Edward Troughton
Encyclopedia
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
s and other astronomical instruments.
Troughton was born at Corney
Corney
Corney is a small settlement in Cumbria, England. It is near the A595 road, in the civil parish of Waberthwaite and Corney.-External links:*...
, Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
. In 1779, after serving an apprenticeship with his elder brother John, he became his partner and soon established himself as the top maker of navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
al, surveying
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
and astronomical instruments in Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
.
In 1795 he delivered the Troughton Equatorial Telescope to the Armagh Observatory
Armagh Observatory
Armagh Observatory is a modern astronomical research institute with a rich heritage, based in Armagh, Northern Ireland. Around 25 astronomers are actively studying stellar astrophysics, the Sun, Solar System astronomy, and the Earth's climate....
, a 2 inch aperture refractor telescope mounted equatorially
Equatorial mount
An equatorial mount is a mount for instruments that follows the rotation of the sky by having one rotational axis parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. This type of mount is used for astronomical telescopes and cameras...
, and its first major instrument since its founding in 1790 (It survived into the 21st century also). http://www.arm.ac.uk/history/troughton/frames.html He created the Groombridge Transit Circle
Groombridge Transit Circle
Groombridge Transit Circle was a meridian transit circle made by Edward Troughton for Stephen Groombridge in 1806, which Groombridge used to compile data for the star catalogue, Catalogue of Circumpolar Stars. The advantage of a transit circle over a mural circle is that it allows measuring right...
in 1806, which Stephen Groombridge
Stephen Groombridge
Stephen Groombridge FRS was a British astronomer.In 1806, using a then new transit circle built by Edward Troughton, he began compiling a star catalogue of stars down to about eighth or ninth magnitude...
used to compile his star catalogue
Star catalogue
A star catalogue, or star catalog, is an astronomical catalogue that lists stars. In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. There are a great many different star catalogues which have been produced for different purposes over the years, and this article covers only some...
. He did not merely build instruments, but designed and invented new ones.
Troughton was awarded the Copley Medal
Copley Medal
The Copley Medal is an award given by the Royal Society of London for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science, and alternates between the physical sciences and the biological sciences"...
of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The 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"...
in 1809. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in March 1810.
In 1826, after John's death and in failing health himself, he took on William Simms as a partner and the firm became known as Troughton & Simms
Troughton & Simms
Troughton & Simms was a British instrument-making firm, formed when Edward Troughton in his old age took on William Simms as a partner in 1826.It became a limited company in 1915 and in 1922 it merged with T...
.
Troughton was involved in a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against Sir James South
James South
Sir James South was a British astronomer.He helped found the Astronomical Society of London, and it was under his name as president of the society from 1831 to 1832 that a petition was successfully submitted to obtain a royal charter in 1831, whereupon it became the Royal Astronomical...
, who was dissatisfied with the quality of an equatorial mounting that Troughton made for him. Troughton sued for payment, and with informal legal counsel provided by Richard Sheepshanks
Richard Sheepshanks
Richard Sheepshanks was an English astronomer.He graduated from Trinity College of Cambridge University in 1816...
, he prevailed.
Troughton was color blind
Color blindness
Color blindness or color vision deficiency is the inability or decreased ability to see color, or perceive color differences, under lighting conditions when color vision is not normally impaired...
. On his death he was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in Kensal Green, in the west of London, England. It was immortalised in the lines of G. K. Chesterton's poem The Rolling English Road from his book The Flying Inn: "For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen; Before we go to Paradise by way of...
.