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Authorised form of nameFolkes; Martin (1690 - 1754); antiquary and natural philosopher
Dates1690 - 1754
NationalityBritish
Place of birthWestminster, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe
Date of birth29 October 1690
Place of deathOrmond Street, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe
Date of death28 June 1754
Dates and placesBurial:
The chancel of Hillington Church, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom, Europe
Research fieldAntiquarianism
ActivityEducation:
Clare College, Cambridge (matriculated 1709); MA (Com. Reg. 1717); Saumur; Oxford DCL (1746); Incorporated at Cambridge (1747)
Career:
Travelled to Italy with his family (1733-1735) and to Paris (1739); died of a paralytic attack; he left £200 and his seal ring to the Royal Society; the sale of his library, prints, drawings, gems, pictures, coins, etc lasted 56 days; memorial in south aisle of the choir of Westminster Abbey
Memberships:
French Academy (1742); Fellow of the Society for Antiquaries (1720, President 1750-1754); Spalding Society; Acadmie Royale des Sciences, Paris (Foreign Fellow, 1742)
Membership categoryFellow
Date of election29/07/1714
Age at election23
ProposerFettisplace Bellers
Sir Hans Sloane
Royal Society activityRoyal Society roles:
VP 1722/3, 1733-1741; Council 1716, 1718-1726, 1729-1730; PRS 1741-1752

At the Council meeting on 30 November 1871, a bust of Martin Folkes was offered to and accepted by the Society from Lord Stanhope.
Other Royal Society activityPresented a variety of papers, mostly on astronomy, to the Society and published in the 'Philosophical Transactions'; Proposed to convert Sir Godfrey Copley's donation for an annual experiment into an honorary prize, the Copley Medal (10 November 1736); Member and later President of the Club of Royal Philosophers [later: Royal Society Club]; Bequeathed £100 to the Royal Society after his death, along with a seal and a portrait of Francis Bacon
RelationshipsParents: Martin Folkes and Dorothy Hovell
Siblings: William Folkes (FRS 1727)
Married: Lucretia Bradshaw
Children: Dorothy Folkes; Lucretia Folkes; Martin Folkes
Published worksRCN: 39471
General contextFolkes was involved in a somewhat heated contest for the presidency of the Royal Society after the death of Sir Isaac Newton (FRS 1672). Sir Hans Sloane (FRS 1685) ultimately won although later appointed Folkes as one of his vice-presidents. During his travels, he developed an interest for antiquities and published works on the topic. He was also a member of the Egyptian Society, which was active in London between 1741 and 1743.
Related imagesDiscover a selection of related images in our picture library
Image

Folkes P0043.jpg

SourcesSources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB; Venn; Thomas; ODNB
References:
Richard Sorrenson, 'Towards a History of the Royal Society in the Eighteenth Century' in NR 1996 vol 50 pp 29-46, plate
T E Allibone, 'Edmond Halley and the Clubs of the Royal Society' in NR 1973-4 vol 28 pp 195-205
T E Allibone, 'The Diaries of John Byrom, MA, FRS, and their Relation to the Pre-history of the Royal Society Club' in NR 1965 vol 20 pp 162-183
R E W Maddison, 'A Note on the Correspondence of Martin Folkes' in NR 1954-55 vol 11 pp 100-109
A N L Munby, 'The Distribution of the First Edition of Newton's Principia' in NR 1953 vol 10 pp 28-39
'Gentleman's Magazine' 1754, p292
