Doug Bickley – Lord Wrottesley

Due to the planned speaker being unwell, Doug has stepped in to present a talk on Lord Wrottesley.

Lord John Wrottesley (Second Baron of Wrottesley) contributed to 19th‐century astronomy as an enthusiastic observer and as an effective administrator of scientific organizations.  He was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford and married Sophia Elizabeth, third daughter of Thomas Gifford in 1821.  His primary career was as a lawyer, and he constructed an observatory in Blackheath, London whilst practising there.  He moved back to the family estate near Wolverhampton in 1841 on the death of his father and constructed a fine observatory where his did much of his observing.

This talk will be in two parts, the first being some history of the man and his achievements, the second showing and discussing pictures and descriptions of the local observatory as it remains now.