77-536: Astronomer Royal is a senior post in the Royal Households of the United Kingdom . There are two officers, the senior being the astronomer royal dating from 22 June 1675; the junior is the astronomer royal for Scotland dating from 1834. The Astronomer Royal works to make observations to improve navigation, cartography, instrument design, and applications of geomagnetism. The position was created with
154-617: A stipend of 100 GBP per year and is a member of the royal household , under the general authority of the Lord Chamberlain . After the separation of the two offices of Astronomer Royal and Director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory, the position of astronomer royal has been largely honorary, although the holder remains available to advise the Sovereign on astronomical and related scientific matters, and
231-416: A comparatively late period, their original duties were transferred to the master of the horse . In these circumstances, the holders of the original great offices of state and the household ceased to attend court except on occasions of extraordinary ceremony, and their representatives either by inheritance or by special appointment continued to appear at coronations and some other public solemnities, such as
308-482: A large staff of domestic servants, military personnel, priests, and clerks. Household members included noble thegns for whom such service could lead to promotion to higher office. The highest ranking officers were: Cnut the Great ( r. 1016–1035 ) introduced officers known as stallers , who were close to the king and very wealthy. There could be as many as eight stallers at once, and they probably supervised
385-735: A number of honorary military appointments: the aides-de-camp to the King (who are usually very high-ranking officers of the three armed services), the two Gold Sticks and the Vice Admiral and Rear Admiral of the United Kingdom . In addition, the two corps of royal bodyguards (the Gentlemen at Arms and the Yeomen of the Guard ) are part of the Household. Gentlemen ushers are unpaid members of
462-650: A separate post of director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory was created to manage the institution. The origin of the title Astronomer Royal is unknown. Although John Flamsteed is widely considered the first Astronomer Royal, he was never appointed with the title and only referred to in the Warrant to Ordinance as "Our Astronomical Observer". Similar language was used to appoint all the Astronomers Royal until 1881 with William Christie 's appointment. The term Astronomer Royal did not become commonly used until
539-651: Is Tim Knox . The Royal Almonry , Ecclesiastical Household , and Medical Household are functionally separate. For accounting purposes they are the responsibility of the Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King. The Crown Equerry has day-to-day operation of the Royal Mews , and is part of the Lord Chamberlain's Office. The other equerries have a different role: attending and assisting
616-645: Is buryed in the Chancell of Burstow Church". She also left instructions, and twenty five pounds, for the executor of her will to place "in the aforesaid Chancell of Burstow … A Marble stone or Monument, with an inscription in Latin, in memory of the late Reverend Mr. John Flamsteed". It seems no such monument was created, and almost 200 years later, a plaque was placed to mark his burial in the chancel. After his death, his papers and scientific instruments were taken by his widow. The papers were returned many years later, but
693-570: The Regalia : Officers of the Order of the Thistle : The Household Division, Sovereign's Body Guard, King's Guard, and ceremonial military posts and bodies: Other hereditary and non-hereditary offices and Court appointments : A part-time Private Secretary to Prince William and Prince Harry ( James Lowther-Pinkerton MVO MBE Irish Guards (Rtd.) ) was appointed in the Household of
770-633: The Royal Observatory, Greenwich . The most important position was that of the computers or people that would perform all the mathematical computations behind the astronomers' observations. Many of these computers were women, but they were often left out of articles and books, thus leaving them out of most common historical sources. Originally, the Astronomer Royal had one assistant but increased to six during John Pond's appointment as Astronomer Royal . The astronomer royal today receives
847-735: The Royal Society were appointed as the Board of Visitors to the Royal Observatory to oversee Flamsteed. The original Board of Visitors consisted entirely of associates and allies of Newton which enraged Flamsteed. In 1765, the Board of Longitude decided that the Astronomer Royal's observations were the property of the Crown and must be printed and published each year. John Pond and subsequent Astronomers Royal elected to publish their findings quarterly instead. Sir George Airy transformed
SECTION 10
