WHITBY LITERARY & PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
ARCHIVES - SCORESBY PAPERS
from Administrative History
William Scoresby was born at the village of Cropton, twenty miles south west of
Whitby. He was son of a whaling captain also called William Scoresby. At the
age of thirteen he started to accompany his father to the Greenland whaling
grounds whilst having a basic education during the winter. In 1806 he enrolled
at Edinburgh University to study chemistry and natural philosophy. His
lecturers urged him to carry out research in the polar regions. Sir Joseph
Banks, President of the Royal Society suggested further research opportunities.
from Administrative History
In 1811 Scoresby married and his wife had two sons but on return from a voyage
in 1822 he learnt his wife had died. After this he went to France and during
his time here joined the fellowship of the Royal societies of Edinburgh and
London, and correspondence membership of the Institute of France. He decided
to enter the church and in 1823 he entered his name at Queen's College
Cambridge. In 1825 he was ordained and served at the curacy of Bessingby. In
1827 the Mariners' Floating Church was founded and Scoresby became its first
chaplain. In 1828 he remarried and moved to Exeter. The following years
were not easy for Scoresby, in 1834 his younger son died only to be followed
in 1837 by the other.
from Administrative History
In 1844 Scoresby visited the United States and on his return wore himself out
fighting for the rights of his parishioners. By 1847 his health had diminished
and he retired. He then made another trip to the United States and Canada
and it was while he was on this trip he was notified of his second wife's
death. In 1849 he remarried again and moved to Torquay.
from Scope and Content
- this collection comprises illustrations for personal memoirs
- personal
memoirs of William Scoresby written in Greenland in 1820-1822 with Dawson
Turners character of William Scoresby; arranged list of Scoresby's works
and fasciculus of miscellaneous papers
- Parisian guide books, annuarias
maps and other items illustrative of a visit to Paris in 1824; Baron Portal
on the account of the arctic regions
- portfolio containing original polar
maps
- portfolio of original drawings of ships and sails
- original
philosophical papers from Transactions of the Royal Societies of London
and Edinburgh
- duplicate of Scoresby's papers from Philosophical
Transactions
- notes on the magnetism of iron ships
- notes on the
temperature of the Atlantic Ocean
- original notes on unequal refraction
at Bridlington
- detached papers and letter to Wilberforce
- "The Compass in Iron ships" a letter to the Underwriters Association, Liverpool
- drawings by some youth
- experiments for magnet investigations volume III
- notes on modern arctic researches and search expeditions including Lady Franklin's notes, Sir R Murchison on arctic discovery and the theory of polar basin - Franklin Expedition (Dr Rae's Intelligence) - and arctic expeditions, all for a lecture in Torquay in 1849; additional memorials unpublished portions of Captain Stewart's letter
- copy book containing dimensions of the Ship Esk with sketches
- select papers on
iron ships and magnetism
- rough drawings - for workmen - showing proofs
of wood engravings
- list of Dr Scoresby's works from the "Clerical
Journal Directory" 1855; papers of W Gray of Liverpool with replies
not published to his concerted and impertinent attacks
- laws of Liverpool
Association of Travellers into Foreign Countries
- copybook containing notes
"on the observable national Prosperity" - "Saratoga,"
"American Curiosity," March of Temperance", and a visit to
Perkins' Institution for the Blind
- newspaper report of the first
meeting of the British Association
- additional manuscripts on optical
spectra
- papers on the popular notion of an open polar sea
- cards
for lectures - Rain drop and Dew drop
- original notes on experiments
on optical spectra
- papers on the wrecks seen on an iceberg 1857;
temperature of the Gulf Stream at different depths
- papers on the
Magnetoscope of Mr Rutter
- newspaper extract about magnetism
- bundle of various manuscripts
- notes on American factories and their
female operatives
- notes of two lectures on facts, fallacies and
doubts in respect to mesmerisms odylism, table turning and spirit
rapping
- enquiry whether any alteration in linear dimensions of
iron bars is produced by the development of the magnetic condition,
or by transmission of a galvanic current
- correspondence on compass
and magnetism in iron ships
- memorial of the sea - Sabbaths in arctic
regions, original revised and copy for second edition
- correspondence
with Colonel Sabine on retentive magnetism
- examination and account
of the history of northern whale fishery, Original Notes No.1 - Anecdotes
and Spitzbergen
- uncorrected portion of part II of optical spectra
- original manuscript entitled "My Father"
- notes on lectures
on the United States
- portfolio of Scoresby's papers from Philosophical
Transactions
- journal of a voyage to Greenland, with engravings
- memorials of the sea - Sabbaths in arctic regions
- magnetic investigations Part III (induction-printed)
- notes of lectures on arctic regions
- select notes of lectures- "The Whale and Arctic Regions" and "The Whale Fishery"
- lectures on zoistic magnetism
- portfolio of original surveys and plans
- various engravings of ice bergs
nd; materials for optical illustrations
- notes on patterns of whales
- illustrations for lectures on optical spectra
- miscellaneous original
drawings
- Emperor Charles V Signature at Bruxelles 12th October 1544;
manuscript magnetic investigations volume II parts I and II 1840s; select
notes for lectures on magnetism
