Jesse Ramsden
| Jesse Ramsden | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
6 October 1735 Salterhebble, Yorkshire |
| Died | 5 November 1800 (aged 65) Brighton, Sussex |
| Nationality | English |
| Fields |
astronomical optics |
| Known for |
Dividing engine Ramsden eyepiece Surveying instruments Optical telescopes |
| Notable awards | Copley Medal (1795) |
Jesse Ramsden FRS FRSE (6 October 1735 – 5 November 1800) was an English mathematician, astronomical and scientific instrument maker.
Ramsden was born at Salterhebble, Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Having attended the free school at Halifax for three years, he was sent at the age of twelve to his uncle at Craven in the North Riding, and there studied mathematics under the Rev. Mr. Hall. After serving his apprenticeship as a cloth-worker in Halifax, he went to London where, in 1755, he became a clerk in a cloth warehouse. In 1758 he was apprenticed to a mathematical instrument maker and he proved so proficient that he was able to set up his own business only four years later. The quality and accuracy of his instruments established his reputation as the most able instrument maker in Europe for the next forty years until his death in 1800.
Ramsden married Sarah Dollond, daughter of John Dollond the famous maker of high quality lenses and optical instruments. Little is known of their life together but Sarah did not accompany him when he moved his workshop (and home). They had no children. In his later years he lived above the workshop with a number of his apprentices.
Ramsden was of a genial disposition, clearly brought out by the portrait shown here, but at the same time he infuriated his clients with his tardiness in delivering their purchases, particularly of the larger commissions. The acrimony sometimes got out of hand. For example, Ramsden's three-year delay in providing William Roy with the theodolite for the Anglo-French Survey (1784–1790) provoked a public row within the portals of the Royal Society and in the Philosophical Transactions. In his favour it should be pointed out that many delays could be attributed to Ramsden's quest for perfection, continually refining his designs as the slightest shortcomings were revealed.
He was elected to the Royal Society in 1786 and to the Royal Society of Edinburgh in (probably) 1798. The Copley Medal of the Royal Society was bestowed upon him in 1795 for his 'various inventions and improvements in philosophical instruments.’
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