26 May 1781
IM/003673Priestley, Joseph1996
MM/18/142Letter from Arthur Bennett, Warrington Society, to Thomas Edward Thorpe29 January 1904
IM/003670Priestley, Josephnd
MM/5/33Letter from Joseph Priestley, Clapton, to Thomas Wedgwood5 May 1792
MM/5/27Letter from Joseph Priestley to Josiah WedgwoodOctober 1790
CB/2/164Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Joseph Priestley11 June 1788
IM/003669Priestley, Josephnd
CB/2/117Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Joseph Priestley8 February 1788
IM/003672Priestley, Josephnd
IM/003668Priestley, Josephnd
MM/5/23Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood8 January 1788
MM/5/22Copy of a letter from Josiah Wedgwood to Joseph Priestley25 August 1787
CB/2/409Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Joseph Priestley5 May 1790
MM/5/14Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood23 January 1783
MM/5/10Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood10 October 1782
MM/5/15Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood7 March 1783
MM/5/28Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood16 February 1791
MM/5/26Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood9 October 1788
MM/5/31Letter from Joseph Priestley, London, to Thomas WedgwoodFebruary 1792
MM/5/4Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood26 June 1781
MM/5/13Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood16 January 1783
MM/5/32Letter from Joseph Priestley, Clapton, to Thomas Wedgwood13 March 1792
MM/5/11Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood8 December 1782
MM/5/17Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood24 July 1783
MM/5/5Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood8 August 1781
MM/5/19Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood23 January 1784
MM/5/24Letter from Joseph Priestley to Josiah WedgwoodSeptember 1788
MM/5/30Letter from Joseph Priestley, London, to Josiah Wedgwood7 September 1791
MM/18/144Priestley centenary invitation card, produced by The Warrington Society1904
CB/2/157Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Joseph Priestley2 June 1788
CB/2/305Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Joseph Priestley5 September 1789
MM/18/13Letter from W Cameron Walker to RB Knott4 June 1951
MM/18/5Letter from W Cameron Walker to Emma Frances Knott3 July 1933
MM/18/10Letter from Emma Frances Knott to W Walker Cameron14 June 1934
MM/5/1Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood30 November 1780
MM/18/7Letter from Emma Frances Knott to W Walker Cameron25 November 1933
CB/2/252Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Joseph Priestley8 June 1789
P/0104Portrait of Priestley, Joseph1789
MM/18/14Letter from RB Knott to W Walker Cameron2 January 1952
CB/2/315Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Joseph Priestley1 March 1790
MM/5/25Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood18 August 1788
MM/18/11Letter from W Cameron Walker to RB Knott30 May 1951
MM/20/50Letter from Josiah Wedgwood to Joseph Priestley30 July 1791
MM/18/145Edgar F Smith, Printed lecture circularc.1904
MM/18/6Letter from W Cameron Walker to Emma Frances Knott22 November 1933
MM/5/29Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood26 February 1791
MM/14/27An extract from the will of Robert Cappe1802
CB/1/2/10Letter from Charles Blagden, Paris to Joseph Banks, Soho Square, London27 June 1783
IM/005886Hauksbee, Francis and Priestley, Josephnd
CB/2/193Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Joseph Priestley15 December 1788
CB/2/149Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Joseph Priestley23 May 1788
CB/2/215Copy of a letter from Charles Blagden to Joseph Priestley20 February 1789
MM/5/8Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood21 March 1782
P/0105Portrait of Priestley, Joseph
IM/003667Priestley, Josephnd
IM/003666Priestley, Josephnd
IM/005380Priestley, Joseph1993
IM/003671Priestley, Joseph1860
IM/005385Priestley, Joseph1993
IM/005387Priestley, Joseph1993
MS/654/2Three letters from Joseph Priestleynd
NLB/19/409Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Reverend Alexander Gordon, Memorial Hall, Manchester25 September 1899
MC/8/48Letter from James Yates, Lauderdale House, Highgate, to Wm [William] Allen Miller, Treasurer of the Royal Society24 May 1867
L&P/9/160Paper, 'Observations on respiration' by Joseph Priestley1790
L&P/5/12Paper, 'Account of Dr Priestley's new experiments in electricity drawn up by Benjamin Franklin'1768
L&P/6/120Letters, 'Discoveries on air' from Joesph Priestley24 May 1775
L&P/5/168Paper, 'Observations on charcoal' by Joseph Priestley1769
L&P/5/167Paper, 'Of lateral explosions in an electrical discharge' by Joseph Priestley22 February 1770
L&P/6/153Paper, 'Observations of respiration and on the use of the blood' by Joseph Priestley1775
L&P/5/78Paper, 'Experiments on the latent force of electriccal explosions' by Joseph Priestley1769
L&P/5/13Paper, 'An account of rings of prismatic colours formed by electrical explosions on metal surfaces' by Joseph Priestley1768