Sir John Hill 'Review of the Works of the Royal Society' 1761
Notes:
DSB gives death date as 29 June 1754
Virtual International Authority Filehttp://viaf.org/viaf/25477557
Royal Society codeNA8378
Archives associated with this Fellow
Reference numberTitleDate
EL/R1/61Letter, from William Rastrick to Martin Folkes1722
MM/4/64Letter from Robert Smith, Cambridge, to Martin Folkes22 February 1731/2
L&P/2/26Letter, 'An aurora australis, seen 23 Jan 1748/50' from John Martyn to Martin Folkes24 January 1750
L&P/2/64Letter, 'Of lightning on occasion of the earthquake' from Henry Miles to Martin Folkes22 March 1750
RBO/12/59'Account of a human Humerus Ulna and Radius united by Martin Folkes'1725
M/071Folkes, Martin1740
L&P/1/420Letter, 'Of experiments made in Holland and Bologna phials' from Martin Folkes to the Royal Society1745
L&P/1/320Letter, 'Astronomical observations in Jamaica' from James Short to Martin Folkes25 November 1744
L&P/1/113Letter, 'A continuation of an Abstract of Dr Meighan's treatise of the natures and powers of Bareges's baths and waters; With an enquiry into the cause of the heat of the thermal waters in general' from Edward Milward to Martin Folkes1742
L&P/2/131Letter, 'Of earthquakes on 4 May & 1 Jul 1747' from Henry Baker to Martin Folkes10 May 1750
L&P/1/236Letter, 'Concerning the return of de la Condamine and the explorers of Peru' from Rene-Antoine Ferchault de Reaumur to Martin Folkes17 December 1743
L&P/1/214Letter, 'Of the mathematical principle of reduction' from Jean Welin to Martin Folkes1743
L&P/2/53Letter, 'Of the Essex steeples (Danbury) struck by lightning' from Smart Lethieullier to Martin Folkes27 February 1750
L&P/1/182Letter, 'Of the ancient kingdom of Thomond, now County Clare' from C Lucas to Martin Folkes15 March 1742
L&P/1/106Letter, 'An Abstract of Dr Meighan's treatise of the natures and powers of Bareges's baths and waters; With an enquiry into the cause of the heat of the thermal waters in general' from Edward Milward to Martin Folkes[1742]
L&P/1/44Letter of thanks from Pierre de Vigny to Martin Folkes2 February 1742
L&P/1/451Letter, 'Eels in paste viparous' from James Sherwood to Martin Folkes1746
L&P/1/434Paper, 'Of some encrushed human bones in the villa Ludovisiae at Rome' by Martin Folkes4 December 1745
L&P/2/135Letter, 'Digest of various accounts of the earthquake of 8-9 Feb 1749/50' from William Barlow to Martin Folkes1750
EL/R1/62Letter, from William Rastrick to Martin Folkes20 March 1727
L&P/1/21Letter from Hans Sloane to Martin Folkes07 December 1741
RBO/20/2'Account of two Parhelii observed in London September 17 1736 by Martin Folkes'1736
MM/16/41Letter from Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire, Paris, to Martin Folkes29 March 1743
CLP/4ii/23/2Figure, mock suns by Martin Folkes17 September 1736
MM/15/10Copy of a letter from Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire, Paris, to Martin Folkes29 November 1743
L&P/1/466Letter, 'Of blood movements seen in eels by the naked eye' by W B to Martin Folkes11 March 1746
P/0043Portrait of Folkes, Martin1741
IM/001480Folkes, Martinnd
IM/001482Folkes, Martinnd
L&P/1/327Letter, 'Observations on the purity of Mr Lowndes new salt' from Cromwell Mortimer to Martin Folkes5 December 1744
IM/001483Folkes, Martinnd
L&P/2/41Letter, 'Of the same earthquake' from John Martyn to Martin Folkes14 February 1749
MM/17/77Letter from Rev HJ Carter to Herbert Rix, Assistant Secretary, Royal Society30 July 1895
