Difference between revisions of "John Theophilus Desaguliers"
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Elected to the Royal Society in 1714, he received its Copley Medal in 1734, 1736 and 1741.<ref name="rs" /> | Elected to the Royal Society in 1714, he received its Copley Medal in 1734, 1736 and 1741.<ref name="rs" /> | ||
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| + | == Demonstrations and practical experiments == | ||
| + | Illustrations in Desaguliers's ''Course of Experimental Philosophy'' show how he taught through apparatus and demonstrations. An orrery represented the planets moving around the Sun. His hydrostatic equipment included fountains and glass vessels containing hollow figures that could be moved by changes in air pressure. Such devices allowed audiences to see physical effects as a lecturer explained them.<ref name="oxford" /> | ||
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| + | The Royal Society preserves a five-page manuscript dated 21 May 1727 concerning a machine for removing foul air from mines, wells and caves. Its catalogue describes a working scale model with three pumps driven by a triple crank, together with four experiments. The paper also considered how fresh air could be carried to a particular part of a mine through passages containing stale air.<ref>Royal Society, [https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/clp_18ii_20/paper-details-of-a-machine-to-draw-damp-or-foul-air-out-of-mines-wells-caves-etc-by-j-t-john-theophilus-desaguliers Details of a machine to draw damp or foul air out of mines, wells, caves etc by J. T. Desaguliers], CLP/18ii/20, 21 May 1727, ''Science in the Making''.</ref> | ||
== Grand Lodge and the Constitutions == | == Grand Lodge and the Constitutions == | ||
Latest revision as of 15:05, 2 October 2026
John Theophilus Desaguliers (1683–1744) was a clergyman, lecturer in experimental philosophy and Fellow of the Royal Society. He served as Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge of England in 1719 and took part in the publication of The 1723 Constitutions. His career connects the early English Grand Lodge with the public teaching of science in eighteenth-century London.[1][2]
Education and public science
Desaguliers came from a French Huguenot family and arrived in England as a child. He studied at Christ Church, Oxford, and lectured at Hart Hall. After moving to London, he taught experimental philosophy at the Royal Society, at court and in his own home.[3]
His demonstrations made Newtonian science accessible to audiences without advanced mathematical training. The Science Museum records his work as an experimental demonstrator and his advice on practical projects, including Westminster Bridge.[4] His A Course of Experimental Philosophy appeared in two volumes, in 1734 and 1744, illustrating subjects such as mechanics, astronomy and the behaviour of fluids.[3]
Elected to the Royal Society in 1714, he received its Copley Medal in 1734, 1736 and 1741.[1]
Demonstrations and practical experiments
Illustrations in Desaguliers's Course of Experimental Philosophy show how he taught through apparatus and demonstrations. An orrery represented the planets moving around the Sun. His hydrostatic equipment included fountains and glass vessels containing hollow figures that could be moved by changes in air pressure. Such devices allowed audiences to see physical effects as a lecturer explained them.[3]
The Royal Society preserves a five-page manuscript dated 21 May 1727 concerning a machine for removing foul air from mines, wells and caves. Its catalogue describes a working scale model with three pumps driven by a triple crank, together with four experiments. The paper also considered how fresh air could be carried to a particular part of a mine through passages containing stale air.[5]
Grand Lodge and the Constitutions
Desaguliers was Grand Master in 1719, in the early years of the Grand Lodge later known as the Moderns.[1] The Museum of Freemasonry's account of Anthony Sayer records Desaguliers appointing Sayer as Senior Grand Warden that year.[6]
His name appears at the end of the dedication in the 1723 Constitutions, where he signs as Deputy Grand Master. Addressed to the Duke of Montagu, it presents the book as a compilation from older records prepared for the use of lodges.[2] The dedication supplies direct evidence of his involvement, while the division of work between Desaguliers, James Anderson and George Payne remains a subject of historical interpretation.[7]
The Quatuor Coronati tercentenary account gives Desaguliers a substantial role in shaping Grand Lodge government, Masonic sociability and benevolence. It relates his outlook to the circumstances of the Huguenot community and contemporary arguments for religious toleration.[8]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Royal Society, Desaguliers; John Theophilus (1683–1744), Fellows catalogue, reference NA8419. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 J. T. Desaguliers, Dedication to the Duke of Montagu, The Constitutions of the Free-Masons (1723), unnumbered preliminary pages; transcription hosted by the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 History of Science Museum, University of Oxford, John Theophilus Desaguliers, Get Physical. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Science Museum Group, Mezzotint portrait of John Theophilus Desaguliers, object 1903-167, biographical description. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Royal Society, Details of a machine to draw damp or foul air out of mines, wells, caves etc by J. T. Desaguliers, CLP/18ii/20, 21 May 1727, Science in the Making.
- ↑ Museum of Freemasonry, Learn about freemasonry: Who was the first Grand Master?. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Quatuor Coronati, Rev. James Anderson, 1723 Constitutions, discussion of authorship. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Quatuor Coronati, Dr Jean Theophilus Desaguliers, 1723 Constitutions. Accessed 24 September 2026.
Chronology: Timeline of early Freemasonry
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