John Lee (astronomer)
Encyclopedia
John Lee LL.D born John Fiott, was an English
philanthropist
, astronomer
, mathematician
, antiquarian
and barrister
.
business and was a failed East India
merchant
. He was orphaned when young and was brought up by his maternal uncle, William Lee Antonie
.
between 1802 and 1806, graduating fifth wrangler in his year. He was elected a fellow in 1808. Following his studies from 1807-1815 he travelled extensively in the middle east
and Europe
as a travelling bachelor
. During this time he gained an interest in antiquities
.
Church. In 1855, he married again, this time to Louisa Catherine Heath.
Lee died at Hartwell House. An obituary was published in volume 27 of the monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
the following year.
near Sharnbrook
in Bedfordshire
and Totteridge
Park formerly in Hertfordshire
.
In 1827, Lee inherited Hartwell House, Buckinghamshire from Reverend Sir George Lee which became his main residence from 1829 until his death.
and was its president between 1861 and 1863.
Lee became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
in 1828 and a Fellow of the Philological Society
in 1831.
Between 1830 and 1839, Lee built an astronomical observatory in the south-west corner of Hartwell House.
Lee helped found the Royal Meteorological Society
in 1850 and was its president from 1855-1857.
Lee was elected as first president of the Numismatic Society of London in 1836.
In 1863 at the age of 80, he was made a barrister of Gray's Inn
and a Q.C.
the following year. The lunar crater Lee
is named after him.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
, mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
and barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
.
Family
He was the eldest son of John Fiott and Harriet Lee. His father was involved in the family counting houseCounting house
A counting house, or compting house, literally is the building, room, office or suite in which a business firm carries on operations, particularly accounting. By a synecdoche, it has come to mean the accounting operations of a firm, however housed...
business and was a failed East India
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
. He was orphaned when young and was brought up by his maternal uncle, William Lee Antonie
William Lee Antonie
William Lee Antonie , son of Sir William Lee, Chief Justice of the King's Bench and brother of Harriet Lee lived at Totteridge Park, formerly in Hertfordshire and owned Colworth House near Sharnbrook in Bedfordshire....
.
Education
Lee read Mathematics at St John's College, CambridgeSt John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
between 1802 and 1806, graduating fifth wrangler in his year. He was elected a fellow in 1808. Following his studies from 1807-1815 he travelled extensively in the middle east
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as a travelling bachelor
Bachelor
A bachelor is a man above the age of majority who has never been married . Unlike his female counterpart, the spinster, a bachelor may have had children...
. During this time he gained an interest in antiquities
Antiquities
Antiquities, nearly always used in the plural in this sense, is a term for objects from Antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean: the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures...
.
Personal life
He took the name Lee in 1816 at the request of his uncle. In 1833 Lee married Cecilia Rutter (23 July 1782-1 April 1854). She died in 1854 and was buried in the graveyard of HartwellHartwell
Hartwell is a village in central Buckinghamshire, England. It is to the south of Aylesbury, by the village of Stone.The village name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means "spring frequented by deer". In the Domesday Book of 1086 it was recorded as Herdeuuelle and Herdewelle.The ruined Hartwell...
Church. In 1855, he married again, this time to Louisa Catherine Heath.
Lee died at Hartwell House. An obituary was published in volume 27 of the monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
the following year.
Estates
Lee inherited several properties from William Lee Antonie in 1815. Antonie's will predicated the inheritance on Lee changing his name by royal license from Fiott. The properties included Colworth HouseColworth House
Colworth House is an 18th century mansion set in an area of parkland on the edge of the village of Sharnbrook in Bedfordshire. The current house was first built on a site occupied since prehistoric times and starting in 1715 by Mark Antonie, a self made man who aspired to become part of the landed...
near Sharnbrook
Sharnbrook
Sharnbrook is a village and civil parish located in the Bedford Borough of Bedfordshire, England.The settlement was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a parish within the Hundred of Willey but was probably first developed in Saxon times. The oldest surviving building, St Peter's Church, is...
in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
and Totteridge
Totteridge
Totteridge is an area of the London Borough of Barnet in north London, England. It is a mixture of suburban development and open land situated 8.20 miles north north-west of Charing Cross....
Park formerly in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
.
In 1827, Lee inherited Hartwell House, Buckinghamshire from Reverend Sir George Lee which became his main residence from 1829 until his death.
Scientific work
On 14 May 1824, Lee was elected as fellow of the Royal Astronomical SocietyRoyal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
and was its president between 1861 and 1863.
Lee became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
in 1828 and a Fellow of the Philological Society
Philological Society
The Philological Society, or London Philological Society, is the oldest learned society in Great Britain dedicated to the study of language. The society was established in 1842 to "investigate and promote the study and knowledge of the structure, the affinities, and the history of languages"...
in 1831.
Between 1830 and 1839, Lee built an astronomical observatory in the south-west corner of Hartwell House.
Lee helped found the Royal Meteorological Society
Royal Meteorological Society
The Royal Meteorological Society traces its origins back to 3 April 1850 when the British Meteorological Society was formed as a society the objects of which should be the advancement and extension of meteorological science by determining the laws of climate and of meteorological phenomena in general...
in 1850 and was its president from 1855-1857.
Lee was elected as first president of the Numismatic Society of London in 1836.
In 1863 at the age of 80, he was made a barrister of Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
and a Q.C.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
the following year. The lunar crater Lee
Lee (crater)
Lee is the lava-flooded remnant of a lunar crater that lies on an inlet of the Mare Humorum, in the southwestern part of the Moon. To the east is the crater Vitello, and just to the north is the lava-flooded crater Doppelmayer....
is named after him.