L&P/2/213Letter, 'The model machine made by Mr Salter to shew his pipes for extracting foul air out of ships' from Richard Mead to Martin Folkes13 June 1751
NLB/11/403Copy letter from Herbert Rix, to Professor Thomas McKenny Hughes, Fellow of the Royal Society21 June 1895
NLB/13/412Copy letter from Theodore E James, to Michael Foster24 August 1896
L&P/1/139Letter, 'On the breeding of tail-less poultry' from John Martyn to Martin Folkes23 November 1742
L&P/1/219Letter, 'An account of the sixth volume of Reaumur's History of Insects' from James Parsons to Martin Folkes1743
NLB/52/856Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, Assistant Secretary of the Royal Society; to S. F. Peckham Esquire;114 Stirling Place, Brooklyn, New York2 March 1916
L&P/1/479Paper, 'Journal of obervations made in Peru; and account by Martin Folkes' by Antonio de Ulloa1746
L&P/1/353Letter, 'Information concerning the Spanish dominions in North and South America, from 14 years residence there' from Thomas Arnot to Martin Folkes10 November 1744
L&P/1/90Letter, 'Of a intestinal worm' from Theophilus Lobb to Martin Folkes15 April 1742
L&P/2/60Letter, 'Of the earthquake of March 8' from James Parsons to Martin Folkes15 March 1750
L&P/1/245Letter, 'Of a concretion from a horse's stomach' from Walter Bowman to Martin Folkes3 January 1743
L&P/2/4/1Letter, 'Of an equatorial telescope' from James Short to Martin Folkes7 December 1749
L&P/2/56aLetter, 'Of a marine animal, stela arbroscens' from Robert Dingley to Martin Folkes8 March 1750
L&P/1/378Letter, 'Electrical experiments' from William Watson to Martin Folkes27 March 1745
L&P/1/227Letter, 'With the gift of a microscope for viewing water animals' from John Cuffe to Martin Folkes17 November 1743
L&P/1/63Letters, 'Of the late comet' from W Ramsay, Thomas Wright and John Bevis to Martin Folkes25 February 1741
L&P/2/43Paper, 'His Dutch book on astronomy, geography, reviewed by Martin Folkes' by Nicholas Struyck1749
L&P/2/54aLetter, 'Of the earthquake in London of March 8 1749/50' from Daniel Peter Layard to Martin Folkes8 March 1750
L&P/2/80Letter, 'Of the same meteor' from Henry Baker to Martin Folkes12 December 1750
L&P/1/215Letter, 'On the solution of certain mathematical problems' from Jean Welin to Martin Folkes1743
L&P/1/191/1Letter, 'On Trembley's polype' from Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond to Martin Folkes24 May 1743
L&P/1/198/1Letter, 'Of the natural history of the rhinoceros' from James Parsons to Martin Folkes1743
L&P/1/411Letter, 'On the specific gravity of diamonds' from John Ellicott to Martin Folkes3 July 1745
L&P/2/12Letter, 'On the diameter of the Moon' from James Short to Martin Folkes21 December 1749
L&P/1/183Letter, 'Gift of a copy of the 6th part of his History of Insects' from Rene-Antoine Ferchault de Reaumur to Martin Folkes26 January 1743
L&P/2/116Letter, 'Recommends Mr Charles Walmesley for election into the R.S.; speaks of earthquake in London; & of copies of his Nat. Hist.; of a burning-mirror of 360 small looking glasses' from George Louis Leclerc, Count of Buffon to Martin Folkes6 April 1750
L&P/2/59Letter, 'Of the earthquake of March 8' from Michael Russell to Martin Folkes15 March 1750
L&P/2/73Letter, 'Of the earthquake shock of March 18' from Peter Newcombe to Martin Folkes29 March 1750
L&P/1/223/1Letter, 'Concerning a zoophyte of Barbadoes' from Griffith Hughes to Martin Folkes3 November 1743
