Thomas John Hussey
Encyclopedia
Thomas John Hussey was an English
clergyman and astronomer
.
, Kent
, the only son of Rev. John Hussey and Catherine Jennings. The Husseys were an old, armigerous, Anglo-Norman
family and substantial local landowners, the Rev. Hussey being the younger brother of Edward Hussey of Scotney Castle
. Thomas Hussey's father died in Allahabad
in 1799, leaving Catherine to look after her son. She sent him to Eton
, but subsequently became financially embroiled with an Irish barrister, J.P. Maccabe, who claimed to be her nephew. According to a deed of gift written by ( or as if by) Catherine, young Thomas, whilst still at Eton, "rendered me miserable...took a considerable sum of money from me, and went away, I knew not whither. He enlisted: my hopes were blasted of ever seeing him either respectable in life, or a man of education...I knew my unfortunate boy well and feared the worst. My son's uncle...Edward Hussey, refused to have anything to do with him." Maccabe took Thomas to Dublin, where he attended Trinity College
. However, Maccabe also took Catherine's inheritance of some £50,000. A case against Maccabe went to the Irish Court of Chancery where he was judged to have obtained the money by "undue influence, fraud, and misrepresentation". The case was appealed in the House of Lords
in 1831, but Maccabe was ordered to repay £36,500 to Catherine.
Thomas emerged from these troubles with the degree of Doctor of Divinity
in 1835. He subsequently received ad eundem degrees
from the University of Oxford
in 1836 and the University of Durham in 1840.
of Hayes
, Kent. In 1831 he married Anna Maria Reed
who was later a noted mycologist and illustrator
.
In his clerical capacity he published several sermons, but his magnum opus was a revised edition of the Bible
with "a brief hermeneutic and exegetical commentary", published in two volumes in 1843-1845. Though it must have represented many years' work, it received lukewarm contemporary reviews, The Athenaeum
, for example, noted laconically that "Dr Hussey has done much — much to deserve our gratitude; but he is often too brief and has no foot-notes."
at Hayes, with a 6.5 inches (165.1 mm) refracting telescope
by Joseph von Fraunhofer
, a Newtonian telescope
of 7 ft focal length by William Herschel
, and a 9.3 inch Gregorian
-Newtonian. He also acquired a range of other instruments, including a mysterious 'akaremeter' which seems to have been the equivalent of a modern stop-watch.
He had a remarkable circle of acquaintances and correspondents. He knew and visited Charles Darwin
who lived at nearby Down House
— though Darwin's only reference to Hussey, in a letter to his sister, noted that the doctor "talked grand nonsense", albeit about church and local matters. His correspondents included Sir John Frederick William Herschel, Sir John William Lubbock, Augustus de Morgan
,Charles Babbage
, and John T. Graves
.
His astronomical observations resulted in a series of letters, papers, and notes, including one on the rotation of Venus
, as well as drawings of sun spots, presented to the Royal Astronomical Society
in 1847. Hussey also compiled star maps, one of which (the Hora XIV star map) earned him a prize from the Berlin Academy in 1831.
) to see the return of Halley's Comet on 22nd August 1835, communicating his subsequent observations with enthusiasm. At the time, Hussey was engaged in publishing a Catalogue of Comets in a series of papers for the Philosophical Magazine
.
. The sequence of events leading to the discovery of Neptune
was, however, contentious at the time and still remains so. Following the publication of tables of the recently discovered planet Uranus
by French astronomer Alexis Bouvard
, Hussey noted anomalies in the orbit (based on his own observations at Hayes), and considered they might be caused by the presence of an exterior planet. He visited Bouvard in Paris
and discussed the anomalies and his theory with him, discovering that Bouvard had entertained the same possibility. Bouvard offered (if he found time) to undertake the calculations necessary for Hussey to search for such a planet, but nothing came of this. In November 1834, Hussey therefore wrote to the eminent British astronomer George Biddell Airy
, who was later to become Astronomer Royal
, reporting the "apparently inexplicable discrepancies", suggesting "the possibility of some disturbing body beyond Uranus, not taken into account because unknown", and asking for help in calculating where he should look for the putative new planet. It was Hussey's intention to draw up a detailed star map and use this to detect any planetary motion. He considered that his observatory and observational skills were sufficient for the task. Airy, who later published the correspondence in a post-mortem on events, replied negatively, saying there was not "the smallest hope of making out the nature of any external action on the planet" and that the anomalies were probably based on observational errors. If they were true, he doubted the possibility of determining the position of any external planet, at least until "the nature of the irregularity was well determined from several successive revolutions". Since one revolution of Uranus takes 84 years, this replied must have dampened Hussey's enthusiasm for the project. The planet Neptune was discovered twelve years later by Johann Gottfried Galle
based on calculations supplied by Urbain Le Verrier, ironically aided by Hussey's prize-winning star map of 1831.
A "severe injury" forced Hussey to give up his observations in 1838. Most of his telescopes and other instruments were purchased by the University of Durham, starting the university's long history of astronomical research.
