Fellow details
| AuthorizedFormsOfName |
Davy; Sir; Humphry (1778 - 1829); 1st Baronet Physicist
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| Surname |
Davy
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| Forenames |
Humphry
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| PreTitle |
Sir
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| Epithet |
1st Baronet Physicist
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| DatesofExistence |
1778 - 1829
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| Nationality |
British
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| DatesAndPlaces |
Birth:
Penzance, Cornwall, England (17 December 1778)
Death:
Hotel room, Geneva, Switzerland (29 May 1829)
Burial:
Plain-Palais cemetery, Geneva, Switzerland
|
| Activity |
Research Field:
Chemistry
Career:
Apprenticed to a surgeon in Penzance and studied chemistry and chemical experimentation; assistant, Sir Thomas Beddoes' Pneumatic Institute, Bristol and experimented on gases; Assistant lecturer on Chemistry, Royal Institution, London (1801); Director, Royal Institution (1805); discovered potassium (1807) and other elements; resigned chair of Chemistry at Royal Institution (1813); invented safety lamp (1815)
The foremost British chemist of his day, he rose to prominence at the Pneumatic Institute in Bristol, before moving to the Royal Institution in London, and eventually became President of the Royal Society. His major contributions to science include the physiological effects of nitrous oxide (laughing gas), the discovery of potassium and sodium, the development of electro-chemistry, the miners' safety lamp, the electro-chemical protection of the copper sheeting of Royal Navy vessels, the conservation of the Herculaneum papyri and seeking to improve the quality of optical glass. As a friend of Coleridge, Southey and Wordsworth, Davy was also a Romantic poet and was almost certainly the chemist whom Mary Shelley had in mind when she described the teacher of Victor Frankenstein.
Honours:
Kt 1812; Bt 1818
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| RSActivity |
Membership:
Fellow
Election Date:
17/11/1803
Medals/Prizes:
Copley Medal 1805; Rumford Medal 1816; Royal Medal 1827
Lectures:
Bakerian 1806-1810, 1826
Council:
Sec 1807-1812; PRS 1820-1827
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| Relationships |
Son of Robert Davy, woodcarver, and Grace Millet; brother of John Davy (FRS 1814); married Mrs Apreece, widow of Shuckburgh Ashly Apreece
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| Source |
Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB
References:
Gudrun Richardson, 'A Norfolk Network within the Royal Society' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp 27-39, plate
Sydney Ross, 'The Search for Electromagnetic Induction 1820-1831' in NR 1965 vol 20 pp 184-219
Stephen G Brush, 'The Royal Society's First Rejection of the Kinetic Theory of Gases (1821), John Herapath versus Humphry Davy' in NR 1963 vol 18 pp 161-180
Sir Harold Hartley, 'The Debt of Engineering to Fellows of the Royal Society' in NR 1961 vol 16 pp 136-140
Sir Harold Hartley, 'A Letter From Richard Phillips, FRS (1778-1857) to Michael Faraday, FRS (1791-1867)' in NR 1965 vol 20 pp 220-223
Roger Sharrock, 'The Chemist and the Poet: Sir Humphry Davy and the Preface to Lyrical Ballads' in NR 1962 vol 17 pp 57-76
R K Bluhm, 'A Note on the Origin of the Society's Conversaziones' in NR 1958 vol 13 pp 61-63
N G Coley, 'The Animal Chemistry Club; Assistant Society to the Royal Society' in NR 1967 vol 22 pp 173-185
L F Gilbert, 'The Election to the Presidency of the Royal Society in 1820' in NR 1954-55 vol 11 pp 256-279
G R de Beer, 'The Relations between Fellows of the Royal Society and French Men of Science when France and Britain were at War' in NR 1952 vol 9 pp 244-299
F F Cartwright, 'The Association of Thomas Beddoes, MD with James Watt, FRS' in NR 1967 vol 22 pp 131-143, plate
Donald McDonald, 'Smithson Tennant, FRS (1761-1815)' in NR 1962 vol 17 pp 77-94
C Harrison Dwight, 'Count Rumford' in NR 1954-55 vol 11 pp 189-201
Garry J Tee, 'Relics of Davy and Faraday in New Zealand' in NR 1998 vol 52 pp 93-102
P M Harman, 'The Chemist in the World', review of David Knight, Humphry Davy, Science and Power in NR 1997 vol 51 pp 343-344, plate
Sir John Meurig Thomas, 'Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford and the Royal Institution' in NR 1999 vol 53 pp 11-25
Stephen F Mason, 'Poet, Chemist - and Sage?', review of David Knight, Humphry Davy: Science and Power in NR 1993 vol 47 pp 317-319, plate
Alan Q Morton, 'Previous Public Perceptions of Science', review of Larry Stewart, The Rise of Public Science: Rhetoric, Technology and Natural Philosophy in Newtonian Britain, 1660-1750 and Jan Golinski, Science as Public Culture: Chemistry and Enlightenment in Britain, 1760-1820 in NR 1994 vol 48 pp 157-159
C W P MacArthur, 'Davy's Differences With Gay-Lussac and Thenard: New Light on Events in Paris and on the Transmission and Translation of Davy's Papers in 1810' in NR 1984-85 vol 39 pp 207-228
