John Theophilus Desaguliers : a natural philosopher, engineer and freemason in in Newtonian England

This is the first comprehensive biography of a major, but neglected, figure of his age. John Theophilus Desaguliers made his mark on the eighteenth century in several diverse ways. He was an assistant to Sir Isaac Newton and later elucidated the difficult concepts of Newtonian physics in private lectures. He was a member of the Royal Society, and was presented with the Society's highest honour, the Copley Medal, no less than three times. He was a pioneering engineer: the water supply of Edinburgh, the ventilation of the Houses of Parliament and the first Westminster Bridge all owed him a debt. In a different sphere, Desaguliers became the third Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the Freemasons which was founded in 1717. He is remembered worldwide for his seminal influence during those early days of Freemasonry. He also wrote poetry and had an influential circle of patrons, including George I and Frederick, Prince of Wales (whom he initiated as a Mason at a specially convened lodge at Kew). This biography, based on original research, describes a charismatic character who was a major figure of his age. John Theophilus Desaguliers: A Natural Philosopher, Engineer and Freemason in Newtonian England 4 Contents 6 List of Illustrations 8 Foreword and Acknowledgements 12 Notes on the Text 16 Introduction: New Ideas in a Changing Society 18 1 Early Life: From Forebears in La Rochelle to Education at Oxford 26 2 Lecturing in London and Beyond, Royal Recognition and Ecclesiastical Preferment 42 3 Demonstrator and Fellow of the Royal Society 74 4 Freemasonry: Desaguliers’s Contribution to the Early Years of Grand Lodge 98 5 Translations from French and Latin, and Troubles with Booksellers 130 6 Fire, Water and Air: Desaguliers the Engineer 142 7 Patronage: Desaguliers at the Service of the Duke of Chandos and his Great Estate at Cannons 170 8 Desaguliers’s Influential Work on Contemporary Science: The Publication of A Course of Experimental Philosophy and A Dissertation Concerning Electricity 194 9 Poems, Plays and Pictures: a more Personal Perspective 220 10 The House in Channel Row: Family, Lodgers, Health and Descendants 242 Appendix 1: A Catalogue of the Experiments in Mr. Desaguliers’s COURSE. 266 Appendix 2: Desaguliers’s Unpublished Poetry 272 Appendix 3: Family Tree 278 Endnotes 280 Introduction: New Ideas in a Changing Society 280 1: Early Life: From Forebears in La Rochelle to Education at Oxford 281 2: Lecturing in London and Beyond, Royal Recognition and Ecclesiastical Preferment 284 3: Demonstrator and Fellow of the Royal Society 288 4: Freemasonry: Desaguliers’s Contribution to the Early Years of Grand Lodge 292 5: Translations from French and Latin, and Troubles with Booksellers 297 6: Fire, Water and Air: Desaguliers the Engineer 298 7: Patronage: Desaguliers at the Service of the Duke of Chandos and his Great Estate at Cannons 302 8: Desaguliers’s Influential Work on Contemporary Science: The Publication of A Course of Experimental Philosophy and A Dissertation Concerning Electricity 305 9: Poems, Plays and Pictures: a more Personal Perspective 308 10: The House in Channel Row: Family, Lodgers, Health andDescendants 311 Bibliography 316 Index 344 Introduction - New Ideas in a Changing Society 1. Early Life - From Forebears in La Rochelle to Education at Oxford 2. Lectures in London and Beyond, Royal Recognition and Ecclesiastical Preferment 3. Demonstrator and Fellow of the Royal Society 4. Freemasonry - Desaguliers's Contribution to the Early Years of Grand Lodge 5. Translations from French and Latin, and Troubles with Booksellers 6. Fire, Water and Air - Desaguliers the Engineer 7. Patronage - Desaguliers at the Service of the Duke of Chandos and His Great Estate at Cannons 8. Desaguliers's Influential Work on Contemporary Science - The Publication of A Course of Experimental Philosophy and A Dissertation Concerning Electricity 9. Poems, Plays and Pictures - a More Personal Perspective 10. The House in Channel Row - Family, Lodgers, Health and Descendants Appendices Bibliography Index. John Theophilus Desaguliers made his mark on the eighteenth century in several diverse ways. He was an assistant to Sir Isaac Newton and later elucidated the difficult concepts of Newtonian physics in private lectures. Based on original research, this title describes this charismatic character who was a major figure of his age. This biography surveys the life of an eighteenth-century British physicist who also promoted Newtonian science, the Royal Society, Freemasonry, and engineering Audrey T. Carpenter. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [299]-325) And Index.