Andrew Noble
Encyclopedia
Sir Andrew Noble, 1st Baronet KCB
FRS (13 September 1831 - 22 October 1915) was a Scottish
physicist
noted for his work on ballistics
and gun
nery.
, he was educated at Edinburgh Academy
and at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He was commissioned in the Royal Artillery
in 1849, promoted captain
in 1855 and became secretary of the Royal Artillery Institution. He was secretary of the British government select committee on the replacement of smooth-bore cannon
with rifled artillery
and carried out research on the subject. In 1859 he became Assistant-Inspector of Artillery and in 1860 a member of the Ordnance Select Committee and of the Committee on Explosives, remaining on the committee until it was dissolved in 1880.
In 1860 he joined Armstrong
's armament
s works in Elswick
, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where Noble continued research into artillery, in particular inventing ways of measuring breech
pressures, and later in 1862 small time intervals to determine the acceleration of projectiles as they travelled down the barrel.
in 1881 and knighted in 1893. He served as High Sheriff of Northumberland
in 1896. He became chairman of Armstrong's company in 1900 and was made a baronet
in 1902. Noble claimed that all the Japanese guns which sank the Russia
n fleet at the crucial battle of Tsushima
in 1905, had been manufactured at Elswick.
In 1871, Andrew Noble bought Jesmond Dene House
, which was originally designed by John Dobson
. He later commissioned Norman Shaw and local architect Frank West Rich to double the size of the house adding a west wing, billiard room, Gothic porch, Great Hall and a fleet of bedrooms. Jesmond Dene House
is now a special school and local amenity area that includes an hotel and restaurant.Additonally, there is a real tennis court which was built for Sir Andrew in 1894. The court is one of only around 50 currently in use worldwide and is situated in the former gardens of the house.
cricketer and poet who was Company Secretary at Armstrongs. Noble's third son John Noble was a businessman and was created a Baronet in his own right in 1923. The latter's youngest son Michael Noble
became a prominent Conservative
politician and was created a life peer
as Baron Glenkinglas in 1974.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
FRS (13 September 1831 - 22 October 1915) was a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
noted for his work on ballistics
Ballistics
Ballistics is the science of mechanics that deals with the flight, behavior, and effects of projectiles, especially bullets, gravity bombs, rockets, or the like; the science or art of designing and accelerating projectiles so as to achieve a desired performance.A ballistic body is a body which is...
and gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
nery.
Early life
Born at GreenockGreenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, he was educated at Edinburgh Academy
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school which was opened in 1824. The original building, in Henderson Row on the northern fringe of the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, is now part of the Senior School...
and at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He was commissioned in the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
in 1849, promoted captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in 1855 and became secretary of the Royal Artillery Institution. He was secretary of the British government select committee on the replacement of smooth-bore cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
with rifled artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and carried out research on the subject. In 1859 he became Assistant-Inspector of Artillery and in 1860 a member of the Ordnance Select Committee and of the Committee on Explosives, remaining on the committee until it was dissolved in 1880.
In 1860 he joined Armstrong
William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong
William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong CB, FRS was an effective Tyneside industrialist who founded the Armstrong Whitworth manufacturing empire.-Early life:...
's armament
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s works in Elswick
Elswick, Tyne and Wear
Elswick is a ward of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in the western part of the city, bordering the river Tyne. One of the earliest references to the coal mining industry of the north east occurs in 1330, when it was recorded that the Prior of Tynemouth let a colliery, called Heygrove, at...
, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where Noble continued research into artillery, in particular inventing ways of measuring breech
Breech-loading weapon
A breech-loading weapon is a firearm in which the cartridge or shell is inserted or loaded into a chamber integral to the rear portion of a barrel....
pressures, and later in 1862 small time intervals to determine the acceleration of projectiles as they travelled down the barrel.
Notable work
He worked with Sir Frederick Abel on improving the properties of black powder. He was awarded the Order of the BathOrder of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1881 and knighted in 1893. He served as High Sheriff of Northumberland
High Sheriff of Northumberland
This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post...
in 1896. He became chairman of Armstrong's company in 1900 and was made a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1902. Noble claimed that all the Japanese guns which sank the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n fleet at the crucial battle of Tsushima
Battle of Tsushima
The Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
in 1905, had been manufactured at Elswick.
In 1871, Andrew Noble bought Jesmond Dene House
Jesmond Dene House
Jesmond Dene House is a 19th century mansion house at Jesmond Dene, Newcastle upon Tyne, England which is now a hotel. It is a Grade II listed building....
, which was originally designed by John Dobson
John Dobson (architect)
John Dobson was a 19th-century English architect in the neoclassical tradition. He became the most noted architect in the North of England. Churches and houses by him dot the North East - Nunnykirk Hall, Meldon Park, Mitford Hall, Lilburn Tower, St John the Baptist Church in Otterburn,...
. He later commissioned Norman Shaw and local architect Frank West Rich to double the size of the house adding a west wing, billiard room, Gothic porch, Great Hall and a fleet of bedrooms. Jesmond Dene House
Jesmond Dene House
Jesmond Dene House is a 19th century mansion house at Jesmond Dene, Newcastle upon Tyne, England which is now a hotel. It is a Grade II listed building....
is now a special school and local amenity area that includes an hotel and restaurant.Additonally, there is a real tennis court which was built for Sir Andrew in 1894. The court is one of only around 50 currently in use worldwide and is situated in the former gardens of the house.
Personal
Noble's youngest daughter Ethel married Alfred CochraneAlfred Cochrane
Alfred Henry John Cochrane, was an English cricketer who played first class cricket for Derbyshire between 1884 and 1886, and for Oxford University between 1885 and 1888. He subsequently made his name as a writer on sporting subjects and of light verse.Cochrane was the second son of Rev...
cricketer and poet who was Company Secretary at Armstrongs. Noble's third son John Noble was a businessman and was created a Baronet in his own right in 1923. The latter's youngest son Michael Noble
Michael Noble, Baron Glenkinglas
Michael Antony Cristobal Noble, Baron Glenkinglas PC was a Scottish Tory politician.Noble was the youngest son of Sir John Noble, 1st Baronet, and the grandson of Sir Andrew Noble, 1st Baronet, and was educated at Eton College and Magdalen College, Oxford...
became a prominent Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician and was created a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Glenkinglas in 1974.
Orders, decorations, and medals
- Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the RoseOrder of the RoseThe Imperial Order of the Rose is an Brazilian order of chivalry, instituted by Emperor Pedro I of Brazil on 17 October 1829 to commemorate his marriage to Amélie of Leuchtenberg....
. - Commander of the Order of the Crown of ItalyOrder of the Crown of ItalyThe Order of the Crown of Italy was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861...
. - Commander of the Portuguese Order of ChristOrder of Christ (Portugal)The Military Order of Christ previously the Royal Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ was the heritage of the Knights Templar in Portugal, after the suppression of the Templars in 1312...
. - Knight of the Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
- Knight of the Order of Charles III.
- Royal Medallist of the Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(1880)