| Authorised form of name | Troughton; Edward (1753 - 1835) |
| Dates | 1753 - 1835 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | In the parish of Corney, Cumberland, England |
| Date of birth | October 1753 |
| Place of death | London |
| Date of death | 12 June 1835 |
| Dates and places | Burial:
Kensal Green cemetery, London |
| Occupation | Scientific instrument maker |
| Research field | Mathematics |
| Optics |
| Physics |
| Activity | Career:
Apprenticed to his elder brother, John, a mechanician in London, and later was his partner; after John's death, Edward took into partnership William Simms (FRS 1852); invented a new method of graduating arcs of circles (1778); was colour blind
First English maker of mathematics instruments to apply spider silk in surveying and astronomical instruments, though other English makers followed his lead. Troughton made a micrometer for Sir John Frederick William Herschel's seven foot equatorial instrument he used for the observations made between 1821 and 1823 of the apparent distances and positions of 380 double and triple stars. In 1824 on their five foot focus equatorial telescope John Herschel and Sir Edwin South used a Troughton micrometer and measured position angles to the remarkable degree of accuracy of 1' of arc.
|
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 15/03/1810 |
| Royal Society activity | Medals and prizes:
Copley Medal 1809 |
| Sources | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB
Obituaries:
Proc Roy Soc 1834-1835 No 22 p 355
References:
Brian J Ford, 'Shining Through the Centuries: John Ray's Life and Legacy. A Report of the Meeting "John Ray and his Successors"' in NR 2000 vol 54 pp 5-22
Allan Chapman, 'Pre-Eminently Precise', review of Anita McConnell, Instrument Makers to the World. A History of Cooke, Troughton, and Simms and Eleanor Mennim, Transit Circle. The Story of William Simms, 1793-1860 in NR 1995 vol 49 pp 168-170
Charles H Cotter, 'The Mariner's Sextant and the Royal Society' in NR 1978-9 vol 33 pp 23-36
A W Skempton and Joyce Brown, 'John and Edward Troughton, Mathematical Instrument Makers' in NR 1972-3 vol 27 pp 233-262, plate
M Croarken, 'Astronomical labourers: Maskelyne's assistants at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, 1765 - 1811' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 285 - 298 |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/311501062 |
| Royal Society code | NA7854 |
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| L&P/13/16 | Paper, 'Remarks upon circles' by Edward Troughton | c.1810 |
| MC/1/210 | Letter from [William] Simms, Fleet Street, to Davies Gilbert, President of the Royal Society | 17 March 1830 |
| L&P/13/16/1 | Paper, 'Remarks upon circles' by Edward Troughton | c.1810 |
| MOB/065 | Spectroscope by Troughton and Simms | 1867 |
| EC/1809/13 | Troughton, Edward: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |
| PT/3/4/2 | Plate, diagrams showing how to use apparatus with telescope by unknown artist | [1809] |
| PT/3/4/3 | Plate, diagrams showing tools for a microscope and a lantern to be used with a telescope by unknown artist | [1809] |
| MC/1/35 | Letter from Edward Troughton, mathematical instrument maker, London, to Nevil Maskalyne, Astronomer Royal | 23 June 1808 |
| MC/1/78 | Letter from John Pond, Astronomer Royal, to Sir Humphry Davy, President of the Royal Society | 21 November 1821 |
| MC/1/100 | Letter from James South, Hackney [?] Street, to Sir Humphry Davy, President of the Royal Society | 15 January 1824 |
| MC/1/136 | Letter from Edward Troughton, Fleet Street, to the Royal Society | 23 November 1825 |
| MC/1/155 | Letter from [George Biddell] Airy, Trinity College Cambridge, to Francis Baily, 37 Tavistock Place | 22 January 1828 |
| MC/1/283 | Letter from [Heinrich Christian] Schumacher, Altona, to James Hudson, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society | 8 February 1831 |
| PT/3/4/1 | Manuscript, 'An account of a method of dividing astronomical and other instruments, by ocular inspection, in which the usual tools for graduating are not employed, the whole operation being so contrived that, no error can occur but what is chargeable to vision when assisted by the best optical means of viewing and measuring minute quantities' by Edw [Edward] Troughton | [1809] |
| MC/1 | Volume 1 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | 1800-1831 |
| MC/10/227 | Letter from G B [George Biddell] Airy, Royal Observatory Greenwich, London, to Dr Joseph D [Dalton] Hooker, [President of the Royal Society] | 2 March 1875 |
| MC/10 | Volume 10 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | July 1873-1876 |
| PT/3/4 | Paper, 'An account of a method of dividing astronomical and other instruments, by ocular inspection, in which the usual tools for graduating are not employed, the whole operation being so contrived that, no error can occur but what is chargeable to vision when assisted by the best optical means of viewing and measuring minute quantities' by Edw [Edward] Troughton | [1809] |