Person Robins; Benjamin (1707 - 1751); engineer Robins Benjamin engineer 1707 - 1751 British Male Bath, Somerset, England 1707 Fort St David, Cuddalore, Madras, India 29 July 1751

Teacher; Engineer; Author Mathematics Military engineering Career: Came to London at the suggestion of Henry Pemberton (FRS 1720) and taught mathematics to private pupils; soon abandoned his Quaker faith; travelled in Flanders to study the fortifications there; engaged in civil and military engineering; invented the ballistic pendulum, a device for measuring the velocity of a projectile; invited by the Prince of Orange to fortify Bergen-op-Zoom, but it fell to the French before he had started work; Engineer-General to the HEIC (1749-death) Son of John Robins, a Quaker; unmarried Medals and prizes: Copley Medal 1745 Fellow 09/11/1727 Sylvanus Bevan Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB References: Geoffrey Cantor, 'Quakers in the Royal Society, 1660-1750' in NR 1997 vol 51 pp 175-193. W Johnson, 'Benjamin Robins During 1739-1742: "Called to a Publick Employment … A Very Honorable Post"' in NR 1994 vol 48 pp 31-42 W Johnson, 'Benjamin Robins, FRS (1707-1751): New Details of His Life' in NR 1992 vol 46 pp 235-252 J A D Ackroyd, 'Sir George Cayley, the father of aeronautics, Part 1. The invention of the aeroplane' NR 2002 vol 56 pp 167-181 J A D Ackroyd, 'Sir George Cayley, the father of aeronautics. Part 2. Cayley's aeroplanes' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp 333-348 Gentleman's Magazine' 1752, p92 (obituary) London Magazine 1752, p92 (a description of his experiments with rockets by John Ellicott FRS is on p22) A McConnell, 'All guns blazing: Collected works on Benjamin Robins and Charles Hutton, by W Johnson' in NR 2004 vol 58 pp 102-103 William Johnson FRS 'Collected works on Benjamin Robins and Charles Hutton' 2001 Phoenix Publishing House pvt Ltd New Delhi) International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 1707 - 29 Jul 1751 NA2673 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 06/02/2025 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/73887860 e925e1ca-1d8c-4082-92fb-1699f8d742ab