Moses Holden (21 November 1777 – 3 June 1864) was an English astronomer, known particularly for giving

magic lantern The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that uses pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lens (optics), lenses, and a light source. ...

lectures on astronomy.

Life

Holden was born in

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

, Lancashire, the second youngest of five children of Thomas Holden, a

handloom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...

weaver, and his wife Joyce. As a youth he worked in a foundry at Preston, until disabled by an accident. On his recovery he worked as a landscape gardener. From early in life he possessed a love of astronomy; he collected a library, and gave talks on the subject. In 1814–15 he constructed a large

orrery An orrery is a mechanical Solar System model, model of the Solar System that illustrates or predicts the relative positions and motions of the planets and natural satellite, moons, usually according to the heliocentric model. It may also represent ...

and a

, made to illustrate his astronomical lectures. These were first given in the Theatre Royal, Preston, in 1815, and then in many towns in the north of England; their success led to his touring throughout

Northern England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...

to give lectures. He lectured at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, in 1817. In 1826 he devoted the proceeds of one of his lectures to the erection of a monument in St. Michael's Church, Toxteth Park, Liverpool, to the memory of the astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks. In 1818 Holden published ''A small Celestial Atlas, or Maps of the Visible Heavens, in the Latitude of Britain'', (3rd edition 1834, 4th edition 1840). It was one of the earliest works of the kind published at a low price. He also compiled an almanac, published in 1835 and later. He made several microscopes, and made a telescope for the Revd

William Carus Wilson William Carus Wilson (7 July 1791 – 30 December 1859) was an English churchman and the founder and editor of the long-lived monthly ''The Children's Friend (British magazine), The Children's Friend''. He was the inspiration for Mr Brocklehurst, ...

. He settled in Preston in 1828, where he gave courses on astronomy until 1852. He assisted in establishing the Preston Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge, the predecessor of the

University of Central Lancashire The University of Lancashire (previously abbreviated UCLan) is a public university based in the city of Preston, Lancashire, England. It has its roots in ''The Institution For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge'', founded in 1828. Previously k ...

. He was recognised as a key founder in 2017 with the construction and dedication to him of the Moses Holden Memorial Telescope, along with the Moses Holden Bursary provided by Dr Patrick B. Holden, his three-times grandson. From 1837 he was an enthusiastic member of the

British Association for the Advancement of Science The British Science Association (BSA) is a Charitable organization, charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Scienc ...

. In 1834 the Freedom of the Borough of Preston was conferred on him. Holden died at his home in Jordan Street, Preston on 3 June 1864, aged 86.

Life

References

Further reading