Homepage

Record

Authorised form of namePersall; Sir; William (1601 -)
Other forms of surnamePeshall
Pearsall
Dates1601 -
NationalityBritish
Place of birthShrewsbury, Shropshire, England, Europe
Date of birth7 October 1601
DatesAndPlacesBaptism:
Horsley or Eccleshall, Staffordshire, England, Europe (20 October 1601)
ActivityEducation:
Gray's Inn (admitted 1622)
Career:
Known to John Collins (FRS 1667) and dedicatee of a book by Sir Jonas Moore (FRS 1674)
Honours:
Kt 1628
Membership categoryOriginal Fellow
Date of election20/05/1663
RSActivityCommittee and panels:
Mechanical Committee (1664)
Other Royal Society activityProposed on 19 December 1660; Developed experiments with vitriol (1661); Reported magnetical observations to the Society (1662); Experimented with loadstone [lodestone] (1662)
RelationshipsParents: Sir John Persall [Peshall] and Anne Sheldon
Married: 1) Mary Thimmelby; 2) Frances Aston
OtherInfoNot much is known about William Persall with regards to his personal and professional life and in a majority of sources, only information as to peerage is noted. His contributions to the Society's ordinary meetings showcase an interest in natural philosophy and the increasing development of magnetic observations.
SourceSources:
Bulloch's Roll; Shaw; Taylor; Burke EDB; Dugdale (see References)
References:
De Beer, E S. 1950. 'The Earliest Fellows of the Royal Society', in Notes and Records, vol. 7(2), pp. 172-192
Dugdale, W. 1912. 'Staffordshire pedigrees' (Harleain Society)
Notes:
The election date is Persall's re-election date into the Society after the grant of the second charter in April 1663. All Fellows admitted in a two-month window after this charter, until 22 June 1663, are considered Original Fellows. He was previously mentioned as a member on 4 March 1661.
Proposed, according to Hunter, 26 Dec 1660 and last in 1670 list. In index to BR, [? 1626] has been added next to the date for his knighthood given above.
CodeNA4543
Archives associated with this Fellow
RefNoTitleDate
CLP/9ii/4Paper, Of magnets and magnetic rocks in Anglesey by William Persall1660s
Add to My Items
    Papers of Elsie Widdowson and Robert McCance

    Papers of Elsie Widdowson and Robert McCance

    Useful Links

    Collection highlights

    Browse the records of some of our collections, which cover all branches of science and date from the 12th century onwards. These include the published works of Fellows of the Royal Society, personal papers of eminent scientists, letters and manuscripts sent to the Society or presented at meetings, and administrative records documenting the Society's activities since our foundation in 1660.

    The mammals of Australia
    The mammals of Australia
    Classified Papers
    Classified Papers
    Papers of Elsie Widdowson and Robert McCance
    Papers of Elsie Widdowson and Robert McCance
    New Letter Books
    New Letter Books
    Browse Collections

    The Royal Society

    The Royal Society is a Fellowship of many of
    the world's most eminent scientists and is the
    oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.
    Registered charity number 207043

    Website design ©CalmView



    CONTACT US

    + 44 207 451 2500
    (Lines open Mon-Fri, 9:00-17:00. Excludes bank holidays)

    6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG

    Email Us →

    SUBSCRIBE

    Subscribe to our newsletters to be updated with the
    latest news on innovation, events, articles and reports.

    Subscribe →

    © CalmView