#1732773169868924-738: The State Opening of Parliament or trials by the House of Lords . In its main outlines the existing organisation of the royal household is essentially the same as it was under the Tudors or the Plantagenets . It is divided into three principal departments, at the head of which are the lord steward, the lord chamberlain and the master of the horse, and the respective provinces of which may be generally described as "below stairs", "above stairs" and "out of doors". The duties of these officials, and
1001-592: The Tower of London , Flamsteed had the opportunity to be taken by Titus to meet the King. He was subsequently admitted as an official Assistant to the Royal Commission and supplied observations in order to test St Pierre's proposal and to offer his own comments. The commission's conclusions were that, although St Pierre's proposal was not worth further consideration, the King should consider establishing an observatory and appointing an observer in order to better map
1078-804: The Union of the Crown with England ; or due to lack of a clear office holder. The Great Officers of the Royal Household (not to be confused with the Great Officers of State of Scotland which are political and judicial appointments, or the Great Officers of the Crown of Scotland though some officers are shared) are: Ecclesiastical officers of the Ecclesiastical Household of Scotland : Officers of Administration and Legal Officers: Governors, Captains and Keepers of Palaces and Castles: Heraldic Officers and Keepers of
1155-592: The green cloth and other inferior officers both of the household and chamber , it is thought that he will employ his own and dismiss his father's, because he hath caused the latter all to be removed to Denmark House to attend the body, and lodged the former about himself at Whitehall '. As consort of the British sovereign, Queen Camilla will receive a household of her own. Traditionally, queens consort have appointed their own Lord Chamberlain and various ladies-in-waiting as part of their household. This tradition
1232-418: The housecarls (royal bodyguards). Other officers included the stewards ( stigweardas ) and the marshals ( horsethegns ) in charge of the royal stables and household travel. The household also included priests, who also probably had noble backgrounds. Priests in the royal chapel performed religious duties and acted as royal secretaries—writing letters, charters , and other official documents. By
1309-483: The 1919 eclipse, Dyson was crucial in designing the Eddington experiment with Arthur Stanley Edington to test Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity . Starting months before the eclipse, stars were photographed and carefully charted, and during the total eclipse the same stars would be photographed and charted again. If Einstein's theory was correct then the light from the selected stars would be bent passing around
1386-772: The House of Commons. In the House of Lords, the Government Chief Whip is usually appointed Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms and the Deputy Chief Whip as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard , with junior whips appointed as lords-in-waiting and baronesses-in-waiting. Occasionally these officers are called upon to undertake Household duties, especially the Vice-Chamberlain, who is responsible for writing regular parliamentary reports for
1463-415: The Household , since 2013, has been Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt KCVO CB OBE and has overall responsibility for the domestic workings of the Household. The Lord Chamberlain's Office , led by its Comptroller current Lt-Colonel Michael Vernon, is responsible for official royal occasions. The Royal Collection Department is overseen by its Director who since February 2018
1540-588: The King in his official duties from day to day. (Historically, they too were part of the mews, but today they are entirely separate.) The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood is also under the Lord Chamberlain's Office, as is the office of the Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps . The College of Arms has been a branch of the Royal Household since its incorporation in 1484 by King Richard III it
1617-691: The King's Music , Piper to the Sovereign , Poet Laureate , and Astronomer Royal . The King's Bargemaster , the Keeper of the Jewel House , the Serjeants-at-Arms , and the Warden and Marker of the Swans , perform less celebrated functions. The offices of Treasurer of the Household , Comptroller of the Household , and Vice-Chamberlain of the Household are held by senior government whips in
SECTION 20
#17327731698681694-585: The King. If the monarch is female she has ladies-in-waiting (formally styled either ladies of the bedchamber or women of the bedchamber ), some of whom are in personal attendance on a daily basis. They are overseen by the Mistress of the Robes , who traditionally was head of the female household. If the monarch is male these roles are instead attached to the Household of the Queen consort. The Household includes
