| Authorised form of name | Barrett; Sir; William Fletcher (1844 - 1925); physicist and psychical researcher |
| Dates | 1844 - 1925 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Kingston, Jamaica, Caribbean Sea, West Indies |
| Date of birth | 10 February 1844 |
| Place of death | His home, 31 Devonshire Place, London, England |
| Date of death | 26/05/1925 |
| Dates and places | Burial: Long Cross near Chertsey, Surrey, England (30 Mary 1925). |
| Occupation | physicist and psychical researcher |
| Research field | Physics |
| Psychical research |
| Activity | Education:
Old Trafford Grammar School (1855); Royal College of Chemistry;
Career:
Returned to England with his family (1848); moved to Manchester (1855); Assistant to John Tyndall, Royal Institution (1863-1866); taught at International College and the Royal School of Naval Architecture; Professor of Experimental Physics in the Royal College of Science for Ireland (1873-1910); chief founder of Society for Psychical Research (1882), later became President; died suddenly of heart failure (1925).
Memberships:
FRSE; MRIA; MIEE; Fell Phys Soc
Honours:
Kt (1912) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 01/06/1899 |
| Age at election | 55 |
| Proposer | Joseph Wilson Swan |
| John Hall Gladstone |
| George Johnstone Stoney |
| John Perry |
| Oliver Joseph Lodge |
| Edward Robert Festing |
| Daniel John Cunningham |
| John Joly |
| George Francis Fitzgerald |
| Edward Hull |
| Arnold William Reinold |
| Walter Noel Hartley |
| William de Wiveleslie Abney |
| Relationships | Parents: Revd William Garland Barrett (1812–1865), Congregational Minister and missionary for the London Missionary Society, and Martha Barrett, née Fletcher (1811?–1893).
Siblings: Rosa Mary Barrett (1855–1936), social reformer and feminist.
Spouse:
Married (1916) Dr Florence Elizabeth Willey (1867–1945) CBE, MD, distinguished gynaecologist. |
| Published works | RCN 11376
RCN 13561 |
| General context | Discovered Stalloy, a silicon-iron alloy employed in electrical engineering.
Discovered the shortening of nickel through magnetisation.
His father was member of the London Missionary Society and ran a station for saving African slaves.
Pursued investigation of paranormal phenomena, including mediumship, poltergeists, and telepathy.
Held a special interest in dowsing and published articles on the subject in the Proceedings of the Society of Psychical Research, of which he was a founding member. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Sources | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; Dr R Charles Mollan; DNB
References:
Sir Brian Pippard, FRS, 'Schoolmaster-Fellows and the campaign for science education' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp 63-81, plate |
| Royal Society code | NA3523 |
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| MS/377/1/166 | Draft paper on entoptic vision by William Fletcher Barrett | no date |
| MS/377/1/158 | Sketch of optical apparatus by William Fletcher Barrett | no date |
| MS/377/1/160 | Notes on the eye by William Fletcher Barrett | no date |
| MM/14/164 | Letter from Assistant Secretary, Royal Society, to Alfred W Ewing | 6 November 1953 |
| MS/377/1/162 | Notes on the eye by William Fletcher Barrett | 24 January 1906 |
| MS/377/1/161 | Notes on the eye by William Fletcher Barrett | no date |
| MS/377/1/159 | Notes on books by William Fletcher Barrett | no date |
| MS/377/1/153 | Draft article by William Fletcher Barrett, 'Remiscences of Sir Robert Ball' | [1913] |
| MS/377/1/163 | Notes on experiments on the legibility of light by William Fletcher Barrett | 2 September-23 September 1909 |
| MS/377/1/152 | Draft letter from William Fletcher Barrett to the Editor of the Physical Review | [1922] |
| MS/377/1/164 | Experimental curve for light extinction experiments by William Fletcher Barrett | 6 September 1909 |
| MS/377/1/165 | Experimental curve for light extinction experiments by William Fletcher Barrett | 10 September 1909 |
| MS/743/1/79 | Letter from William Fletcher Barrett, Isleworth, to [John Hall] Gladstone | 18 June 1872 |
| MS/743/1/151 | Letter from William Fletcher Barrett, 6 De Vesci Terrace, Kingstown, Co Dublin, to [John Hall] Gladstone | 28 September 1893 |
| NLB/40/475 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison to The Manager, Royal Bank of Ireland, Kingstown | 11 June 1909 |
| NLB/18/690 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor W F Barrett | 24 April 1899 |
| NLB/23/1/640 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor William Fletcher Barrett, Fellow of the Royal Society | 19 December 1901 |
| NLB/23/1/653 | Copy letter from Joseph Larmor, to Professor William Fletcher Barrett, Fellow of the Royal Society | 20 December 1901 |