L&P/1/428Letter 'Of foetal bones voided per anum' from James Simon to Martin Folkes17 September 1745
L&P/2/133Letter, 'Of the periodical appearences of locusts' from Peter Collinson to Martin Folkes1750
L&P/1/345/1Letter, 'Description of a new fungus' from John Martyn to Martin Folkes21 January 1745
L&P/2/58Paper, 'Of the earthquake in London of March 9 1747/50' by Martin Folkes8 March 1750
L&P/1/179/1Paper, 'On the freshwater polyp' by Martin Folkes24 March 1742
L&P/1/290/1Letter, 'Of a white owl' from George Edwards to Martin Folkes1744
L&P/2/140Letter, 'Of the earthquake of 2 Apl 1750' from John Seddon to Martin Folkes10 June 1750
L&P/2/143Letter, 'Of a Dutch dwarf' from Henry Baker to Martin Folkes13 June 1750
L&P/1/179Paper, 'On the freshwater polyp' by Martin Folkes24 March 1742
L&P/1/459Letter, 'On the water of bitter almonds' from Henry Baker to Martin Folkes6 March 1746
L&P/1/434/1Paper, 'Of some encrushed human bones in the villa Ludovisiae at Rome' by Martin Folkes4 December 1745
L&P/1/403Letter, 'Of preserving birds; of magnets' from Rene-Antoine Ferchault de Reaumur to Martin Folkes4 May 1745
L&P/2/127Letter, 'On inscriptions found at Tunis' from James Theobald to Martin Folkes10 May 1750
L&P/1/277Plate, 'Of the moon, an engraved plate' from James Ferguson to Martin Folkes1745
L&P/1/351Letter, 'Of a monstrous calf & of seeds of St Igantius's bean' from Stephen Hales to Martin Folkes1744
L&P/2/100Letter, 'Of a Georgian telescope made by Richard Eggleston of York' from Francis Drake to Martin Folkes1750
L&P/2/130Letter, 'On experiments of the globe (improved orrery)' from John Neale to Martin Folkes10 May 1750
L&P/1/396Letter, 'On ipecacuanha' from Phillip Friedrich Gmelin to Martin Folkes1745
L&P/2/28aLetter, 'A memoir as to the solvent properties of an E. Indian plant' from Michael Bermingham to Martin Folkes1 September 1748
L&P/1/430Letter, 'Of certain cases of small-pox' from Pierce Dod to Martin Folkes10 August 1745
L&P/1/381Letter,'Concerning the poles of magnets being variously placed' from Gowin Knight to Martin Folkes3 April 1745
L&P/2/48Letter, 'The aurora borealis of Feb 16' from John Martyn to Martin Folkes21 February 1750
L&P/2/203Letter, 'Meteorological observations made at Solekamskii [Solikamsk], Siberia' from Gregori Demidoff to Martin Folkes16 May 1751
L&P/2/168Letter, 'Of the earthquake on Sept 30' from William Folkes to Martin Folkes1750
L&P/2/117Letter, 'A specimen of Orbis piscis echinatus' from Henry Baker to Martin Folkes26 April 1750
L&P/2/214Letter, 'Account of Capt. Ellis's voyage to Hudson's Bay' from S Hales to Martin Folkes8 June 1751
L&P/2/280Letter, 'Letter to the President of the Royal Society' from Paolo Frisi to Martin Folkes31 December 1751
L&P/2/52Letter, 'On election as FRS' from Jean Charles Folard to Martin Folkes6 March 1750
L&P/2/36Letter, 'Of the earthquake felt in London' from Henry Baker to Martin Folkes8 February 1750
L&P/2/30Letter, 'Lunar eclipse of 23 Dec 1749 and solar eclipse of 18 Jan 1750, observed at Rome' from Christopher Maire to Martin Folkes14 January 1750
L&P/1/112Letter, 'Of Indian Corn fruiting in the city' from Theophilus Lobb to Martin Folkes30 June 1742
L&P/2/58aLetter, 'Of the earthquake of March 8' from John Martyn to Martin Folkes14 March 1750
IM/001481Folkes, Martinnd
L&P/2/55aLetter, 'Of the earthquake in London of March 8 1749/50' from Roger Pickering to Martin Folkes8 March 1750
