Abstract
THE ceremony of unveiling a memorial in Westminster Abbey to the memory of the late Lord Rayleigh, which was held yesterday, November 30, may perhaps lend interest to a short account of the memorials to men of science already there. These memorials are more numerous than is generally supposed. There are few branches of science unrepresented, and in some directions the scientific activity of the nation m faithfully reflected by the men either buried or commemorated within the Abbey walls. Though interments have taken place in the Abbey for many centuries, it is only within the last two hundred years or so that any man of science has been buried there. The earliest British representative of science commemorated is the young astronomer, Jeremiah Horrocks, who died in 1641, a year or two after he had watched the transit of Venus. Astronomy is further represented by Adams. and Sir John Herschel, but it is rather surprising that none of the Astronomers Royal—Flamsteed, Halley, Bradley,. Maskelyne, or Airy—is commemorated. Mathematics and physics can show memorials to Barrow, Newton, Spottiswoode, Thomas Young, Joule, Stokes, and Kelvin; geology is represented by Woodward, Buckland, and Lyell; chemistry by Sir Humphry Davy; while Darwin, Wallace, and Hooker are the three outstanding naturalists. Surgery, medicine, and engineering all have memorials of interest, and to some of these brief reference will be made.
Article PDF
Change history
01 December 1921
The Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey is in the south transept, and not the north, as stated in the article on “Science in Westminster Abbey” in last week's NATURE, p. 437.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
SMITH, E. Science in Westminster Abbey. Nature 108, 437–439 (1921). https://doi.org/10.1038/108437a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/108437a0