Wanstead should be proud of its connection with former Astronomer Royal James Bradley (1692–1762), says Dr John Fisher in the third of a series of articles celebrating a man of intellectual persistence
The period from the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1689 until about 1730 witnessed fundamental reforms of English society. It saw the rise of what were then referred to as ‘the middling sort’. New institutions such as the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and limited liability companies accompanied the rise of new groups in society.
Men such as James Bradley, the third son of an insignificant steward, were able to rise to positions of trust and importance. In his case, due to his extraordinary observational and mathematical skills and intellectual persistence. Bradley was able to capitalise on the rise of London as the centre of new scientific and technical skills. Skilled artisans acquired a new status in society. The registration of legally binding patents protected innovations and inventions. George Graham, the inheritor of Thomas Tompion’s business, which made scientific instruments of unprecedented accuracy, supported others such as John Harrison as he worked on his chronometers. Bradley and Graham formed a close friendship, working together for decades as astronomers, sharing their horological interests and both serving on the Council of the Royal Society. Graham constructed the observational instruments commissioned by Bradley leading to his major discoveries, the aberration of starlight and the nutation of the Earth’s axis (observations made in Wanstead).
Even in a more equitable society, patronage was a key factor for success. Bradley benefited from the contacts his uncle, James Pound, made. Pound’s achievements as chaplain and negotiator for the East India Company in China and the Indies, as well as his skills as an astronomer, attracted important patrons. They included Thomas Parker, one-time Regent of Great Britain and future Lord Chancellor of England. The Parker family, as the Earls of Macclesfield, became lifetime patrons and supporters of Bradley, who designed and made use of the 2nd Earl’s famous Shirburn Castle Observatory in Oxfordshire. Bradley moved amongst the highest in the land. He and his wife Susannah were befriended by socialite Lady Catherine Manners, the wife of Sir Henry Pelham, the Prime Minister.
In addition, Bradley was in close contact with eminent scientists such as Newton and Halley, and with leading foreign astronomers such as Lacaille in France, who described Bradley as “the first among us”. Despite criticism in a rather reactionary Oxford at this time, Bradley’s lectures were immensely popular. Interestingly, one course attendee was George Austen, future father of novelist Jane.
In spite of England and France being at war with each other, in 1761, a year before his death, Bradley was given the highest honour possible by the Académie Royale des Sciences in Paris. Wanstead has much to be proud of in its connection with James Bradley.
For more information on Dr Fisher’s book, The Life and Work of James Bradley, visit wnstd.com/fisher
