ROBERTS, ISAAC (1829 - 1904), astronomer
Date of birth: 1829
Date of death: 1904
Spouse: Ffrances Roberts
Parent: William Roberts
Gender: Male
Occupation: astronomer
Area of activity: Science and Mathematics; Space and Aviation
Author: Robert Thomas Jenkins
Born 27 January 1829, son of a small- farmer named William Roberts, Groes-bach, Groes, near Denbigh. In 1844 he was apprenticed with a building firm at Liverpool, and later became himself a very prosperous builder; he retired from business in 1888. His real interests, however, were in science - at first in geology but after 1878 in astronomy.
He moved (1882) from Rock Ferry to Maghull, and thence in 1890 to Crowborough in Sussex - each move for the sake of a larger telescope and a clearer atmosphere. He photographed thousands of stars and of nebulae.
He was elected F.R.S. in 1890, received an honorary D.Sc. of Trinity College, Dublin, in 1892, and was awarded the R.A.S. gold medal in 1895. He died suddenly, 17 July 1904.
He had directed that on the death of his widow Ffrances who he had married in 1901 a fellow- astronomer, his wealth should be divided between the University of Liverpool and the University College of North Wales, for the establishment of scholarships.
Author
- Emeritus Professor Robert Thomas Jenkins, (1881 - 1969)
- The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, 1932-3 (with a list of his papers)
Sources
- Wikipedia Article: Isaac Roberts
Further Reading
Published date: 1959
Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/
The Dictionary of Welsh Biography is provided by The National Library of Wales and the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. It is free to use and does not receive grant support. A donation would help us maintain and improve the site so that we can continue to acknowledge Welsh men and women who have made notable contributions to life in Wales and beyond.
Find out more on our sponsorship page.