Thomas Drummond
Encyclopedia
Captain Thomas Drummond (10 October 1797 – 15 April 1840), from Edinburgh
, Scotland
, was an army officer, civil engineer
and senior public official. Drummond used the Drummond light which was employed in the trigonometrical survey of Great Britain
and Ireland
. He is sometimes mistakenly given credit for the invention of limelight
, at the expense of Sir Goldsworthy Gurney
. However, it was Drummond who realised their value in surveying.
cadet at Woolwich Academy in 1813. He showed an early gift for mathematics. After Woolwich he was stationed in Edinburgh and was involved with public works. He was bored with this and had enrolled at Lincolns Inn when he was recruited to use his trigonometry to help conduct a survey in the Highlands.
This new work was done in the summer with the more difficult months being passed in London
. Drummond took this opportunity to improve his knowledge of mathematics and science. He attended lectures by Sir Michael Faraday
. At these he learned of the discovery of limelight
.
, Lord Brougham had him awarded a pension 300 pounds per annum.
In 1835 Drummond, now back with the Irish Survey, married the wealthy heiress Maria Kinnaird
, who was the adopted daughter of the critic Conversation Sharp (1759–1835). They had three children, Emily, Mary and Fanny.
, heading up the administration in Dublin Castle
, a position he held from 1835 until his death in 1840. A supporter of the Whigs
, Drummond was held in high regard by Irish, whom he treated with impartiality.
Drummond died in 1840 and was buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery
, Dublin. It is generally felt that overwork and stress precipitated his premature death in 1840 after toiling unceasingly for five years as Irish under-secretary.
His dying words were reported as:
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
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...
, was an army officer, civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
and senior public official. Drummond used the Drummond light which was employed in the trigonometrical survey of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Ireland
Ordnance Survey Ireland
Ordnance Survey Ireland is the national mapping agency of the Republic of Ireland and, together with the Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland , succeeded, after 1922, the Irish operations of the United Kingdom Ordnance Survey. It is part of the Public service of the Republic of Ireland...
. He is sometimes mistakenly given credit for the invention of limelight
Limelight
Limelight is a type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illumination is created when an oxyhydrogen flame is directed at a cylinder of quicklime , which can be heated to 2572 °C before melting. The light is produced by a combination of incandescence and...
, at the expense of Sir Goldsworthy Gurney
Goldsworthy Gurney
Sir Goldsworthy Gurney was a surgeon, chemist, lecturer, consultant, architect, builder and prototypical British gentleman scientist and inventor of the Victorian period....
. However, it was Drummond who realised their value in surveying.
Early life
Drummond was the second of three sons. Despite his father dying when he was young, he credited his mother with getting him through his education at Edinburgh High School and then on to be a Royal EngineerRoyal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
cadet at Woolwich Academy in 1813. He showed an early gift for mathematics. After Woolwich he was stationed in Edinburgh and was involved with public works. He was bored with this and had enrolled at Lincolns Inn when he was recruited to use his trigonometry to help conduct a survey in the Highlands.
This new work was done in the summer with the more difficult months being passed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Drummond took this opportunity to improve his knowledge of mathematics and science. He attended lectures by Sir Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....
. At these he learned of the discovery of limelight
Limelight
Limelight is a type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illumination is created when an oxyhydrogen flame is directed at a cylinder of quicklime , which can be heated to 2572 °C before melting. The light is produced by a combination of incandescence and...
.
Ordnance Survey of Ireland
In 1824 Drummond was transferred to the new Ordnance Survey of Ireland and here he used the new Drummond light. He reported that the light could be observed 68 miles away and would cast a strong shadow at a distance of thirteen miles. Drummond left Ireland for a period prior to the Reform Bill of 1832. For his services to the Whigs, acting as secretary to Lord SpencerLord Spencer
Lord Spencer may refer to:* Earl Spencer, English title of nobility*Lord Charles Spencer *Lord Henry Spencer...
, Lord Brougham had him awarded a pension 300 pounds per annum.
In 1835 Drummond, now back with the Irish Survey, married the wealthy heiress Maria Kinnaird
Maria Kinnaird
Maria Kinnaird was born on St. Vincent, but was orphaned by a volcanic eruption and she was adopted by the politician, Conversation Sharp. She was the heiress of her adopted father and she has been described as a accomplished, attractive, and intelligent woman...
, who was the adopted daughter of the critic Conversation Sharp (1759–1835). They had three children, Emily, Mary and Fanny.
Appointment as Irish under-secretary
He was then appointed to the significant post of Irish under-secretaryUnder Secretary for Ireland
The Under-Secretary for Ireland was the permanent head of the British administration in Ireland prior to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922....
, heading up the administration in Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
, a position he held from 1835 until his death in 1840. A supporter of the Whigs
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
, Drummond was held in high regard by Irish, whom he treated with impartiality.
Drummond died in 1840 and was buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery
Mount Jerome Cemetery
Mount Jerome Cemetery is situated in Harold's Cross on the south side of Dublin, Ireland. Since its foundation in 1836, it has witnessed over 300,000 burials...
, Dublin. It is generally felt that overwork and stress precipitated his premature death in 1840 after toiling unceasingly for five years as Irish under-secretary.
His dying words were reported as: