John Wrottesley, 2nd Baron Wrottesley (5 August 1798 – 27 October 1867) was an

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astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

Wrottesley Hall, Staffordshire (1696–1897)

Life

Wrottesley was the son of John Wrottesley, 1st Baron Wrottesley, and his first wife Lady Caroline Bennet, daughter of Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville. He attended Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated with a First Class degree in Mathematics in 1819. He succeeded his father as baron on 16 March 1841. Wrottesley is distinguished for his attainments in astronomical science, was a founding member of the

Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger = , merged = , type = NG ...

and served as its president from 1841 to 1842. In 1839 he received the

Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society The Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society is the highest award given by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). The RAS Council have "complete freedom as to the grounds on which it is awarded" and it can be awarded for any reason. Past awar ...

for his ''Catalogue of the Right Ascensions of 1,318 Stars''. In 1853 he called the attention of the House of Lords to Lieutenant Maury's valuable scheme of meteorological observations and discoveries, and on 30 November 1855 succeeded the Earl of Rosse as

President of the Royal Society The president of the Royal Society (PRS) is the elected Head of the Royal Society of London who presides over meetings of the society's council. After informal meetings at Gresham College, the Royal Society was officially founded on 28 November ...

. Wrottesley was President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1860, the year of the famous debate between Wilberforce and Huxley at the Association's Oxford meeting. The crater Wrottesley on the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

is named in honour of John Wrottesley. Lord Wrottesley died in October 1867, aged 69.

Family

On 28 July 1821 Wrottesley married Sophia Elizabeth (d. 13 January 1880), third daughter of Thomas Giffard of Chillington in Staffordshire. By her he had five sons and two daughters. His two youngest sons—Henry and Cameron—were killed in warfare. He was succeeded in the baronetcy and barony by his eldest son Arthur Wrottesley. George Wrottesley was his third son.

References

External links

Awarding of RAS gold medal

;Attribution 1798 births 1867 deaths 19th-century British astronomers Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Eldest sons of British hereditary barons Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society Fellows of the Royal Society Presidents of the Royal Astronomical Society Presidents of the Royal Society Committee members of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge {{UK-baron-stub