Timothy Lane (June 1734–5 July 1807) was a British inventor and scientist. His father was an apothecary, and Timothy followed in his footsteps, becoming a member of London’s Society of Apothecaries in 1757. His scientific interests were far-reaching; he was as curious about natural philosophy and chemistry as he was about medicine and botany. He was particularly interested in experiments and research on the uses of electricity that were being conducted by colleagues like

Joseph Priestley Joseph Priestley (; 24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, Unitarian, Natural philosophy, natural philosopher, English Separatist, separatist theologian, Linguist, grammarian, multi-subject educator and Classical libera ...

. In the 1760s, Lane invented an instrument that could measure the strength of the electricity discharged from a

Leyden jar A Leyden jar (or Leiden jar, or archaically, Kleistian jar) is an electrical component that stores a high-voltage electric charge (from an external source) between electrical conductors on the inside and outside of a glass jar. It typically co ...

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

used this device—known as "Lane's electrometer"—in his study of atmospheric electricity. In collaboration with his colleague

Henry Cavendish Henry Cavendish ( ; 10 October 1731 – 24 February 1810) was an English experimental and theoretical chemist and physicist. He is noted for his discovery of hydrogen, which he termed "inflammable air". He described the density of inflammable a ...

, Lane also created a torpedo that could dispense electric shocks. It was on the strength of his research on electricity that he became a fellow of 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 ...

in 1770. This research also led to his 1777 selection for a committee charged with discovering the ideal shape for lightning rods; this committee comprised several other prominent scientists of the day, including high-ranking members of the Royal Society and

Edward Nairne Edward Nairne (1726 – 1 September 1806) was an English optician and scientific instrument maker. Biography Nairne was born in Sandwich, England. He was apprenticed to the optician Matthew Loft in 1741 and established his own business at 20 ...

. He was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1772. In 1801, Lane invented and patented "Measuring glasses for compounding medicines," which were thought to be more reliable and accurate than comparable products on the market. That same year, he became the Master of the

Society of Apothecaries The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London is one of the livery companies of the City of London. It is one of the largest livery companies (with over 1,600 members in 2012) and ranks 58th in their order of precedence. The society is a me ...

. Lane married Ann Halford in 1763 and they had one child, Mary Aubrey Lane. He died at Mary's home in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

in 1807.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Timothy 1734 births 1807 deaths Members of the American Philosophical Society British scientists Fellows of the Royal Society