Charles Blagden and Banksian Science, 1770-1820
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Science and Technology Studies
Abstract
This study will explore the eight-volume diary of Charles Blagden (1748-1820), physician, natural philosopher and secretary to the Royal Society between 1784 and 1797. Blagden's diary is a potentially rich source of information about the workings of English science, but has not been used by historians owing to its rather illegible handwriting. This project will involve transcribing a section of the diary, using it to explore the workings of the 'Banksian regime' in late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century London, as well as opening up this key source for the use of historians.
Exploration of the diary will reveal perspectives on Blagden as well as Joseph Banks, who, despite his long tenure as president of the Society is relatively unknown in comparison to contemporaries. The diary will reveal the networks of personnel and institutions which Banks worked with to cultivate scientific activities, as well as key areas of research, such as the exploration of the Pacific between 1780 and 1820. The diary may also expose Blagden's role as a go-between among scientific and political protagonists during the period, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars.
Exploration of the diary will reveal perspectives on Blagden as well as Joseph Banks, who, despite his long tenure as president of the Society is relatively unknown in comparison to contemporaries. The diary will reveal the networks of personnel and institutions which Banks worked with to cultivate scientific activities, as well as key areas of research, such as the exploration of the Pacific between 1780 and 1820. The diary may also expose Blagden's role as a go-between among scientific and political protagonists during the period, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars.
People |
ORCID iD |
Simon Roy Edward Werrett (Primary Supervisor) | |
HANNAH WILLS (Student) |
Publications
Wills H
(2020)
Benjamin Wardhaugh, Gunpowder and Geometry: The Life of Charles Hutton, Pit Boy, Mathematician, and Scientific Rebel. London: William Collins, 2019. pp. 312. ISBN 978-0-0082-9995-8. £20.00/$39.99 (hardback).
in The British Journal for the History of Science
Wills H
(2019)
Joseph Banks and Charles Blagden: cultures of advancement in the scientific worlds of late eighteenth-century London and Paris.
in Notes and records of the Royal Society of London
Wills H
(2019)
Charles Blagden's diary: Information management and British science in the eighteenth century.
in Notes and records of the Royal Society of London
Description | Butler-Eyles travel grant |
Amount | £127 (GBP) |
Organisation | British Society for the History of Science (BSHS) |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2017 |
End | 04/2017 |
Description | Research expenses (for postgraduate students) |
Amount | £375 (GBP) |
Organisation | Royal Historical Society |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2017 |
End | 06/2017 |
Description | Research expenses (for postgraduate students) |
Amount | £400 (GBP) |
Organisation | British Society for the History of Science (BSHS) |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2017 |
End | 06/2017 |
Description | 'Curiosi-tea' interactive workshop at UCL Art Museum |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A group of retired adults attended a hands-on workshop I developed and organised based on my PhD research at the UCL Art Museum, as part of their 'Curiosi-tea' programme. I gave a short talk on my research, followed by an interactive activity where participant re-enacted some eighteenth-century science experiments. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Blog posts on my research for the UCL Researchers in Museums Blog |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I blog for the UCL researchers in museums project website about my PhD research. The aim of this is to disseminate my findings, and to raise the profile of the research I do. The outcome has been that my research reaches a large audience from around the world. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/researchers-in-museums/category/c-e/hannah-wills/ |
Description | Engagement Video |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Interview with popular YouTube channel 'Objectivity' where I spoke about my research on Charles Blagden. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_QNwnFtiLc |
Description | Engagement Video |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Participation in a video promoting a special issue of the journal Notes and Records: The Royal Society Journal for the History of Science, which featured an article based on my research on Charles Blagden. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUVvGXdYVfc |
Description | speaker at 'Materials and Objects: What do researchers at UCL study?' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I spoke at an afternoon of public talks at the UCL Art Museum about the main subject of my PhD research. The aim was to reveal to the general public the breadth and depth of PhD research conducted at the university. Participants reported afterwards that they had found the talks engaging, and that they had increased their understanding of what research students do. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/researchers-in-museums/projects-exhibitions/materials-objects/ |