L&P/5/284Paper, 'Observations on different types of air' by Joseph Priestley1772
L&P/9/198Paper, 'Further experiments on the decomposition of dephlogisticated and inflammable air' by Joseph Priestley1791
L&P/6/8Letter, 'Effluvia of putrid marshes' from Joseph Priestley to John Pringle1773
L&P/8/138Paper, 'Experiments and observations relating to air and water' by Joseph Priestley1785
L&P/8/31Letter, 'Experiments on phlogiston' from Joseph Priestley to Joseph Banks21 April 1783
L&P/9/13/1Letter, 'Description of a new electrometer' from Abraham Bennet to Joseph Priestley14 September 1786
L&P/9/105Paper, 'Objections to the experiments and observations on the principle of acidity and the composition of water considered' by Joseph Priestley1788
L&P/9/86Paper, 'Additional experiments and observations relating to the principle of acidity, the decomposition of water and phlogiston' by Joseph Priestley1788
L&P/9/77Paper, 'Experiments and observations relating to the principle of acidity, the composition of water and phlogiston' by Joseph Priestley1788
L&P/8/75Paper, 'On Priestley's and his own experiments on and views as to the nature of phlogiston' from James Watt to Jean Andre De Luc26 November 1784
L&P/7/264Letter, 'Of some remarkable electrical phenomena' by Joseph Priestley to Paul Henry Maty14 October 1775
L&P/9/122Paper, 'Description of experiments on the phlogistication of spirit of nitre by heat' by Joseph Priestley1789
MS/426/537Copy letter from W [William] Sharpey, Secretary of the Royal Society; to Edwin Canton28 April 1855
MOB/035Joseph Priestley's spectacles18th century
M/112Copley Medal of the Royal Society to Priestley1773
IM/005383Priestley, Joseph1993
IM/005386Priestley, Joseph1993
IM/005381Priestley, Joseph1993
MM/5/7Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood6 March 1782
MM/5/16Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood23 March 1783
MM/20/46Letter from Joseph Priestley to Josiah Wedgwood22 July 1781
MM/5/20Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood8 November 1784
MM/5/6Letter from Joseph Priestley, Birmingham, to Josiah Wedgwood18 August 1781
MM/20/48Letter from Joseph Priestley to Josiah Wedgwood26 August 1787
MM/5/38Copy of letter from James Watt, Birmingham, to Joseph Priestley26 April 1783
IM/003674Priestley, Josephnd
IM/005384Priestley, Joseph1993
NLB/11/862Copy letter from Herbert Rix, to Philip Joseph Hartog, Owens College, Manchester21 October 1895
L&P/6/226Letter, 'An account of persons who could not distinguish colours' from Joseph Huddart to Joseph Priestley15 January 1777
IM/003675Priestley, Josephc 1904
MM/18/141Letter from Arthur Bennett, Warrington Society, to Thomas Edward Thorpe19 January 1904
MM/20/49Letter from Joseph Priestley to Josiah Wedgwood26 June 1791
MM/20/47Letter from Joseph Priestley to Josiah Wedgwood6 May 1783
IM/003665Priestley, Josephnd
IM/005382Priestley, Joseph1993
MS/654Priestley Papers
EC/1766/12Priestley, Joseph: certificate of election to the Royal Society
P/0103Portrait of Priestley, Josephc 1763
MOB/034Electrical machine by Joseph Priestleyc.1767
AP/4/8Unpublished translation, 'Physical researches on fixed air' by Felice Fontana1775
L&P/7/251Letter, 'Analyses of toadstone and Rowley rag' from Joseph Priestley on behalf of William Withering to Joseph Banks28 March 1782
MC/8/50Letter from James Yates, Lauderdale House, Highgate, to Wm [William] Allen Miller, Treasurer of the Royal Society29 May 1867
MC/8/69Letter from James Yates, Lauderdale House, Highgate, to Walter White, [Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society]13 July 1867
AP/28/25Unpublished paper, 'On phlogiston and the decomposition of water' by W F [William Ford] Stevenson14 January 1846
AP/32/18Unpublished paper, 'Water and its supposed constituents' by William Ford Stevenson19 March 1850
MC/8Volume 8 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1867-1869
L&P/5/304Letter, 'Of a new electrometer by William Henley; and of several experiments made by him' from Joseph Priestley to Benjamin Franklin26 October 1770
L&P/7/93Letter, 'Of the plan to recover people in Russia apprently deprived of life by the burning of charcoal' from Mathew Guthrie to Joseph Priestley12 October 1778
L&P/7/102Letter, 'Airs from different kinds of waters' from Felice Fontana to Joseph Priestley9 February 1779
L&P/9/87Letter, 'Additional experiments and observations relating to the principle of acidity, the decomposition of water and phlogiston' from James Keir to Joseph Priestley 26 March 1788
L&P/9/88Letter, 'Additional experiments and observations relating to the principle of acidity, the decomposition of water and phlogiston' from William Withering to Joseph Priestley22 February 1788
L&P/9/143Paper, 'Experiments on the transmisison of the vapour of acids through an hot earthen tube, and further observations relating to phlogiston' by Joseph Priestley1789
L&P/9/150Letter, 'An account of some luminous arches' from William Hey to Joseph Priestley31 December 1783
MC/17Volume 17 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1897-1899
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