Person Beaufort; Sir; Francis (1774 - 1857); British naval officer and hydrographer Beaufort Francis Sir British naval officer and hydrographer 1774 - 1857 Irish Male Flower Hill, Navan, County Meath, Ireland, Europe 27 May 1774 17740527 Hove, Sussex, England, United Kingdom, Europe 17 December 1857 18571217 Burial: Church of St John-at-Hackney, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Harley Street, London; 51 Manchester Street, Westminster, London

Hydrographer; Naval Officer Education: Bates's Military and Marine Academy, Dublin (1784) Career: Entered the Navy (1787); studied astronomy and meteorology for five months under Dr Henry Ussher, professor of astronomy at Trinity College Dublin (1788); Commander (1800); worked on establishing a semaphore system capable of transmitting messages from Dublin to Galway in eight minutes with his brother-in-law Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1803); carried out multiple surveys (Rio de la Plata; coast of Karamania); published 'Karamania, or, A brief description of the south coast of Asia minor, and of the remains of antiquity' (1817); Hydrographer to the Admiralty (1829-1855); awarded DCL Oxford (1839); retired as Rear Admiral (1855); served on the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for the 1832 Reform Act; member of a commission on employment of pilots (1835), and on UK harbours, shores, and rivers (1845) Honours: KCB 1848 Memberships: Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (1829); Member of the Royal Irish Academy (1832); Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (founding member); Member of the American Philosophical Society 1840 Parents: Rev Daniel Augustus Beaufort and Mary Waller of Allenstown Siblings: Frances (later fourth wife of Richard Lovell Edgeworth) Married: 1) Alicia Magdalena Wilson; 2) Honora Edgeworth Children: Francis Lestock (later Attorney General of Bengal) From an early stage in his life, Beaufort was keen to travel and one of his first journeys was on the East Indiaman Vansittart. He worked on a variety of ships, saw much active service, and was wounded during the capture of the Spanish ship San Josef. As a commander on the Woolwich (1805), he assisted in the evacuation of British troops from Buenos Aires in 1807. He was initially rejected for the post of Hydrographer of the Navy in 1823, but was appointed to this role six years later. He is most remembered for his Beaufort wind force scale, and some geographical points named after him, e.g. the Beaufort Sea. Royal Society roles: Sworn into Council 1 December 1832 Committee and panels: Telescope Committee (1831); Meteorological Committee (1831) ; Medal Committee (1830) ; Report of the Hydrometer Committee (1832) Fellow 30/06/1814 40 Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Irish Innovators; ODNB Obituaries: Proc Roy Soc 1857-1859 vol 9 pp 524-527 References: Carr Agnew, D. 2004. 'Robert Fitzroy and the myth of 'Marsden Square': Transatlantic rivalries in early marine meteorology', in Notes and Records, vol. 58, pp. 21-46 Home, R W. 2002. 'The Royal Society and the Empire: the colonial and Commonwealth Fellowship. Part 1. 1731-1847', in Notes and Records, vol. 56, pp. 307-332 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 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspl.1857.0101 RCN: 26972 RCN: 26973 RCN: 27669 RCN: 26974 1774 - 17 Dec 1857 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 19/10/2021 as part of Name Authority Project update. NA5914 21/11/2001 Andyg pmab 04/02/2026 RS_NET\VidaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/42580519 78246261-3679-4ccf-8b25-9169f2e71002