John Dalton is best known for his work in Chemistry and discovery of colour-blindness. Less well-known however is his work on meteorology and its links to Kendal and the surrounding area. As we open our special exhibition about him read more about him…
John Dalton FRS was a Quaker and important scientist. He was born in Eaglesfield, Cockermouth in 1766 and went to the Quaker-funded grammar school in the village. He also came under the patronage of his distant cousin, Elihu Robinson, a prominent local Quaker and distinguished naturalist.
When Dalton was twelve, his older brother Jonathan took over the school and enlisted his help in teaching. Two years later, they both purchased a Quaker school in Kendal, where they taught about 60 pupils.
In Kendal, he was taken under the wing of John Gough, a Quaker philosopher, botanist, meteorologist and mathematician. Gough fostered a keen interest in meteorology in the young Dalton and provided an invaluable network of contacts.
Kendal from Thorny Hills. (C) Kendal Town Hall
John Dalton and Meteorology
Dalton is best known for his work in Chemistry and discovery of colour-blindness. Less well-known however is his work on meteorology and its links to Kendal and the surrounding area.
Beginning under Gough in 1787, Dalton took meteorological measurements up until his death in 1844. Dalton retained a life-long love of the Lake District and even when he moved to Manchester (to teach at the ‘New College’, a dissenting academy), still returned ‘nearly every year’ to continue his observations.
The extensive records these trips produced were published in 1893, as Meteorological Observations and Essays. Scientist John Frederic Daniell praised him as the ‘father of meteorology’ and his ideas are now seen as being a key point at which meteorology changed from folklore to a serious science.
His measurements using a barometer to determine the height of various locations in the Lakes (Kendal was 46 yards above sea level), were the standard for the Lakeland fells until the first Ordnance Survey (OS) records in the late 19th century.
Dalton delivered several sets of lectures here in Kendal, at a time when the town was an important staging post between London and Scotland.
John Dalton Tapestry
Places of Science
Children from Heron Hill Primary School and Staveley CE Primary School came to the museum for a series of workshops to learn about the life of John Dalton and his work on meteorology. Between visits, they made a logbook of their own temperature and rainfall observations at school. They then thought more broadly about how these observations can be used to track the changing climate and how meteorologists can use Dalton’s data to track climate change today. Working with local artist, Donna Campbell, the children created their own artistic responses to all they had learned about John Dalton, meteorology and climate change. The resulting artwork accompanies this exhibition.
We would like to thank the following people and organisations for their contributions to the exhibition:
The Royal Society
Donna Campbell, Textile Artist
Kendal Quaker Meeting, in particular the Clerk, Jenny Pearman for her assistance with organising the loan of their Stramongate School Accounts Book
The Publication, Education and Display Committee, in particular Chris Bullard for his assistance with sources
Cumbria Archives
The Science Museum Group
The Met Office
Kendal Town Hall
Heron Hill Primary School
Staveley CofE Primary School
Quaker Tapestry Volunteers
This exhibition is a Places of Science project, funded by The Royal Society.
