Person Desaguliers; John Theophilus (1683 - 1744); natural philosopher Desaguliers John Theophilus natural philosopher 1683 - 1744 French Male La Rochelle, France 10 or 13 March 1683 His lodgings at the Bedford Coffee House, Covent Garden 29 February 1744 Burial: The Savoy Chapel, Strand, Westminster

Channel Row, Westminster (1713-1739); a lodging above the Bedford Coffee House, The Piazza, Covent Garden (1739-1744)

Clergyman, Church of England; Natural Philosopher and Engineer Experimental natural philosophy Education: Christ Church, Oxford); Hart Hall, Oxford. BA (1709), MA (1712), DCL (1719). Incorporated LLD at Cambridge (1726) Career: Brought to England by his parents after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, he was rumoured to have been smuggled on board ship in a barrel (1685); Assistant in his father's school at Islington, Middlesex; ordained deacon (1710); Lecturer on Experimental Philosophy at Hart Hall (1710); Demonstrator and Curator to the Royal Society (1714); Chaplain to James Brydges, Duke of Chandos (FRS 1694) (1714); Rector of Little Stanmore, Middlesex (1715-1744); Rector of Bridgham, Norfolk (1717-1726); Chaplain to Frederick, Prince of Wales (c1717); Rector of Little Warley, Essex (1727-1744); lectured and performed experiments before a wide audience at his London house and later in Holland (1730), where he drew the interest of Herman Boerhaave (FRS 1730) Memberships: Freemason, Member, Lodge no 3 at Horn Tavern Westminster, London, subsequently Royal Somerset House and Inverness Lodge No 4; Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge, nicknamed the 'Moderns' 1719; Son of John Desaguliers, protestant pastor, of Aitre, France, and later Minister of the French Chapel, Swallow Street, London; married Joanna Pudsey Medals and prizes: Copley Medal 1734, 1736 and 1741 Fellow 29/07/1714 Sir Hans Sloane Sir Isaac Newton Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB; Venn; Foster References: Henry Guerlac, 'Newton's Optical Aether: his Draft of a Proposed Addition to his Opticks' in NR 1967 vol 22 pp 45-57 J A Lohne, 'Experimentum Crucis' in NR 1968 vol 23 pp 169-199 Stephen F Mason, 'The Spring-Tide of Experimental Philosophy', review of Marie Boas Hall, Promoting Experimental Learning: Experiment and the Royal Society, 1660-1727 in NR 1992 vol 46 pp 313-316 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 John H Appleby, 'Human Curiosities and the Royal Society, 1699-1751' in NR 1996 vol 50 pp 13-27 Marta Cavazza, 'The Institute of Science of Bologna and the Royal Society in the eighteenth century' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp 3-25, plate 'Gentleman's Magazine' 1744, p168 P Fontes da Costa, 'The Culture of Curiosity at The Royal Society in the first half of the eighteenth century', NR 2002 vo l56 pp 147-166 J P Zinsser, 'The ultimate commentary: a consideration of I Bernhard Cohen's Guide to Newton's Principia' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 231-238 The Library and Museum of Freemasonry 'Freemasons and the Royal Society; Alphabetical List of Fellows of the Royal Society who were Freemasons' 2010, page 26 Carpenter, Audrey (2011) 'John Theophilus Desaguliers: a natural philosopher, engineer and freemason in Newtonian England' (Continuum) Notes: DSB provides birth and death dates, 12 March 1683 and 10 March 1744 respectively. Venn gives death date as 29 February 1744 ©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 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/image-rs-18949 12 or 13 Mar 1683 - 29 Feb or 10 Mar 1744 NA8419 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 02/06/2025 RS_NET\rupert Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/37090620 32cdb31b-8099-484e-98e5-cb6aa0748741