1771-804: The Prince of Wales and the Princess of Wales in May 2005. In January 2009, a separate Household of Prince William and Prince Harry was established (formally "The Household of His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales and His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales"), headed by Lowther-Pinkerton. Following their marriages, the Household also additionally served their wives. The Household's offices are currently based in Kensington Palace , having formerly been based in St James's Palace . The Household, as of 2011, had
1848-604: The Queen's equerry. Queen Elizabeth II's ladies-in-waiting will be given new roles as "ladies of the household". The Household is for the time being configured as follows (according to the arrangements inherited from Elizabeth II): The Great Officers of the Household are, in order of seniority, the Lord Steward , the Lord Chamberlain and the Master of the Horse . Only the Lord Chamberlain fulfils an executive function; while
1925-846: The Royal Household Property Section directly from the grant-in-aid provided by Parliament , whereas Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House are privately owned and maintained. The unoccupied royal residences (including the Tower of London) are run by the Historic Royal Palaces Agency, which is self-funding. The Royal Household in Scotland includes offices of personal, honorary and state appointments. Many appointments are vacant having fallen into abeyance ; been abolished or returned to The Crown ; merged with other positions both before and after
2002-543: The Royal Household, often retired military officers, who provide occasional assistance as marshals at royal events. The Lady Usher of the Black Rod is an important official in the Houses of Parliament; but technically she too is a member of the Royal Household (and acts as the King's messenger at the State Opening ). The royal residences (see list of British royal residences ) in current use are cared for and maintained by
2079-412: The Royal Household. In this way, the Royal Household may be seen as having a symbolic, as well as a practical, function: exemplifying the monarchy's close relationship with other parts of the constitution and of national life. The royal household has roots in the comitatus that provided military support to early Anglo-Saxon kings . In addition to the royal family, the household would have included
2156-538: The Sovereign and serves as the principal channel of communication between the Sovereign and his or her governments. Besides these, he also manages the Sovereign's official programme and correspondence. The Keeper of the Privy Purse has responsibility for the Sovereign's personal finances and those to do with semi-private concerns, along with, as Treasurer to the King oversight of the civil list . The two positions are held together and, since 2018, they have both been held by Sir Michael Stevens KCVO . The Master of
2233-607: The Sun in large, closed elliptical orbits. Flamsteed later learned that Newton had gained access to his observations and data through Edmond Halley , his former assistant with whom he previously had a cordial relationship. As Astronomer Royal, Flamsteed spent some forty years observing and making meticulous records for his star catalogue, which would eventually triple the number of entries in Tycho Brahe 's sky atlas. Unwilling to risk his reputation by releasing unverified data, he kept
2310-428: The chamber divided into two sub-departments: the great chamber and the privy chamber . The privy chamber was overseen by grooms of the chamber , led by the groom of the stool . The groom of the stool was one of the most powerful officials in the household until the office was abolished in 1837. He or she (when the monarch was female) acted as a royal gatekeeper , allowing or denying other household officials access to
2387-477: The day, and a love of history , leaving the school in May 1662. His progress to Jesus College, Cambridge , recommended by the Master of Derby School, was delayed by some years of chronic ill health. During those years, Flamsteed gave his father some help in his business, and from his father learnt arithmetic and the use of fractions , developing a keen interest in mathematics and astronomy . In July 1662, he
Astronomer Royal - Misplaced Pages Continue
2464-466: The discovery of the planet Uranus , even though he thought it was a star. In 1694, he gathered evidence of the stellar parallax and became the first person to prove that the Earth revolves around the sun. However, his most significant contribution to the Royal Observatory and later to the Astronomers Royal was his high standard of work. Six years after the death of Flamsteed, Historia Coelestis Britannica
2541-545: The distance to Mars and hence the astronomical unit . To this end, Flamsteed compared the apparent shift of Mars during the night with respect to other stars, this shift being superimposed on Mars' apparent night-to-night course among the stars. On 16 August 1680 Flamsteed catalogued a star, 3 Cassiopeiae , that later astronomers were unable to corroborate. Three hundred years later, the American astronomical historian William Ashworth suggested that what Flamsteed may have seen
