Airy, Sir George Biddell, 1801-1892 (Knight and astronomer)
Biography
Sir George Biddell Airy (1801-92), astronomer, was elected a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1824, was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, 1826-28, Plumian Professor of Astronomy and director of the Cambridge Observatory, 1828-36, and Astronomer Royal, 1835-81). He married Richarda (1804-75), daughter of Richard Smith, Rector of Edensor, Derbyshire, in 1830, and left six children, including Wilfrid (1836-1925), Hubert (1838-1903), Osmund (1845-1928), and Hilda, who married Dr. Routh of Cambridge. Wilfrid, a civil engineer, edited Airy's autobiography in 1896.
Found in 7 Collections and/or Records:
Family papers of George Biddell Airy
Contains material relating to family history (MS Add. 10214/1) and letters (MS Add. 10214/2) including:
hints for an excursion letter to Monsieur Verrier, 1864; letters to Professor Sedgwick, 1846-1847; letters to daugther and son-in-law, Mr and Mrs Routh 1866-1884; notes written by Hilda Routh 1898; postcard to S.W. Coles 1940.
Letter from Sir G.B. Airy to J.C. Adams, 26 Jan. 1857
Letter from Sir George Biddell Airy to Stephen Jackson, 25 Aug. 1828
Dr Davy allows Jackson to come into residence at Cambridge; Airy's experiments not going well (Polcoath Experiment - density of the earth)
Richard Mackenzie Bacon: correspondence and papers
Includes letters from Edward Harbord, 3rd Baron Suffield to R. M. Bacon and others
Sir George Airy: Scientific and family papers
Sir George Biddell Airy: Correspondence to Sir John Lubbock and B.E. Hammond, 1841-1884
Artificial collection of single item or small collection accessions. Mainly correspondence but includes other papers.
Sir George Biddell Airy: Memorandum, 18 Apr. 1849
'Mr. Glaister appears to have discharged the objects of his mission yesterday' - about wind register; observatory undertakes no expense; results must all go to one place of publication; 'Daily News', as first organiser of scheme, seems entitled to first regard; three parties subscribed; Observatory is poorest - it will help in scientific part; 'Daily News' will publish; railway companies bear expense of apparatus and observations - they should bear cost of vanes