Born Whitbeck, (Cumbria), England, 23 April 1767
Died South Kilworth, Leicestershire, England, 6 September 1847
Reverend Dr. William Pearson cofounded the Astronomical Society of London (now the Royal Astronomical Society [RAS]), made a number of elaborate astronomical clocks and demonstration instruments, and published a valuable treatise on practical astronomy. The son of yeoman farmer William and Hannah Pearson, the younger William pursued his education and career vigorously in spite of his modest origins, spending the first half of his working career as a highly successful schoolmaster, and then evolving as a beneficed clergyman in his later years.
As an amateur astronomer who was active in the astronomical community at the beginning of the 19th century, Pearson's earliest astronomical interests appear to have been focused strongly on the design and construction of clocks, orreries, and planetary machines. Well acquainted with instrument maker Edward Troughton (1753–1836),...
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Selected References
Turner, J. L. E. and H. H. Dreyer (eds.) (1987). History of the Royal Astronomical Society Volume I: 1820–1920. Oxford, U. K.: Blackwell Scientific Publications.
Gurman, S. J. and S. R. Harrat (1994). “Revd. Dr. William Pearson (1767–1847): A founder of the Royal Astronomical Society.” Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society. 35: 271.
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Williams, T.R. (2007). Pearson, William. In: Hockey, T., et al. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30400-7_1062
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