Richard James Morrison (15 June 1795 – 5 April 1874) 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 id ...
astrologer
Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...
, commonly known by his pen name Zadkiel and best known for the series known as ''Zadkiel's Almanac''.
Early life
The son of Richard Caleb Morrison, Morrison joined the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...
in 1806 serving as a first class volunteer until 1810, master's mate until 1815 and resigned due to ill-health with the rank of lieutenant in 1829. He then devoted himself to the study of
astrology
Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...
which he termed as astro-meteorology. He became a member of the Meteorological Society's Council in 1840.
Career
Morrison in 1831 issued ''The Herald of Astrology'', subsequently known as ''Zadkiel's Almanac''. In this annual pamphlet, he published predictions of the chief events of the coming year. Morrison wrote with the signature ''Zadkiel Tao-Sze''. Morrison wrote such articles as ''The New Principia, or true system of astronomy, in which the Earth is proved to be the stationary centre of the Solar System'' (1868) which made him a charlatan in the eyes of scientists. In 1863 he won a
libel
Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defi ...
suite against Admiral Sir Edward Belcher who wrote in the ''Daily Telegraph'' that Morrison was "the crystal globe seer who gulled many of our nobility about the year 1852".
He was awarded twenty
shillings (one pound) damages, but was deprived of his costs.
The Athenaeum (16 May 1874, p. 666) noted that Morrison was “''the restorer and Grand Master in this country of Tao-Sze, a secret society intended to be of immense power, and to outshine the Free- masons, but which, most probably, by his death, is reduced to two members, and inanition''”.
Books
His works include:
*''Handbook of Astrology''
*''Introduction to Astrology'' (1835) -- a re-edition of
William Lilly
William Lilly (9 June 1681) was a seventeenth century English astrologer. He is described as having been a genius at something "that modern mainstream opinion has since decided cannot be done at all" having developed his stature as the most imp ...
's ''Christian Astrology''.
*''The Horoscope''
*''The Grammar of Astrology''
*''Astronomy in a Nutshell''.
References
External links
Comparison of methodology and accuracy of Zadkiel and the Met Office in the 19th century
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Richard James
1795 births
1874 deaths
English astrologers