Person Sorby; Henry Clifton (1826 - 1908) Sorby Henry Clifton 1826 - 1908 British Male Woodbourne, Atterckiffe near Sheffield, Yorkshire, England 10 May 1826 Sheffield 09/03/1908 19080309 Burial: Eccleshall churchyard

Broomfield, Sheffield (1857)

Microscopy Education: Sheffield Collegiate School until age 15, then at home with a private tutor Career: Built himself a private laboratory following his father's death in 1847 at his home, Broomfield, Beech Hill Road, Broomhill, and pioneered microscopical petrography (shaving rock sample to 1000th of an inch, shine light through it and look at patterns under high magnification under normal and polarised light) . Interested in minute fluid cavities in mineral crystals, and how these could show ways in wwhich rocks themselves had been formed. This led to studies of meteorites and metoric iron and then to microscopical examination of modern iron and steel; led to field of study in 1863 called Microscopic Metallurgy. Invented a spectrum microscope and new branch of study of Microspectroscopy, detecting minute traces of blood. Bought yacht (1878) equipped as a floating laboratory for various topics but especially for marine biology, and developing his own techniques for mounting specimens onto lantern slides. Examined water samples in Thames Estuary in connection with the Royal Commission on the Drainage of London. Active in development of higher education in Sheffield with Mark Firth, became President of Firth College in 1882 after Firth's death, and worked to establish a University in Sheffield, which was eventually founded in 1905. Sorby left a bequest to the University to endow a professorship in geology, and a fellowship to promote original research. Medals and Awards: Woollaston Medal of the Geological Society (1869); Gold Medal of the Dutch Society of Sciences (1872); honorary Doctor of Laws at Cambridge University; President of Royal Microscopical Society; Mineralogical Society; Geological Society; the geological branch of the British Association; first president of the Yorkshire Naturalists Union (a federation of natural history societies within the county); Memberships: FGS; Elected FRS at age 31 Medals and prizes: Royal Medal 1874 Lectures: Bakerian 1863 for his work 'on the Direct Correlation of mechanical and Chemical Forces' Fellow 11/06/1857 Bequest 1909 of £15,000 for the purpose of establishing a Professorship or Fellowship for original research in connection with the University of Sheffield Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB; many lantern slides at Sheffield City Museum; Obituaries: Proc Roy Soc Series B 1908 vol 80 pp lvi-lxvi signed by A G H C Sorby 'Fifty years of scientific research. An address before the members of the Sheffield Literary and Philosophical Society, at Firth college, on Tuesday February 2nd, 1897 by the President, H C Sorby LL.D, FRCS etc', in Annual Report of the Sheffield Literary and Philosophical Society, 1898 R G J Edyvean, 'Henry Clifton sorby (1826-1908): studies in marine biology - the algal lantern slides.' in 'Archives of Natural History' 1988, Vol 15 pat 1, pp35-44 Web site: http:www.sorby.org.uk/hcsorby.shtml ©The Royal Society 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 Bakerian lecture published in 'Proceedings of the Royal Society', vol 12, 1863 https://pictures.royalsociety.org 10 May 1826 - 9 Mar 1908 NA715 21/11/2001 Andyg Martind 17/03/2026 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/27849444 40f8111d-1f06-447e-ba6e-a024c30077d7