2618-497: The equator, it was more accurate than any other methods until the use of the marine chronometer for finding longitude. In 1833, John Pond published his catalog of 1113 different stars. The catalog contained more stars recorded to a much higher degree of accuracy than any other publication at the time, and impressed many other astronomers across Europe. Another notable Astronomer Royal was Sir George Biddell Airy . While still in college at Trinity College, Cambridge , he noticed he
2695-736: The equivalent of 7.8 full-time staff. It was announced in June 2011 that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would temporarily move their official London residence to an apartment in Kensington Palace , a move that was completed in August of that year. The Duke and Duchess' primary residence continued to be the island of Anglesey in Wales, where the Duke served as an RAF search and rescue pilot. The couple previously shared an apartment at Clarence House with Prince Harry, which he retained. On 6 November 2011, it
2772-487: The fixed stars, so as to find out the so-much desired longitude of places, for the perfecting the art of navigation." The first six Astronomer Royals dedicated themselves primarily to this task and focused on astronomical observations that would benefit navigation. The astronomer royal was director of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich from the establishment of the post in 1675 until 1972. The astronomer royal became an honorary title in 1972 without executive responsibilities, and
2849-648: The household of Edward IV ) written between 1467 and 1477, the household was divided into the Domus Providencie (the Hall) and the Domus Regie Magnificencie (the Chamber). The Domus Providencie was led by the lord steward . The Domus Regie Magnificencie was led by the lord chamberlain . (kitchens, bakehouse, buttery, laundry, woodyard, etc) Sometime in the 15th century,
2926-444: The incomplete records under seal at Greenwich. In 1712, Isaac Newton , then President of the Royal Society , and Edmond Halley again obtained Flamsteed's data and published a pirated star catalogue. Flamsteed managed to gather three hundred of the four hundred printings and burned them. "If Sir I.N. would be sensible of it, I have done both him and Dr. Halley a great kindness," he wrote to his assistant Abraham Sharp . The data from
3003-640: The instruments disappeared. Flamsteed accurately calculated the solar eclipses of 1666 and 1668. He was responsible for several of the earliest recorded sightings of the planet Uranus , which he mistook for a star and catalogued as '34 Tauri'. The first of these was in December 1690, which remains the earliest known sighting of Uranus by an astronomer. In October 1672, when Mars was in opposition , Flamsteed used eyepieces with illuminated micrometer reticle carrying double cross-hairs, to measure Mars' diurnal parallax , thus allowing Flamsteed to estimate
3080-401: The king's administrative and judicial responsibilities expanded, public duties were delegated to household officers, making them state officers as well. Typically, each office had two or three holders who most likely served on a rotating basis. The Merovingian and Carolingian royal households had similar offices, and there is evidence that it influenced its English counterpart. However, there
3157-563: The ladies of the court from the Mistress of the Robes to the Maids of Honour are in her service. At the commencement of the reign of Queen Victoria, the two establishments were combined, and considerably reduced. On the accession of Edward VII , the civil list was again reconstituted; while the household of the king and his consort became larger than during the previous reign, redundant or unnecessary offices were merged or abolished. The household of Elizabeth II included 1,200 employees. This
Astronomer Royal - Misplaced Pages Continue
3234-519: The large household that supports the sovereign to the household of the Prince and Princess of Wales , with fewer members. In addition to the royal officials and support staff, the sovereign's own household incorporates representatives of other estates of the realm, including the government, the military, and the church. Government whips , defence chiefs , several clerics , scientists , musicians , poets , and artists hold honorary positions within
3311-631: The late 18th Century while the Royal Warrants still used "Our Astronomical Observer". Other titles such as Royal Professor at Greenwich were also used in less formal documents during this time. In 1703, Isaac Newton was elected President of the Royal Society and was upset with the lack of publications coming from the Greenwich Observatory under Flamsteed. This eventually led to Queen Anne's Warrant of 1710 where members of
3388-651: The lyrics of Gilbert and Sullivan ' s The Pirates of Penzance and plays an important role in Fred Hoyle 's novel The Black Cloud . Royal Households of the United Kingdom The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the collective departments that support members of the British royal family . Many members of the royal family who undertake public duties have separate households. They vary considerably in size, from
