| Authorised form of name | Macdonald; John (1759 - 1831) |
| Dates | 1759 - 1831 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Flodigarry, Isle of Skye, Inverness-shire, Scotland |
| Date of birth | 30 October 1759 |
| Place of death | His residence, Southernhay Place, Exeter, Devon |
| Date of death | 16 August 1831 |
| Dates and places | Burial:
Exeter Cathedral, Devon |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Activity | Education:
Portree grammar school; High School, Edinburgh
Career:
Indian cadetship to the Bombay Infantry, East India Company (1780); Ensign, Bengal Engineers (1783) and was sent to Bencoolen (now Benkulu), Sumatra, where he worked as a military and civil engineer (until 1796); made maps, charts and magnetic observations; made a major in Lord MacDonald's Regiment of the Isles (1799); retired on half pay from the service of the East India Company (1800); appointed Commandant of the Royal Edinburgh Volunteers (1800); lieutenant-colonel of the Royal Clan Alpine Fencible Infantry, served with the infantry in Ireland until it was disbanded (1800-1801); field officer of the Cinque Ports Volunteers (1803-1806)
|
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 15/05/1800 |
| Relationships | Son of Allan Macdonald of Kingsburgh and his wife Flora Macdonald (the Jacobite); married 1. Mrs Boyle, 2. Frances Chambers daughter of Sir Robert Chambers, Chief Justice of Bengal |
| Sources | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB
Obituaries:
Proc Roy Soc 1830-1831 No 7 p 83
References:
Audrey Deacon, 'A Scotsman in Exeter' in the Devon Historian, April 2003 (gives alternative place of death: Summerlands, Exeter) |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/39249273 |
| Royal Society code | NA3036 |
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| EC/1800/02 | Macdonald, John: certificate of election to the Royal Society: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |
| AP/16/25/2 | Unpublished letter, regarding the north magnetic pole from John Macdonald to Davies Gilbert | 5 February 1831 |
| L&P/10/146 | Letter, 'Observations of the diurnal variation of the magnetic needle at Fort Marlborough, Sumatra' from John MacDonald to John Crisp | 1796 |
| MC/1/169 | Letter from John Macdonald, to Davies Gilbert, President of the Royal Society | 31 May 1829 |
| NLB/18/142 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Rev R B Raffles, 86 St Stephen's Avenue, Shepherd's Bush, W. | 23 January 1899 |
| MC/1/230 | Letter from John Macdonald, Summerlands, Exeter, to Davies Gilbert, President of the Royal Society | 31 May 1830 |
| MC/1/229 | Letter from John Macdonald, Summerlands, Exeter, to Davies Gilbert, President of the Royal Society | 29 May 1830 |
| MC/1 | Volume 1 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | 1800-1831 |
| AP/5/25 | Unpublished letters and paper, regarding the ramming of fuses for bombs by John Macdonald | 1786-1787 |
| AP/5/25/1 | Unpublished letter, regarding Macdonald's paper on bombs from Will [William] Roy to [Joseph] Planta | 20 December 1786 |
| AP/5/25/3 | Unpublished diagram, 'Elevation and section of the fuze-driver' by John Macdonald | [1786] |
| AP/5/25/2 | Unpublished manuscript, regarding the ramming of fuses for bombs by John Macdonald | [1786] |
| AP/5/25/4 | Unpublished letter, regarding the ramming of fuses for bombs from John Macdonald to Thomas Palmer | 6 January 1787 |
| AP/12/15/1 | Unpublished letter, regarding the magnetic pole from John Macdonald to Sir Humphry Davy | 28 September 1825 |
| AP/12/15/5 | Unpublished letter, regarding magnetic variation in Cape Horn from John Macdonald to Sir Humphry Davy | 18 January 1827 |
| AP/11/12 | Unpublished paper, 'Observations on magnetism' by John Macdonald | November 1822 |
| AP/13/14 | Unpublished paper, regarding the action of iron on the magnetic needle by John Macdonald | 12 January 1829 |
| AP/12/15 | Unpublished letters, on magnetic variation and poles from John Macdonald to Sir Humphry Davy | September 1825 - January 1827 |
| AP/12/15/4 | Unpublished letter, regarding magnetic variation and structure of the earth from John Macdonald to Sir Humphry Davy | 30 November 1826 |
| AP/12/15/3 | Unpublished letter, regarding magnetic variation from John Macdonald to Sir Humphry Davy | 29 September 1825 |
| AP/12/15/2 | Unpublished letter, regarding the northwest magnetic pole from John Macdonald to Sir Humphry Davy | 19 October 1825 |
| AP/16/26 | Unpublished paper, 'On terrestrial magnetism' by John Macdonald | 30 June 1831 |
| AP/12/15/6 | Unpublished letter, regarding southeast line of no variation from John Macdonald to Sir Humphry Davy | 12 June 1826 |
| AP/13/13/2 | Unpublished manuscript, 'On the importance of an expedition to determine the exact position if the NW [northwest] magnetic pole' by Colonel [John] Macdonald | 10 March 1828 |
| AP/13/14/4 | Unpublished diagrams, polar orbit by John Macdonald | 12 January 1829 |
| AP/13/13/4 | Unpublished diagram, variation of compass by John Macdonald | 10 March 1828 |
| AP/13/14/2 | Unpublished diagram, compass in relation to magnetic meridian by John Macdonald | 12 January 1829 |
| AP/13/14/1 | Unpublished manuscript, regarding the action of iron on the magnetic needle by John Macdonald | 12 January 1829 |
| AP/13/14/5 | Unpublished diagram, equatorial projection around north pole by John Macdonald | 12 January 1829 |
| AP/13/14/3 | Unpublished diagram, ship direction and variation of compass by John Macdonald | 12 January 1829 |
| AP/13/13/1 | Unpublished letter, regarding the position of the northwest magnetic pole from John Macdonald to Sir Humphry Davy | 11 March 1828 |
| AP/13/13/3 | Unpublished diagram, possible locations of magnetic poles by John Macdonald | 10 March 1828 |
| AP/16/25 | Unpublished letters, regarding the north magnetic pole from John Macdonald to Davies Gilbert | 19 January 1831-5 February 1831 |
| AP/13/13 | Unpublished paper and letter, 'On the importance of an expedition to determine the exact position of the NW [northwest] magnetic pole' by Colonel [John] Macdonald | March 1828 |
| AP/16/25/3 | Unpublished diagram, 'Figure showing an experimental mode of finding the depth of the magnetic pole' by John Macdonald | 5 February 1831 |
| AP/16/25/1 | Unpublished letter, regarding the north magnetic pole from John Macdonald to Davies Gilbert | 19 January 1831 |