L&P/1/385Paper, 'A print shown to the RS of a Chinese magnet (30lbs 5 oz in weight). It belongs to the King of Portugal & was armed & set by Wm Duguid FRS much in the same manneras one for the Duke of Devonshire which now belongs to lord Charles Cavendish' by Martin Folkes25 April 1745
MM/4/17Letter from Martin Folkes, President, Royal Society, on the appointment of Vice-Presidents1751
DM/5/100A list of benefactors to the Library, to the value of £5 or upwards at one time c.1737
IM/001478Folkes, Martinnd
L&P/1/38Letter, 'On ventilating the holds of ships' from Stephen Hales to Martin Folkes23 January 1741
L&P/2/65Letter, 'Of the earthquake of March 8' from William Stukeley to Martin Folkes13 March 1750
MM/20/51Newspaper cuttings on the Royal Society1732-1739, 1820
IM/001479Folkes, Martinnd
L&P/2/171Letter, 'Of the same earthquake' from John Nixon to Martin Folkes22 October 1750
L&P/1/391Letter, 'De Radice ipecacuanhae' from Phillip Friedrich Gmelin to Martin Folkes1745
L&P/1/1Letter, 'Du jardin du roy le 18 Juillet 1741' from Georges L L Buffon to Martin Folkes18 July 1741
L&P/1/91Letter, 'On falling dew and further observations on falling crystals' from Leonard Stocke to Martin Folkes26 April 1742
L&P/1/285Letter, 'Concerning the plague' from Theophilus Lobb to Martin Folkes26 April 1744
L&P/1/76Letter, 'Some observations on Mr Sutton's invention to extract the foul air from the well and other parts of ships' from William Watson to Martin Folkes4 December 1741
L&P/1/43Letter, 'Of the north coast of Britain and errors in maps between Dunsby Head and Faro Point' from Colin MacLaurin to Martin Folkes26 January 1741
L&P/1/413Letter, 'Of the heat in animals' from Cromwell Mortimer to Martin Folkes20 June 1745
L&P/2/51Letter, 'An account of discoveries at Portici' from Smart Lethieullier to Martin Folkes21 February 1750
L&P/2/52aLetter, 'Of the earthquake in London of March 8 1749/50' from Henry Baker to Martin Folkes8 March 1750
L&P/1/376Letter, 'Of an extraordinary large elephant's tooth found at Munslet, Norfolk, over 11 lbs in weight' from Henry Baker to Martin Folkes26 March 1745
EL/F2/39Letter, from Martin Folkes to Cromwell Mortimer27 October 1737
L&P/2/55Letter, 'Of Euler's letter of the acceleration of the periodical motion, diurnal & annual, of the earth' from Caspar Wetstein to Martin Folkes17 February 1750
EL/B2/81Letter, from Henry Bradbury to Martin Folkes, dated at Hillington11 March 1720
L&P/1/449Letter, 'Of the light from mercury in glass tubes caused by electricity' from Abraham Trembley to Martin Folkes4 February 1746
L&P/2/11Letter, 'Eclipse of the moon of 12 Dec 1749' from William Elstobb to Martin Folkes15 December 1749
L&P/1/109Letter, 'On some extraordinary effects in lightning' from Robert James Petre to Martin Folkes24 June 1742
L&P/2/6Letter, 'Of a meteor' from Thomas Barker to Martin Folkes15 September 1749
EL/M3/50Letter, from Colin MacLaurin to Martin Folkes, dated at Edinburgh12 May 1737
L&P/1/176Letter and paper, 'An account of his treatise on fluxions part II' by Colin MacLaurin to Martin Folkes5 February 1743
L&P/2/145Letter, 'Of a noise in the air heard in Norwich' from Henry Baker to Martin Folkes14 June 1750
L&P/2/156Letter, 'Accounts of aurora boreales lately seen' from Henry Baker to Martin Folkes18 June 1750
EL/L6/19Letter, from Colin McLaurin to Martin Folkes, dated at Edinburgh19 April 1729
L&P/2/76Letter, 'On the causes of earthquakes' from William Stukeley to Martin Folkes26 March 1750
L&P/2/169Letter, 'Of earthquakes in Suffolk & Leicestershire' from James Burrow to Martin Folkes2 October 1750