3465-455: The measuring instruments in the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. Using these improved instruments, he meticulously double-checked measurements and discoveries made by past astronomers. Frank Dyson , the ninth Astronomer Royal, determined latitude variation caused by irregular movement of Earth's magnetic poles. He used a telescope floating in mercury and was able to detect when the poles of the earth wobbled any distance greater than one foot. During
3542-583: The monarch. Over time, the offices of Lord High Steward and Lord Great Chamberlain lost both their political functions, which were taken over by the Chief Justiciar and Lord High Treasurer , and their domestic functions, which were taken over by the lord steward and lord chamberlain. The marshalship and the constableship became hereditary, and, although the Lord High Constable and Earl Marshal retained their military authority until
3619-519: The office is of great prestige. There was formerly a Royal Astronomer of Ireland who was also the Andrew's Professor of Astronomy at the University of Dublin. Both became vacant in 1921 with Irish Independence but a new Andrew's Professor of Astronomy was appointed in 1985. John Flamsteed is responsible for a few important discoveries including proving his theory of annual stellar parallax and
3696-790: The other two continue to have a ceremonial role, and are to be seen particularly on State occasions. The Royal Household is coordinated by the part-time Lord Chamberlain ( The Lord Benyon ). The Private Secretary to the Sovereign ( the Rt Hon. Sir Clive Alderton KCVO since 2022), manages the Private Secretary's Office, and controls the Press Office, the Royal Archives , and the Defence Services Secretary 's Office, serves as principal advisor to
3773-408: The overall goal of discovering a way to determine longitude at sea when out of sight of land . The post was created by King Charles II in 1675, at the same time as he founded the Royal Observatory, Greenwich . He appointed John Flamsteed , instructing him "forthwith to apply himself with the most exact care and diligence to the rectifying the tables of the motions of the heavens, and the places of
3850-418: The pirated catalogue were used by the London cartographer John Senex to produce star charts in the 1720s before Flamsteed's own charts were ready. In 1725 Flamsteed's own version of Historia Coelestis Britannica was published posthumously, edited by his wife, Margaret Flamsteed . This contained Flamsteed's observations, and included a catalogue of 2,935 stars to much greater accuracy than any prior work. It
3927-431: The places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so much desired Longitude of places for Perfecteing the Art of Navigation". In June 1675, another royal warrant provided for the founding of the Royal Greenwich Observatory , and Flamsteed laid the foundation stone on 10 August. In February 1676, he was admitted a Fellow of the Royal Society , and in July, he moved into the Observatory where he lived until 1684, when he
SECTION 50
#17327731698684004-477: The position from its original purpose of improving navigation to conducting more general astronomical and scientific research. With approval from the Board of Visitors in 1836, Airy created a Magnetic and Meteorological Department in the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Following this, in 1873 he created the Solar Photography Department. Astronomers Royal are responsible for many different discoveries and theories. They had several assistants who aided in their research at
4081-502: The reign of Edward the Confessor ( r. 1042–1066 ), the chapel's writing office had custody of the great seal used to authenticate writs . Service in the royal chapel could be a stepping stone towards becoming a bishop . Even though it traveled constantly with the king as an itinerant court , the royal household was the center of the Anglo-Saxon government . Initially, household officers performed domestic tasks (such as overseeing food, clothing, royal stables, or travel). As
4158-409: The same time, he acquired Thomas Street 's Astronomia Carolina, or A New Theory of the Celestial Motions ( Caroline Tables ). He associated himself with local gentlemen interested in astronomy, including William Litchford, whose library included the work of the astrologer John Gadbury which included astronomical tables by Jeremiah Horrocks , who had died in 1641 at the age of twenty-two. Flamsteed
4235-399: The stars and the motions of the Moon in order to underpin the successful development of the lunar-distance method of finding longitude. On 4 March 1675 Flamsteed was appointed by royal warrant "The King's Astronomical Observator" – the first English Astronomer Royal , with an allowance of £100 a year. The warrant stated his task as "rectifieing the Tables of the motions of the Heavens, and