G N Cantor, 'Thomas Young's Lectures at the Royal Institution' in NR 1970 vol 25 pp 87-112
K K Schwarz, 'Faraday and Babbage' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp367-381
J Corden, 'Web of Science History' project in NR 2002 vol 56 pp 383-388
R W Jones, 'Dalton's unfortunate choice' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 15-33
W P Griffith and P J T Morris, 'Charles Hatchett FRS (1765 - 1847), chemist and discoverer of niobium' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 299 - 316
J S Rowlinson, 'A national treasure house. <i>'The common purposes of life': science and society at the Royal Institution of Great Britain</i> ed Frank A J L James ' in NR 2004 vol 58 pp 105-106
M Crosland, 'Relationships between the Royal Society and the Academie des Sciences in the late eighteenth century' in NR 2005 vol 59 pp 25-34
P R Unwin & R W Unwin, 'Humphry Davy and the Royal Institution of Great Britain' in NR 2009 vol 63 pp7-33
James, Frank An electronic edition of RI MS HD 11 has been published which includes, among other items, drafts of Humphry Davy's 1816 paper on the miners' safety lamp. Further details can be found at: http://www.archive-editions.co.uk/index.php/file-downloads/the-davy-lamp-inventing-the-miners-safety-lamp
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| Code |
NA8200
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| AP/8/8 |
Description of an organ by which the Eyes of Birds are accommodated by the different distances of objects |
9 June 1811 |
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| AP/12/7 |
Observations on the changes which have taken place in some antient alloys of copper |
1825 |
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| AP/12/15 |
On the Magnetic Pole |
28/09/1825 |
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| AP/13/13 |
On the Importance of an expedition to determine the exact position if the North Magnetic Pole |
10 March 1828 |
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| CB/1/1/221 |
Letter from Claude Louis Berthollet to Charles Blagden |
29 January 1808 |
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| DM/1/69 |
Draft of a letter from Humphry Davy to Sir Robert Peel |
20 December 1825 |
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| DM/1/74 |
Letter from Robert Peel to Humphry Davy, President, Royal Society |
3 December 1825 |
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| DM/1/92 |
Memorandum on the cost of printing the volume of the 'Philosophical Transactions' containing Sir Humphry Davy's discourses |
c.1828 |
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| DM/2/112 |
Signed statement by Davies Gilbert re Sir Thomas Lawrence's portrait of Sir Humphry Davy |
c.1830 |
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| DM/2/113 |
'An inventory of the Goods...of Mr Newton on the premises of No 3 Duke Street Manchester Square' |
19 June 1830 |
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| DM/2/115 |
Letter from Jane Davy to the Royal Society |
c.1839 |
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| DM/3/4 |
Letter from JW Horton (for Lord Bathurst), Downing Street, to Sir Humphry Davy, President, Royal Society |
29 November 1823 |
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| DM/3/5 |
Letter from Sir Humphry Davy, President, Royal Society, to Lord Bathurst |
[21 November 1823] |
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| DM/3/7 |
J Martin & R Sepping, Navy Office, to Sir Humphry Davy, President, Royal Society |
21 January 1823 |
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| DM/3/8 |
Letter from H Legge & Middleton, Navy Office, to Sir Humphry Davy, President, Royal Society |
7 May 1823 |
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| DM/3/12 |
Letter from Robert Peel, Whitehall, to Sir Humphry Davy, President, Royal Society |
10 June 1825 |
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| DM/3/71 |
Letter from Henry Woodthorpe, Guildhall, to Sir Humphry Davy |
17 November 1823 |
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| DM/3/74 |
Letter from Stephen Lee, Asssistant Secretary, Royal Society, to Sir Humphry Davy |
5 December 1823 |
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| DM/3/77 |
Letter from Lewis Gilson, Lower Thames Street, to Sir Humphry Davy |
c.1823 |
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| DM/3/121 |
Letter from WE Parry, Admiralty, to Sir Humphry Davy, President, Royal Society |
6 April 1826 |
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| DM/3/124 |
Letter from WE Parry, Admiralty, to Sir Humphry Davy, President, Royal Society |
25 July 1826 |
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| DM/4/117 |
Letter from Martin, Sepping, Legge, Navy Office, to Sir Humphry Davy, President, Royal Society |
28 May 1823 |
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| DM/4/129 |
Letter from George Harrison, Treasury Chambers, to Sir Humphry Davy, President, Royal Society |