Thomas Hussey's wife, Anna, died in Paris in 1853, whilst he was in Algiers
. His brother-in-law, Rev. George Varenne Reed, took over as rector of Hayes in 1854. The rectory is now a public library.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
clergyman and 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...
.
Background and education
T.J. Hussey was born in LamberhurstLamberhurst
Lamberhurst is a village and civil parish in Kent although the latter parish was at first in both Kent and East Sussex. The line of the county border was adjusted following the Local Government Act 1894, which required that parish boundaries be aligned with counties...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, the only son of Rev. John Hussey and Catherine Jennings. The Husseys were an old, armigerous, Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
family and substantial local landowners, the Rev. Hussey being the younger brother of Edward Hussey of Scotney Castle
Scotney Castle
Scotney Castle is an English country house with formal gardens south-east of Lamberhurst in the valley of the River Bewl in Kent, England. It belongs to the National Trust....
. Thomas Hussey's father died in Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
in 1799, leaving Catherine to look after her son. She sent him to Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, but subsequently became financially embroiled with an Irish barrister, J.P. Maccabe, who claimed to be her nephew. According to a deed of gift written by ( or as if by) Catherine, young Thomas, whilst still at Eton, "rendered me miserable...took a considerable sum of money from me, and went away, I knew not whither. He enlisted: my hopes were blasted of ever seeing him either respectable in life, or a man of education...I knew my unfortunate boy well and feared the worst. My son's uncle...Edward Hussey, refused to have anything to do with him." Maccabe took Thomas to Dublin, where he attended Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. However, Maccabe also took Catherine's inheritance of some £50,000. A case against Maccabe went to the Irish Court of Chancery where he was judged to have obtained the money by "undue influence, fraud, and misrepresentation". The case was appealed in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
in 1831, but Maccabe was ordered to repay £36,500 to Catherine.
Thomas emerged from these troubles with the degree of Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
in 1835. He subsequently received ad eundem degrees
Ad eundem degree
An ad eundem degree is a courtesy degree awarded by one university or college to an alumnus of another. The recipient of the ad eundem degree is often a faculty member at the institution where he or she is receiving the honor....
from the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in 1836 and the University of Durham in 1840.
Clergyman
Rev. Dr Hussey became rectorRector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Hayes
Hayes, Bromley
Hayes is a place in the London Borough of Bromley, south-east London, England. It has two main areas of activity: the ancient village and suburban Hayes.-The ancient village of Nimrods :...
, Kent. In 1831 he married Anna Maria Reed
Anna Maria Hussey
Anna Maria Hussey was a British mycologist, writer, and illustrator.-Family and background:Anna Maria Reed was born in Leckhampstead, Buckinghamshire, one of seven children of Rev. John Theodore Archibald Reed, rector of Leckhampstead, and Anna Maria Dayrell. In 1831 she married Rev...
who was later a noted mycologist and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
.
In his clerical capacity he published several sermons, but his magnum opus was a revised edition of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
with "a brief hermeneutic and exegetical commentary", published in two volumes in 1843-1845. Though it must have represented many years' work, it received lukewarm contemporary reviews, The Athenaeum
Athenaeum (magazine)
The Athenaeum was a literary magazine published in London from 1828 to 1921. It had a reputation for publishing the very best writers of the age....
, for example, noted laconically that "Dr Hussey has done much — much to deserve our gratitude; but he is often too brief and has no foot-notes."
Astronomer
Hussey was an amateur astronomer and established a significant, personal observatoryObservatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
at Hayes, with a 6.5 inches (165.1 mm) refracting telescope
Refracting telescope
A refracting or refractor telescope is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image . The refracting telescope design was originally used in spy glasses and astronomical telescopes but is also used for long focus camera lenses...
by Joseph von Fraunhofer
Joseph von Fraunhofer
Joseph von Fraunhofer was a German optician. He is known for the discovery of the dark absorption lines known as Fraunhofer lines in the Sun's spectrum, and for making excellent optical glass and achromatic telescope objectives.-Biography:Fraunhofer was born in Straubing, Bavaria...
, a Newtonian telescope
Newtonian telescope
The Newtonian telescope is a type of reflecting telescope invented by the British scientist Sir Isaac Newton , using a concave primary mirror and a flat diagonal secondary mirror. Newton’s first reflecting telescope was completed in 1668 and is the earliest known functional reflecting telescope...
of 7 ft focal length by William Herschel
William Herschel
Sir Frederick William Herschel, KH, FRS, German: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel was a German-born British astronomer, technical expert, and composer. Born in Hanover, Wilhelm first followed his father into the Military Band of Hanover, but emigrated to Britain at age 19...
, and a 9.3 inch Gregorian
Gregorian telescope
The Gregorian telescope is a type of reflecting telescope designed by Scottish mathematician and astronomer James Gregory in the 17th century, and first built in 1673 by Robert Hooke...
-Newtonian. He also acquired a range of other instruments, including a mysterious 'akaremeter' which seems to have been the equivalent of a modern stop-watch.