- manuscript notes on experiments and
observations on magnetism
- bundle of papers on optical spectra
- manuscripts on magnetic investigations volume II memoranda on iron ships
- Greenock Whale Fishing Company's accounts with Greenock Bank
- notes on the heart and blood of whales
- notes on elocution
- notes
on substances used on experiments on Dew
- scientific and arctic letters
1852; notes on the transglacial journey to the pole
- original manuscripts
on the Franklin Expedition with accompanying manuscripts of the second and
third letters to "Morning Herald"
- plan, with estimates,
submitted to the Board of Trade for combining exploration of arctic seas
with whale fishing in 1822; miscellaneous Scoresby's scientific papers
- autographs with personal correspondence
- manuscripts on the magnetism
of iron ships
- notes on Atlantic passages
- selected original notes
respecting arctic regions and northern whale fishery, including many
particulars in zoology not yet published 1810-1825; whale ship reports
nd; a number of small note books on various topics
- miscellaneous
notebooks for lectures at the University of Edinburgh
- church almanac
1847; notices of processes and machines at the 1851 exhibition
- papers
on morals, religion and churches
- manuscript pamphlet of "Sparkwell
Villa"
- letters of introduction
- copies of letters by the copying
press 1835-1845; ship's logbook
- notes of visits to places including
Manchester, Ireland, Scotland, Birmingham, Woolwich, Wales, London, Paris 1824 and Copenhagen 1807;
- common place book entitled
"William and Eliza" "The Sailor"
- two packets of
Autograph letters
- maps, plans and churches of Bradford schools
- the
schoolbook of William Scoresby 1803-1804; American letter to William
Scoresby
- schoolbook on plane trigonometry
- manuscripts superseded
or rewritten in volume II of magnet investigations
- notes on the
Franklin Expedition
- notes on the arctic regions and arctic search
expeditions
- description of some remarkable atmospheric reflections
observed in Greenland Seas by William Scoresby printed from Royal Society's
Transactions
- printed maps of polar seas
- notes of Professor Jamieson's
lectures on natural history
- sketches of remarkable masses of drift ice,
objects in zoology during a voyage to the polar seas by William
Scoresby 1821; original manuscript notebooks on American topics
- improvement
manuscripts, papers and copies of letters on female factory operatives
1844-1846; brochures of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Transactions with a
later note mentioning scientific sundries, atmospheric refraction at Greenland,
atmospheric refraction at Bridlington, magnetic sundries and experiments,
T S Traill and Scoresby
- tin box containing numerous letters and
manuscripts relating to parochial differences at Bradford
- illustrations
of magnetism of iron ships
- a sermon on the loss of the Esk and Lively
- notes enscribed personal memoirs and my father's documents
- Scoresby's printed discourses to Seamen
- memorial of W.H.R.
Scoresby
- printed meteorological observations during a voyage in resolution
1811; manuscript journals
- illustrations on arctic zoology, whale and
fishery
- notes in progress philosophical memoranda, magnetism
- practical cases of mesmerism
- best set of Scoresby's philosophical papers for binding to 15th March 1854; correspondence on magnets
- papers on arctic regions
- parochial records for Bradford 1839-1847; notes entitled
"Sabbaths in Arctic Regions", "Mary Russell",
"My Father", "The Franklin Expedition", "Voyage
to Greenland", "Arctic Regions" and "Seamen's Prayer"
- a plea for the unity of the Church
- corrected edition of
Scoresby's "Memorials of the Sea"; German translation of
Scoresby's "Voyage to Greenland" and "Arctic Regions"
- Scoresby's essays on magnetism
- family records
- large portfolios
containing autographs
- book of diplomas
- select theological and
philosophical correspondence
- select autographs from personal correspondence
nd; discourse to Sunday school teachers
- folios of select correspondence;
miscellaneous papers regarding whale and whale fishery
- memorials of the
sea
- printed copies of Scoresby's scientific papers
- duplicate original
publications
- manuscripts of Scoresby's works on literary essays and tracts,
United States, miscellaneous lectures, arctic zoology, whale fishery, original
drawings, arctic plants, select lectures, zoistic magnetism, lectures on
magnetism, telescopes, the Rosse telescope, original philosophical papers
and list of reviews
- dark covered journals containing family records,
father's letters, select manuscripts and letters on arctic regions, early
personal correspondence, philosophical papers and manuscripts on Rothesay
Castle
- journals containing entries on magnetic investigation and
magnetism of iron ships
- papers on zoistic magnetism
- part II of
Scoresby magnetic investigations
- diagrams used in lectures on arctic
regions, optical spectra and iron ships
- papers on the patterns of whales
nd; small map of polar summer 1821, framed with glass; roll of illustrative
diagrams for lectures on magnetism, the original set was used at Liverpool
nd; chart of north west passage on muslin and Scoresby's researches 1822;
illustrative charts and track charts used for a voyage of magnetic research
nd; Scoresby's original chart showing surveys and discoveries in Greenland
- papers on whales second series (unfinished), sperm whale, outline only
- arctic charts for lectures
- a chart of original surveys and discoveries
made on the east coast of Greenland in the ship Baffin of Liverpool when on
a whaling voyage in summer 1822.
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This page was last updated on 9th July 2006
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