1 April 1823 |
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| EC/1803/03 |
Davy, Sir Humphry |
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| I/3 |
Miners' safety lamp by Humphry Davy |
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| IM/001094 |
Davy, Sir Humphry |
nd |
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| IM/001095 |
Davy, Sir Humphry |
nd |
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| IM/005692 |
Davy, Sir Humphry |
2003 |
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| IM/006268 |
Experimental Lecture on the Powers of Air |
nd |
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| IM/006515 |
Davy, Sir Humphry |
nd |
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| IM/006853 |
Davy, Sir Humphry |
nd |
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| IM/007167 |
Davy, Sir Humphry |
May 2008 |
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| IM/007168 |
Davy, Sir Humphry |
May 2008 |
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| MM/1/5 |
Letter from Humphry Davy to William Jacob |
4 July 1820 |
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| MM/3/80 |
Letter from Anthony Blagoewitsch, Hungary, to Humphry Davy |
18 December 1822 |
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| MM/6/72 |
Letter from Humphry Davy, Valley of Chamonix, to Henry Warburton |
4 July 1814 |
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| MM/6/87 |
Letter from Humphry Davy to William Hyde Wollaston |
25 June 1820 |
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| MM/9/7 |
Letter from Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, Dover, to Sir Joseph Banks |
21 September 1801 |
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| MM/13/21 |
Extract from the Will of Sir Humphry Davy |
November 1829 |
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| MM/14/103 |
'Appendix to Sir Humphry Davy's paper on a method of preventing explosions from the firedamp in coal mines' |
1816 |
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| MM/14/122 |
'Account of the Silver Plate melted down for the Royal Society' |
June 1869 |
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| MM/14/123 |
Receipt from the Royal Mint, of Plate to be melted down for the Davy Medal Fund |
13 May 1869 |
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| MM/14/124 |
Receipt from the Royal Mint, of Plate to be melted down for the Davy Medal Fund |
21 June 1869 |
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| MM/14/125 |
Note from the Royal Mint concerning Plate to be melted down for the Davy Medal Fund |
1869 |
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| MM/14/126 |
Description of the silver plate to be melted down for the Davy Medal Fund |
1817 |
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| MM/14/127 |
Inventory of Plate to be melted down for the Davy Medal Fund |
1869 |
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| MM/14/128 |
Details on the five bars of silver, resulting from the melting down of the Silver Plate |
1869 |
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| MM/15/1 |
Copy of "Further Experiments and Observations on Iodine", by Humphry Davy |
22 March 1814 |
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| MM/17/96 |
Letter from Victor Horsley to Robert Harrison, Assistant Secretary, Royal Society |
26 December 1896 |
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| MM/17/97 |
Letter from Victoria Mary Louise King to Robert Harrison, Assistant Secretary, Royal Society |
5 January 1897 |
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| MM/18/44 |
Letter from Harold Brewer Hartley to Christina Butler |
6 July 1952 |
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| MM/18/45 |
Letter from Harold Brewer Hartley to Christina Butler |
28 July 1952 |
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| MM/18/47 |
Letter from Harold Brewer Hartley to Christina Butler |
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| MM/20/51 |
Newspaper cuttings on the Royal Society |
1732-1739, 1820 |
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| MM/21/28 |
Letter from John D Enys |
8 March 1894 |
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| MS/859/2/37 |
Letter of appointment by Humphry Davy , nominating Charles Hatchett as Deputy President of the Royal Society |
7 December 1820 |
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| P/0032 |
Davy, Sir Humphry |
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| P/0210 |
Davy, Sir Humphry |
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| PT/73/5/1 |
Drawings, miners' safety lamp, by [Humphry Davy] |
1815 |
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| PT/73/5/2 |
Drawings, miners' safety lamp, by [Humphry Davy] |
1815 |
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| PT/73/6/7 |
Drawings, forms of miners' safety lamp, by [Humphry Davy?] |
1817 |
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