RBO/11/107Account of Leeuwenhoek's microscopes and how he made them by Martin Folkes1723
L&P/2/126Letter, 'A tumour in the bladder successfully extripated' from Joseph Warner to Martin Folkes7 May 1750
L&P/2/42Letter, 'Of Essex steeples struck by lightning' from Abraham Trembley to Martin Folkes11 February 1750
L&P/2/141Letter, 'On his travels through Italy' from Robert More to Martin Folkes5 June 1750
L&P/1/2Letter, 'On certain small water animals (hydra)' from Charles Bentinck to Martin Folkes15 September 1741
L&P/1/422/1Letter, 'The ancient Bridewell of Norwich; of an inscribed Roman metal plate found at Menteu, 14 miles from Turin & of a vast bone in Norwich' from Henry Baker to Martin Folkes30 October 1745
L&P/1/244Letter, 'Of Malin, the Ostrocolla; the farina of the red lily; of worms in knutty corn' from John Tuberville Needham to Martin Folkes11 August 1743
CLP/4ii/23Paper, 'An observation of three mock suns seen in London, Friday September 17 1736' by Martin Folkes17 September 1736
MS/250Papers of Martin Folkes1710-1754
L&P/1/441Letter, 'The author shows an Italian grain, from J Bruni - Meliga Rossa' from Henry Baker to Martin Folkes16 January 1746
CLP/4ii/23/1Manuscript, 'An observation of three mock suns seen in London, Friday September 17 1736' by Martin Folkes17 September 1736
L&P/1/402Letter, 'Of a lady whose clothes sparkled' from Henry Miles to Martin Folkes19 May 1745
L&P/1/103Letter, 'Of Indian Corn ripening in Paul's Alley in Aldersgate' from Theophilus Lobb to Martin Folkes 31 May 1742
L&P/1/421Letter, 'Improvements in cyder & perry' from Henry Miles to Martin Folkes1745
EL/L6/18Letter, from Colin McLaurin to Martin Folkes, dated at Edinburgh26 February 1726
L&P/1/30Letter, 'Of an antidote to the Indian poison in the West Indies [Caribbean]' from Edward Milward to Martin Folkes[1742]
L&P/1/232Letter, 'Of the restoration of the meridian line in the church of St Sulpice, Paris' from Pierre Charles Le Monnier to Martin Folkes15 November 1743
L&P/1/432Letter, 'Abstract of an Italian treatise on the ancient city of Industria, published in 1745 (Roman inscriptions &c), written by Giov. Paolo Recolvi & Antonio Rivantella' from David Erskine Baker to Martin Folkes1745
MS/703Index of papers read before the Royal Society between 1660 and 17171660-1716
L&P/1/335Letter, 'On the virtues of musk in convulsive disorders' from Edward Wilmot on behalf of J Wall and A Reid to Martin Folkes27 November 1744
CLP/16/48Paper, 'An examination of the Roman and Greek foot, as well as of several other Italian measures, compared with the English foot' by Martin Folkes1735
CLP/2/17Paper, 'Some account of Mr Lewenhoecks curious microscopes, lately presented to the Royal Society' by Martin Folkes[1724]
MS/704Index of Papers read before the Royal Society between 1684 and 1741.1741-1750
RBO/14/52'Concerning the roots of equations with the demonstration of other rules in algebra in a second Letter from Colin Maclaurin, Professor of Mathematicks in the University of Edinburgh, to Martin Folkes 1729
MC/16Volume 16 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1893-1896
MC/19/561Letter from Miss E Jessica Lewis, 42 St Julian's Road, to the Librarian of the Royal Society, London31 October 1904
MC/19Volume 19 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society1904
MS/790Correspondence of Martin Folkes18th Century-19th Century
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