William Samuel Stratford
Encyclopedia
William Samuel Stratford (May 22, 1789 – March 29, 1853) was an English
astronomer
born in Eltham, Surrey
.
He joined the Royal Navy
in 1806 under the command of Sir Sydney Smith
. In 1815, he retired at half-pay with the rank of lieutenant.
He won a silver medal from the Royal Astronomical Society
in 1827; this was the second and last occasion on which such medals were awarded, with the society awarding only gold medal
s thereafter. He was Secretary of the society from 1825 to 1831.
From 1831 until his death he was Superintendent of HM Nautical Almanac Office
. he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June 1832
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...
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...
born in Eltham, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
.
He joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1806 under the command of Sir Sydney Smith
Sydney Smith
Sydney Smith was an English writer and Anglican cleric. -Life:Born in Woodford, Essex, England, Smith was the son of merchant Robert Smith and Maria Olier , who suffered from epilepsy...
. In 1815, he retired at half-pay with the rank of lieutenant.
He won a silver medal from 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 1827; this was the second and last occasion on which such medals were awarded, with the society awarding only gold medal
Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
-History:In the early years, more than one medal was often awarded in a year, but by 1833 only one medal was being awarded per year. This caused a problem when Neptune was discovered in 1846, because many felt an award should jointly be made to John Couch Adams and Urbain Le Verrier...
s thereafter. He was Secretary of the society from 1825 to 1831.
From 1831 until his death he was Superintendent of HM Nautical Almanac Office
HM Nautical Almanac Office
Her Majesty's Nautical Almanac Office , now part of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, was established in 1832 on the site of the Royal Greenwich Observatory , where the Nautical Almanac had been published since 1767...
. he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June 1832