Richard Sheepshanks (30 July 1794 – 4 August 1855) was a Britishastronomer.[1]
Sheepshanks was born on 30 July 1794, inLeeds, the son of Joseph Sheepshanks, a Leedstextile manufacturer of the well-to-do Sheepshank family of Bilton, Harrogate. His brother wasJohn Sheepshanks (clothing manufacturer and art collector), and his sister wasAnne Sheepshanks (astronomical benefactor). He received his education atTrinity College, Cambridge, graduating in 1816.[2] He was called to the bar in 1824 and took orders inChurch of England in 1825, but did not practise either profession as the death of his father left him with sufficient wealth to pursue his scientific interests. He had six children from a relationship with an Irish dancer,[3] one of whom was Eleanor Louisa Moravia Henry, also known as Nelly,[4] mother of the painterWalter Sickert and the feministHelena Swanwick. Sheepshanks gave financial support to the dancer and her husband, who in turn claimed paternity.[5] In later life, he and his sister lived inReading inBerkshire.
From 1817 until his death, Sheepshanks was a fellow ofTrinity College, Cambridge, where he was an active astronomer.[2] He served as editor ofMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and greatly improved their content. In 1830, he was elected aFellow of the Royal Society.[6] In 1832, he got involved in the lawsuit ofEdward Troughton against SirJames South, in which Troughton demanded payment for anequatorial mounting that he had supplied to South, but which South claimed to be defective. Sheepshanks informally served as legal counsel to Troughton; South's legal counsel wasDrinkwater Bethune. Troughton prevailed in the lawsuit. In 1833, he recommended withholding publication of an early edition ofStephen Groombridge'sstar catalogue, which was being published posthumously, after discovering the edition containederrors. A final corrected edition was later published in 1838 under the auspices ofGeorge Biddell Airy. In his later career he worked on establishing astandard of length forimperial measures. He was reportedly deeply sceptical of the work ofCharles Babbage and of Babbage's ability to deliver a workingDifference Engine orAnalytical Engine. The two men publicly criticized each other.[7][8]
He suffered astroke ("apoplexy") on 29 July 1855, dying on 4 August, inReading, and was buried at Trinity College. There is a memorial notice at St John's Church, Bilton inHarrogate.[9] After his death, Richard's sisterAnne Sheepshanks contributed a legacy towards research to be conducted by theCambridge Observatory and a scholarship in her brother's name.[10]
{{cite news}}:|archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) See particularly chapter 12, "Intrigues of Science."