4312-518: The sun and show more deflection than Newtonian theory could account for. When the photographs from the eclipse were developed it became clear that Einstein's theory had accurately predicted the position of stars. This was one of the first experiments done to test general relativity . The astronomer royal is mentioned in H. G. Wells ' novel The War of the Worlds , in George Orwell 's Down and Out in Paris and London , and in Thomas Pynchon 's novel Mason & Dixon . He also makes an appearance in
4389-434: The various officers under their charge are dealt with in the articles under those headings. When the reigning sovereign is a queen, the royal household is in some other respects rather differently arranged from that of a king and a queen consort. Under a king and a queen consort, a separate establishment "above stairs" and "out of doors" works for the queen consort. She has a Lord Chamberlain 's department of her own, and all
4466-487: The year 1667 and not 1680, some historians feel that all Flamsteed may have done was incorrectly note the position of a star already known. In 1681 Flamsteed proposed that the two great comets observed in November and December 1680 were not separate bodies, but rather a single comet travelling first towards the Sun and then away from it. Although Isaac Newton first disagreed with Flamsteed, he later came to agree with him and theorized that comets, like planets, moved around
4543-437: Was "[e]levated to the priesthood [and] appointed rector" of the small village of Burstow , near Crawley in Surrey . He held that office, as well as that of Astronomer Royal, until his death. He is buried at Burstow, and the east window in the church was dedicated to him as a memorial. The will of Flamsteed's widow, Margaret, left instructions for her own remains to be deposited "in the same Grave in which Mr John Flamsteed
4620-433: Was Prince of Wales were notified of potential redundancies. This reflects the uncertain situation of members of the Royal Households at the start of each new reign: in the days following the death of King James I in 1625, the Countess of Bedford remarked 'What the King's resolution is yet for his own and his father's servants, he hath not declared (farther than the white staves , which are to remain as they were); but for
4697-420: Was an English astronomer and the first Astronomer Royal . His main achievements were the preparation of a 3,000-star catalogue, Catalogus Britannicus , and a star atlas called Atlas Coelestis , both published posthumously. He also made the first recorded observations of Uranus , although he mistakenly catalogued it as a star, and he laid the foundation stone for the Royal Greenwich Observatory . Flamsteed
SECTION 60
#17327731698684774-490: Was announced that the Duke, Duchess and Prince Harry, along with Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales (later King Charles) had approved a plan that would have the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge permanently move to a larger apartment in Kensington Palace in 2013, after it is renovated. This apartment was previously occupied by the Queen's sister, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and her husband Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon after their marriage in 1960. The apartment
4851-421: Was born in Denby , Derbyshire , England, the only son of Stephen Flamsteed and his first wife, Mary Spadman. He was educated at the free school of Derby and at Derby School , in St Peter's Churchyard, Derby , near where his father carried on a malting business . At that time, most masters of the school were Puritans . Flamsteed had a solid knowledge of Latin , essential for reading the scientific literature of
4928-403: Was determined to find a way to find longitude at sea without sight of land. Starting in 1725, Halley while serving as Astronomer Royal and a Commissioner on the Board of Longitude made very detailed and precise observations of the moon. From these observations he was able to show that longitude could be calculated using the moon in 1731. Although the error is his calculations was about 69 miles at
5005-524: Was directly appointed by the Sovereign on the recommendation of Earl Marshal. The college is a corporation of thirteen royal heralds , overseen by the Earl Marshal , a hereditary office held by the Duke of Norfolk . The college is self-supporting and receives no funds from the Crown. The college holds jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to heraldry , genealogy , and pedigrees in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and in some Commonwealth realms . Certain independent and honorific posts include Master of
5082-416: Was fascinated by the thirteenth-century work of Johannes de Sacrobosco , De sphaera mundi , and on 12 September 1662 observed his first partial solar eclipse . Early in 1663, he read Thomas Fale 's Horologiographia: The Art of Dialling , which set off an interest in sundials . In the summer of 1663, he read Wingate's Canon , William Oughtred 's Canon , and Thomas Stirrup's Art of Dialling . At about
