Archives of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh
- Reference:GB 586 ROE
- Dates of Creation:1764 - ongoing
- Name of Creator:
- Language of Material:English
- Physical Description:50 boxes
Scope and Content
The papers relating to the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh consist of correspondence, and scientific and administrative papers and notebooks preserved at the observatory, together with some recent photocopies of relevant material, the originals of which are located elsewhere.
Chronologically the archives begin with a few items from the time of the early observatory towards the end of the 18th century, and continue with some material of the Astronomical Institution of Edinburgh founded in 1811, followed by large bodies of material of successive Astronomers Royal for Scotland and their staffs from 1834.
There is also a considerable amount of material from the 26th Earl of Crawford’s private observatory at Dun Echt in Aberdeenshire. This must have come to Edinburgh with the library and instruments which he donated on the Royal Observatory’s move from Calton Hill to Blackford Hill, towards the end of 19th century.
Finally there is other collateral material of various sorts not originating in the Royal Observatory but preserved there. The archives covering the period to the time of the retirement of Ralph Sampson in 1937 have recently been assembled, arranged, stored and catalogued. The catalogue of the collection is presented here. The material belonging to the time of each Astronomer Royal for Scotland has been placed together, beginning with the papers of the Astronomical Institution of Edinburgh and earlier.
Administrative / Biographical History
The material belonging to the time of each Astronomer Royal for Scotland has been placed together, beginning with the papers of the Astronomical Institution of Edinburgh and earlier. The order of relevant dates are given below:
Observatory at Calton Hill The Astronomical Institution of Edinburgh, and earlier 1764-1834
Thomas Henderson 1834-1844
Charles Piazzi Smyth 1845-1888
Lord Crawford’s Observatory at Dun Echt
Dun Echt 1871-1896
Observatory at Blackford Hill
Ralph Copleland 1889-1905
Frank Watson Dyson 1905-1910
Ralph Allen Sampson 1910-1937
Under each of these main headings the material has been further sorted into:
Correspondence
Scientific papers
Administration
In order to preserve the paper and bindings as effectively as possible, all metal fastenings have been removed, and papers have been flattened and placed in acid-free envelopes or files. These, and the smaller notebooks, have been placed in acid-free cardboard boxes. The larger volumes are stored unboxed.
Each envelope, file and book is identified by box and item number, or by item number only as appropriate; a prefix ‘A’ may be inserted for clarity to indicate Archive material. Thus 2.7 or A2.7 identifies item number 7 stored in box number 2, the item numbers running consecutively through the whole collection. The contents list presented is intended to assist in identifying the general position, and the main catalogue the exact position, of the material sought.
In order to locate correspondence, a card index of the correspondence of Charles Piazzi Smyth is available at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh. It is hoped that similar indexes of the correspondence of other Astronomers Royal will be produced in the future, when all will be published together. Future publication would also include the papers of, and of the time of, William Michael Herbert Greaves 1938-1955 and selected papers of, and of the time of, Hermann Alexander Brück 1957-1975 Vincent Cartledge Reddish 1975-1980 and of succeeding Astronomers Royal for Scotland. The available papers of Professor Greaves are already assembled and stored, but unprocessed, and the selection of those of Professors Brück and Reddish, and contemporary archives, is going forward.
There is also a considerable collection of photographic plates, negatives and prints, constituting the photographic archives, a listing of which, it is hoped, will appear in a future publication.
Access Information
Generally open; please contact the archive to arrange access
Archivist's Note
The catalogue was originally compiled by Mary FI Smyth in 1981; updated by Librarian to the Royal Obervatory Edinburgh, Karen Moran, in 2006.
Bibliography
References:
History of the Astronomical Institution of Edinburgh, the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, and the professorship of Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh; obituary notices and much other relevant information.
1. The History files associated with these archives.
2. Brück, H.A. 1972. The Royal Observatory, Edinburgh 1822-1972. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
3. Grant, Sir Alexander. 1884. The story of the University of Edinburgh during its first three hundred years. 2 vols. Longmans, Green, and Co., London.
EUL has 12* copies of this title (*various locations): see EUL OPAC: http://catalogue.lib.ed.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=First ROE has none. See also reference numbers 6, 11.
Publications of early Astronomers Royal for Scotland, and others
4. Catalogue of the Crawford library of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh. 1890. Edinburgh.
5. Annual reports of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, 1-48. 1891-1938.
6. Astronomical Observations made at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, 1-15. 1834-1886.
7. Extracts from the letter-press of the Astronomical Observations made at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh. 1849-1890.
8. Dun Echt Circulars, 1-179. 1879-1890.
9. Edinburgh circulars, 1-54 1889-1901.
10. Annals of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, 1-3. 1902-1910.
Annual reports, papers, obituary notices
.
Monthly Notices of the Astronomical Society of London, 1. 1831. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2-97. 1833-1937.
Biographies ad bibliographies
.
Dictionary of scientific biography, 16 vols. 1970-1980. Charles Scribner’s & Sons. New York.
Further papers of Thomas Henderson
13.
Warner, Brian. 1978. Cape of Good Hope Royal Observatory. Papers in the archives of the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Journal of the history
of science, ix, 74-75.
Further papers of, and information on, Charles Piazzi Smyth
14. [Inventory of papers, drawings and photographic plates bequeathed by Charles Piazzi Smyth to the Royal Society of Edinburgh.] A copy of this inventory is kept with the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, Archives. The items may be seen by arrangement, at:
The Royal Society of Edinburgh, 22-26 George Street …Tel: 01312405000. Fax: 01312405024. Web: http://www.rse.org.uk/ Email: vingpen@royalsoc.ed.org.uk (Vicki Ingpen – Journals officer).
15. [Inventory of letters, papers, drawings and photographs of Charles Piazzi Smyth held at the Royal Society The Royal Society.] A copy of this inventory is kept with the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, Archives. A microfilm of the Tenerife drawings is kept with the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, photographic archives. The items may be seen by arrangement, at: The Royal Society, 6 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG. Tel: 02075412500. Fax: 02079302170.
Web: http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/ Email: form on website.
16. Warner, Brian. 1977. Astronomical archives in Southern Africa. Journal of the history of science, viii, 217-222.
See also reference number 13.
17. Schaaf, Larry. 1980. Piazzi Smyth at Teneriffe: part 1. History of photography, 4, 4, 289-307.
Schaaf, Larry. 1981. Piazzi Smyth at Teneriffe: part 2. History of photography, 5, 1, 27-50.
Lindsay/Crawford family and libraries
18. Barker, Nicholas. 1978. Bibliotheca Lindesiana. The Roxburghe Club , London.
19. Forbes, E.G. 1973. The Crawford Collection of the Royal Observatory. Publ. Roy. Obs, Edibnurgh, 9, 7-13.
Further papers of Frank Watson Dyson
20. Consult: Royal Greenwich Observatory & National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London SE10 9NF. Tel: 02088584422.Web: http://www.rog.nmm.ac.uk/ See also reference number 16
Email: feedback form on website.
See also reference number 16
Further papers of Ralph Allen Sampson
21. [Dept of physics] now Archives & special collections, Durham University, Palace Green Library, Palace Green, Durham DH1 3RN. Tel: 01913342932. Fax: 01913342942.
Web: http://www.dur.ac.uk/library/asc/
Email: pg.library@durham.ac.uk
Subjects
Personal Names
Corporate Names
Geographical Names