| NLB/23/1/626 | Copy letter from Joseph Larmor, to Professor William Fletcher Barnett, Fellow of the Royal Society | 16 December 1901 |
| NLB/27/851 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor William Fletcher Barrett, Fellow of the Royal Society | 11 December 1903 |
| NLB/30/202 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor William Fletcher Barrett, Fellow of the Royal Society, 6 De Vesci Terrace, Kingstown | 13 February 1905 |
| NLB/28/503 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor William Fletcher Barrett, Fellow of the Royal Society | 21 March 1904 |
| NLB/31/30 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor William Fletcher Barrett, Fellow of the Royal Society | 9 June 1905 |
| NLB/32/449 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor William Fletcher Barrett, Fellow of the Royal Society, 6 De Vesci Terrace, Kingstown, County Dublin | 8 March 1906 |
| NLB/35/35 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor William Fletcher Barrett, 6 De Vesci Terrace, Kingstown, County Dublin | [8 April 1907] |
| MC/21/23 | Letter from [William Fletcher] Barrett, Royal College of Science, St Stepehen's Green, East, Dublin, to [Robert William Frederick] Harrison | 24 May 1906 |
| NLB/33/600 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor William Fletcher Barrett, Fellow of the Royal Society | 8 October 1906 |
| NLB/36/855 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor William Fletcher Barrett, Fellow of the Royal Society, 6 De Vesci Terrace, Kingstown, Dublin | 3 January 1908 |
| NLB/40/407 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison to Professor W [William] F [Fletcher] Barrett FRS | 3 June 1909 |
| NLB/46/67 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Sir William Fletcher Barrett, Fellow of the Royal Society | 5 June 1912 |
| NLB/46/45 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Sir William Frederick Barrett, Fellow of the Royal Society | 3 June 1912 |
| NLB/46/303 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Sir William Barrett, Fellow of the Royal Society | 9 July 1912 |
| NLB/52/626 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Messrs Harrison & Sons | 31 January 1916 |
| NLB/52/266 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir William Fletcher Barrett, FRS | 27 October 1915 |
| MS/929/1/17 | Letter from William Fletcher Barrett, FRS, to James Mackenzie Davidson | 1910 |
| MS/929/1/18 | Letter from William Fletcher Barrett, FRS, to James Mackenzie Davidson | 5 February 1909 |
| MS/929/1/16 | Letter from William Fletcher Barrett, FRS, to James Mackenzie Davidson | 6 December [1909] |
| MS/929/1/15 | Letter from William Fletcher Barrett, FRS, to James Mackenzie Davidson | 10 February 1909 |
| NLB/68/138 | Copy letter from Francis Alexander Towle, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir William Barrett, FRS | 19 May 1925 |
| NLB/68/276 | Copy letter from Charles Scott Sherrington, President of the Royal Society; to Lady Barrett | 11 June 1925 |
| NLB/47/39 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison to Sir William Barrett FRS | 19 November 1912 |
| NLB/27/810 | Copy letter from Joseph Larmor, to Professor William Fletcher Barrett, Fellow of the Royal Society | 3 December 1903 |
| EC/1899/02 | Barrett, William Fletcher: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |
| IM/000267 | Barrett, William Fletcher | 1922 |
| MS/377 | Collected papers of William Fletcher Barrett | 1863-1924 |
| NLB/52 | New Letter Book volume 52, copy letters sent from Royal Society administration | 9 July 1915-8 March 1916 |
| MC/19/43 | Letter from [William Fletcher Barrett], Royal College of Science, St Stepehen's Green, East, Dublin, to the Royal Society | 26 February 1904 |
| MC/21 | Volume 21 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | 1906 |
| MC/21/24 | Letter from [William Fletcher] Barrett, 6 De Vesci Terrace, Kingstown, County Dublin, to the Royal Society | 13 June [1906] |
| NLB/32/787 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Professor William Fletcher Barrett, Fellow of the Royal Society, 6 De Vesci Terrace, Kingstown, County Dublin | 25 May 1906 |
| MC/19 | Volume 19 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | 1904 |
| MC/30/11 | Letter from [William Fletcher] Barrett, 6 De Vesci Terrace, Kingston, Co Dublin, to the [Royal Society] | 8 October 1915 |
| NLB/52/206 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir William Fletcher Barrett, FRS | 14 October 1915 |
| MC/32/18 | Letter from [William Fletcher] Barrett, 31 Devonshire Place, W, to the [Royal Society] | 9 January 1917 |
| NLB/54/3 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to Sir William [Fletcher] Barrett, FRS | 11 January 1917 |