5159-452: Was followed by his Private Secretary, Principal Private Secretary, Master of the Household and two Equerries; however, since the King's new household had yet to be appointed they were gazetted, not as 'His Majesty's Household', but as the 'Household of the former Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall'. On 13 September, five days after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II , 100 staff who had been working for King Charles III while he
5236-521: Was greatly impressed (as Isaac Newton had been) by the work of Horrocks. In August 1665, at the age of nineteen and as a gift for his friend Litchford, Flamsteed wrote his first paper on astronomy, entitled Mathematical Essays , concerning the design, use and construction of an astronomer's quadrant , including tables for the latitude of Derby. In September 1670, Flamsteed visited Cambridge and entered his name as an undergraduate at Jesus College . While it seems he never took up full residence, he
5313-426: Was having trouble reading with his left eye. Eventually, his condition would be classified as an astigmatism , but at the time, there was no cure that worked for everyone. After consulting with others who had the same condition, he specially crafted a lens to refract the light rays and correct the astigmatism. With experience working with lenses, he spent a significant amount of his time as the Astronomer Royal improving
5390-413: Was no English equivalent to the powerful office of major domus (Latin for " mayor of the palace "), and English kings maintained ultimate authority over their households. By the time of Henry I ( r. 1100–1135 ), the royal household was divided into five departments as described in the Constitutio Domus Regis : According to the Liber Niger Domus Regis Angliae (the Black Book of
5467-490: Was persuaded by his mistress, Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth , to hear about a proposal to find longitude by the position of the Moon from an individual known as Le Sieur de St Pierre. Charles appointed a Royal Commission to examine the proposal in December 1674, consisting of Lord Brouncker , Seth Ward , Samuel Moreland , Christopher Wren , Silius Titus , John Pell and Robert Hooke . Having arrived in London on 2 February 1675, and staying with Jonas Moore at
5544-400: Was published containing much of the data and theories he had spent his life working on both before and after his appointment as Astronomer Royal. It contains accurate tables of lunar motion, planetary motion, and detailed stellar catalog of 2935 stars. This publication made the Astronomer Royal and the Royal Observatory, Greenwich internationally renown for precise observation. Edmond Halley
5621-650: Was retained by Princess Margaret after her divorce in 1978 and was her London residence until her death in 2002. Prince Harry then moved his official residence from Clarence House to the apartment vacated by the Cambridges. In addition, once the move was complete, their official household was also moved to Kensington Palace from St James's Palace, although the household remained shared. Until the moves were complete, their Household remained based at St James's Palace and continued to be shared. John Flamsteed John Flamsteed FRS (19 August 1646 – 31 December 1719)
5698-411: Was roughly the same size as Charles II's household but larger than Victoria 's, whose staff numbered 921. Appointing a new monarch's household can take some time; in 1952 the full list of appointments to the new Queen's household was not published until almost six months after her accession to the throne. In 2022, walking in the state procession for the state funeral of Elizabeth II , the new King
5775-589: Was scrapped in accordance with the King's view of having a slimmed-down monarchy, and instead of ladies-in-waiting, Queen Camilla will be served by "Queen's companions", a group of six ladies that will occupy the new occasional and informal position and will not be involved in tasks such as replying to letters or developing schedules. The Queen's companions are the Marchioness of Lansdowne , Jane von Westenholz, Lady Brooke, Sarah Troughton , Lady Sarah Keswick and Baroness Chisholm . Major Ollie Plunket will serve as
5852-496: Was the most recent supernova in the galaxy's history, an event which would leave as its remnant the strongest radio source outside of the Solar System, known in the third Cambridge (3C) catalogue as 3C 461 and commonly called Cassiopeia A by astronomers. Because the position of "3 Cassiopeiae" does not precisely match that of Cassiopeia A, and because the expansion wave associated with the explosion has been worked backward to
5929-541: Was there for two months in 1674, and had the opportunity to hear Isaac Newton's Lucasian Lectures . Ordained a deacon, he was preparing to take up a living in Derbyshire when he was invited to London by his patron Jonas Moore , Surveyor-General of the Ordnance. Moore had recently made an offer to the Royal Society to pay for the establishment of an observatory. These plans were, however, preempted when Charles II
#867132