Immanuel Halton (1628–1699) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

and

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

, an associate of John Flamsteed.

Life

He was born at Greystoke in

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

on 21 April 1628, the eldest son of Miles Halton of Greenthwaite Hall;

Timothy Halton Timothy Halton D.D. (1632?–1704) was an English churchman and academic, Provost of Queen's College, Oxford, from 1677. Life He has been identified with the Timothy Halton, son of Miles Halton of Greenthwaite Hall, Cumberland, northern England ...

has been identified as probably a younger brother. Halton was educated at

Blencow Blencow or Blencowe is a small village near Penrith, Cumbria, England. It is divided by the River Petteril into Great Blencow to the south and Little Blencow to the north. Great Blencow is in the civil parish of Dacre while Little Blencow is w ...

e grammar school in Cumberland, became a student at

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, and then entered the service of Thomas Howard, 23rd Earl of Arundel. He transacted on his behalf affairs of importance in

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

, and on his return to England accepted and kept for twenty years the post of auditor of his household, involving duties connected with commissions and arbitrations. In 1660 the successor of his patron made him a grant of part of the manor of

Shirland Shirland is a former pit village in Derbyshire, England. Together with the neighbouring villages of Higham, Stretton and Stonebroom, it forms part of the civil parish of Shirland and Higham, which had a population of 4,802 at the 2011 Census ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

; he came to reside at Wingfield Manor in the same county early in 1666, and purchased some of the adjacent lands from the Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk on 28 May 1678. Halton put up

sundial A sundial is a horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the word, it consists of a flat ...

s at Wingfield Manor; and a letter written from Gray's Inn in May 1650, describing a dial of his own invention, was published in the appendix to

Samuel Foster Samuel Foster ( 1600 – July 1652) was an English mathematician and astronomer. He made several observations of eclipses, both of the sun and moon, at Gresham College and in other places; and he was known particularly for inventing and improvi ...

's ''Miscellanea'', London, 1659. Halton made several alterations and improvements in Wingfield Manor, and repaired the damage inflicted upon it by the Civil War. It remained in his family until the nineteenth century. Having heard of Flamsteed's astronomical proficiency, Halton called to see him at

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

in 1666, and afterwards sent him Giovanni Battista Riccioli's ''New Almagest'',

Johannes Kepler Johannes Kepler (; ; 27 December 1571 – 15 November 1630) was a German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and writer on music. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws ...

's ''Rudolphine Tables'', and other books on astronomy. Flamsteed calles him a good algebraist. Halton's observations at Wingfield on the solar eclipse of 23 June 1675 were communicated to the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

by Flamsteed.Phil. Trans. xi. 664. In a letter to

John Collins John Collins may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Collins (poet) (1742–1808), English orator, singer, and poet * John Churton Collins (1848–1908), English literary critic * John H. Collins (director) (1889–1918), American director an ...

of 20 February 1673 Flamsteed mentioned that Halton was then translating Gerard Kinkhuysen's ''Moon-Wiser'' into English for him. A little later he speaks of observing with his

quadrants Quadrant may refer to: Companies * Quadrant Cycle Company, 1899 manufacturers in Britain of the Quadrant motorcar * Quadrant (motorcycles), one of the earliest British motorcycle manufacturers, established in Birmingham in 1901 * Quadrant Privat ...

, and on 27 December 1673 told Collins that 'lately, in discourse with Mr. Halton, he was pleased to show me a straight-lined projection for finding the hour by inspection, the sun's declination and height being given'. He married Mary, daughter of John Newton of Oakerthorpe in Derbyshire, and had by her three sons, two of whom left children. He died in 1699, aged 72, and was buried in

All Saints' Church, South Wingfield All Saints’ Church, South Wingfield is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England in South Wingfield, Derbyshire.The Buildings of England. Derbyshire. Nikolaus Pevsner. Yale University Press. 1978. p.321 History The church d ...

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Halton, Immanuel 1628 births 1699 deaths 17th-century English astronomers 17th-century English mathematicians People from Greystoke, Cumbria People from Amber Valley