He had a remarkable circle of acquaintances and correspondents. He knew and visited Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
who lived at nearby Down House
Down House
Down House is the former home of the English naturalist Charles Darwin and his family. It was in this house and garden that Darwin worked on his theories of evolution by natural selection which he had conceived in London before moving to Downe....
— though Darwin's only reference to Hussey, in a letter to his sister, noted that the doctor "talked grand nonsense", albeit about church and local matters. His correspondents included Sir John Frederick William Herschel, Sir John William Lubbock, Augustus de Morgan
Augustus De Morgan
Augustus De Morgan was a British mathematician and logician. He formulated De Morgan's laws and introduced the term mathematical induction, making its idea rigorous. The crater De Morgan on the Moon is named after him....
,Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage, FRS was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer...
, and John T. Graves
John T. Graves
John Thomas Graves was an Irish jurist and mathematician. He was a friend of William Rowan Hamilton, and is credited both with inspiring Hamilton to discover the quaternions and with personally discovering the octonions, which he called the octaves...
.
His astronomical observations resulted in a series of letters, papers, and notes, including one on the rotation of Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
, as well as drawings of sun spots, presented to 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...
in 1847. Hussey also compiled star maps, one of which (the Hora XIV star map) earned him a prize from the Berlin Academy in 1831.
Halley's Comet
Hussey achieved some contemporary celebrity as being one of the first people in Britain (along with Sir James SouthJames 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...
) to see the return of Halley's Comet on 22nd August 1835, communicating his subsequent observations with enthusiasm. At the time, Hussey was engaged in publishing a Catalogue of Comets in a series of papers for the Philosophical Magazine
Philosophical Magazine
The Philosophical Magazine is one of the oldest scientific journals published in English. Initiated by Alexander Tilloch in 1798, in 1822 Richard Taylor became joint editor and it has been published continuously by Taylor & Francis ever since; it was the journal of choice for such luminaries as...
.
Discovery of Neptune
Hussey has frequently been credited with being the first person to suggest the existence of the planet NeptuneNeptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...
. The sequence of events leading to the discovery of Neptune
Discovery of Neptune
Neptune was mathematically predicted before it was directly observed. With a prediction by Urbain Le Verrier, telescopic observations confirming the existence of a major planet were made on the night of September 23, 1846, and into the early morning of the 24th, at the Berlin Observatory, by...
was, however, contentious at the time and still remains so. Following the publication of tables of the recently discovered planet Uranus
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus , the father of Cronus and grandfather of Zeus...
by French astronomer Alexis Bouvard
Alexis Bouvard
Alexis Bouvard was a French astronomer. He is particularly noted for his careful observations of the irregularities in the motion of Uranus and his hypothesis of the existence of an eighth planet in the solar system.-Life:...
, Hussey noted anomalies in the orbit (based on his own observations at Hayes), and considered they might be caused by the presence of an exterior planet. He visited Bouvard in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and discussed the anomalies and his theory with him, discovering that Bouvard had entertained the same possibility. Bouvard offered (if he found time) to undertake the calculations necessary for Hussey to search for such a planet, but nothing came of this. In November 1834, Hussey therefore wrote to the eminent British astronomer George Biddell Airy
George Biddell Airy
Sir George Biddell Airy PRS KCB was an English mathematician and astronomer, Astronomer Royal from 1835 to 1881...
, who was later to become Astronomer Royal
Astronomer Royal
Astronomer Royal is a senior post in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. There are two officers, the senior being the Astronomer Royal dating from 22 June 1675; the second is the Astronomer Royal for Scotland dating from 1834....
, reporting the "apparently inexplicable discrepancies", suggesting "the possibility of some disturbing body beyond Uranus, not taken into account because unknown", and asking for help in calculating where he should look for the putative new planet. It was Hussey's intention to draw up a detailed star map and use this to detect any planetary motion. He considered that his observatory and observational skills were sufficient for the task. Airy, who later published the correspondence in a post-mortem on events, replied negatively, saying there was not "the smallest hope of making out the nature of any external action on the planet" and that the anomalies were probably based on observational errors. If they were true, he doubted the possibility of determining the position of any external planet, at least until "the nature of the irregularity was well determined from several successive revolutions". Since one revolution of Uranus takes 84 years, this replied must have dampened Hussey's enthusiasm for the project. The planet Neptune was discovered twelve years later by Johann Gottfried Galle
Johann Gottfried Galle
Johann Gottfried Galle was a German astronomer at the Berlin Observatory who, on 23 September 1846, with the assistance of student Heinrich Louis d'Arrest, was the first person to view the planet Neptune, and know what he was looking at...
based on calculations supplied by Urbain Le Verrier, ironically aided by Hussey's prize-winning star map of 1831.
A "severe injury" forced Hussey to give up his observations in 1838. Most of his telescopes and other instruments were purchased by the University of Durham, starting the university's long history of astronomical research.
Thomas Hussey's wife, Anna, died in Paris in 1853, whilst he was in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
. His brother-in-law, Rev. George Varenne Reed, took over as rector of Hayes in 1854. The rectory is now a public library.