Temple Chevallier
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Temple Chevallier FRAS (19 October 1794 in Badingham,
Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
– 4 November 1873 in
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) was a British clergyman,
astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
, and mathematician. Between 1847 and 1849, he made important observations regarding
sunspots Sunspots are temporary spots on the Sun's surface that are darker than the surrounding area. They are one of the most recognizable Solar phenomena and despite the fact that they are mostly visible in the solar photosphere they usually affe ...
. Chevallier has been called "a remarkable Victorian
polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...
" (Kenworthy, 1994). Not only did he write many papers on astronomy and physics, he also published a translation of the
Apostolic Fathers The Apostolic Fathers, also known as the Ante-Nicene Fathers, were core Christian theologians among the Church Fathers who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD who are believed to have personally known some of the Twelve Apostles or to have be ...
that went into a second edition, and translated the works of
Clement of Rome Clement of Rome (; ; died ), also known as Pope Clement I, was the Pope, Bishop of Rome in the Christianity in the 1st century, late first century AD. He is considered to be the first of the Apostolic Fathers of the Church. Little is known about ...
,
Polycarp Polycarp (; , ''Polýkarpos''; ; AD 69 155) was a Christian Metropolis of Smyrna, bishop of Smyrna. According to the ''Martyrdom of Polycarp'', he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his bo ...
and
Ignatius of Antioch Ignatius of Antioch (; ; died 108/140), also known as Ignatius Theophorus (), was an early Christian writer and Patriarch of Antioch. While en route to Rome, where he met his Christian martyrs, martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This ...
.


Life

Son of Rev. Temple Fiske Chevallier, rector of Badingham, Suffolk, of the Chevallier family of Aspall Hall, Chevallier was educated at Pembroke College,
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
, and was ordained a priest in 1820. He became a Fellow of Pembroke College in 1819. He was a Fellow and Tutor of Catharine Hall (
St Catharine's College, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The colle ...
) in 1820 and Hulsean lecturer in Divinity from 1826 to 1827. He was curate and then vicar of
St Andrew the Great St Andrew the Great is a Church of England parish church in central Cambridge. Rebuilt in late Gothic style in 1843, it is a Grade II listed building. The church has a Conservative Evangelicalism in Britain, conservative evangelical tradition an ...
, Cambridge. His lectures were published as ''Of the proofs of the divine power and wisdom derived from the study of astronomy'' in 1835. That same year, Chevallier was invited to become Professor of Astronomy at the newly founded
University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charter in 1837. It was the first recognised university to ...
. A chair of Mathematics and Astronomy existed at the University of Durham between 1841 and 1871; Chevallier was the one to hold this post. He also served as Reader in Hebrew from 1835 to 1871, Registrar from 1835 to 1865, and from 1834 to 1835 also assisted with lectures in Divinity. He was instrumental in establishing the
Durham University Observatory The Durham University Observatory is a weather observatory owned and operated by the University of Durham. It is a Grade II listed building located at Potters Bank, Durham and was founded in 1839 initially as an astronomical and meteorological o ...
(in 1839), serving as its Director for thirty years, and from which he made important observations of Jupiter's moons and regular
meteorological Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agriculture ...
observations. From 1835 until his death, he also served as perpetual Parish Priest at Esh, just outside Durham, where he founded the village school and restored the church. After his resignation in 1871 from his academic posts following a
stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
, he died on 4 November 1873.


Family

Chevallier had married, in 1825, Catherine, daughter of American Loyalist Charles Apthorpe Wheelwright. She died in 1858. He had three children: Catherine Temple, Alicia Temple and Temple (who died as a child).


Legacy

*Chevallier was the first British astronomer to institute regular and continuous observation of
sunspot Sunspots are temporary spots on the Sun's surface that are darker than the surrounding area. They are one of the most recognizable Solar phenomena and despite the fact that they are mostly visible in the solar photosphere they usually aff ...
s. *He is entablatured in the Cathedral Chapel of the Nine Altars (Durham) and is portrayed in the Great Hall of
Durham Castle Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham, England, which has been occupied since 1837 by University College, Durham after its previous role as the residence of the Bishops of Durham. Designated since 1986 as a cultural World Heri ...
(
University College, Durham University College, informally known as Castle, is the oldest constituent college of Durham University in England. Centred on Durham Castle on Palace Green, it was founded in 1832 by William van Mildert, Bishop of Durham. As a constituent ...
) as a large, imposing man, with a heavy beard. *The
lunar crater Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth's Moon. The Moon's surface has many craters, all of which were formed by impacts. The International Astronomical Union currently recognizes 9,137 craters, of which 1,675 have been dated. History The wo ...
Chevallier is named after him.


References

Attribution:


Further reading

* *Kenworthy, J.M., 1994, "The Durham University Observatory meteorological record," ''Observatories and Climatological Research, Occasional Publication'', no. 29, Department of Geography, University of Dunham. *Kenworthy, J.M. and Lowes, M.D., 1993, "The Chevalier family: their contribution to meteorology in the north-east of England," ''Weather'', 48 (2), 51–6. *Clive Hodges: ''Cobbold & Kin: Life Stories from an East Anglian Family'' (Woodbridge, Boydell Press, 2014) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chevallier, Temple 1794 births 1873 deaths 19th-century British astronomers 19th-century English mathematicians Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Fellows of Pembroke College, Cambridge Fellows of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Academics of Durham University People from Suffolk Coastal (district) Second Wranglers 19th-century English Anglican priests Writers about religion and science