Christopher Merret facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Christopher Merret
Born	16 February 1614/5 Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England
Died	19 August 1695 Hatton Garden, London
Nationality	English
Alma mater	Gloucester Hall, Oxford (matriculated 1632); BMed (1636), DMed (1643); Oriel College, Oxford; BA (1635)
Known for	First description of sparkling wine First list of British birds
Scientific career
Fields	Natural history, glassmaking
Institutions	Royal Society, Royal College of Physicians

Christopher Merret (born 1614 or 1615, died 1695) was an important English doctor and scientist. He is famous for two main things: being the first to write down how sugar was added to make sparkling wine fizzy, and creating the very first lists of British birds and butterflies.

Who Was Christopher Merret?

Early Life and Education

Christopher Merret was born in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England. His exact birth year is sometimes listed as 1614 or 1615.

He went to Gloucester Hall at Oxford University in 1632. He later earned his first degree from Oriel College in 1635. He continued his studies at Gloucester Hall, becoming a doctor in 1643.

A Doctor in London

After finishing his studies, Merret became a doctor in London. In 1651, he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. This meant he was a respected member of this important medical group.

A few years later, he became the first librarian for the Royal College of Physicians. This job came with a place to live and a small salary.

The Great Fire and Later Years

In 1666, the Great Fire of London caused a lot of damage. It destroyed many rooms and books at the Royal College of Physicians. After the fire, the college decided they didn't need Merret as their librarian anymore.

Merret believed he had been hired for life and disagreed with their decision. He had some disputes with the college and eventually lost his position. He also lost his Fellowship with the Royal College of Physicians.

Merret was also one of the first members of the Royal Society, joining in 1663. This was a new group for scientists. He led a committee there but was later removed in 1685.

He passed away at his home in London on August 19, 1695. He was buried at St Andrew's, Holborn.

Merret's Work as a Naturalist

Studying Nature in Britain

Christopher Merret was very interested in the natural world. He collected new plants and even had his own herb garden. He created one of the earliest lists of plants, animals, and minerals found in England.

This important work was called Pinax Rerum Naturalium Britannicarum. It was published in 1666. The Pinax was simply an alphabetical list.

First Lists of British Wildlife

Even though it was just a list, the Pinax was very important. It contained the first-ever lists of British birds and butterflies. This helped other scientists learn about the wildlife in England.

Merret also wrote about how some rocks and stones might have come from animals. He believed that some fossils were actually the shapes of ancient creatures preserved in earth.

…it is abundantly clear to me that many stones considered to be inorganic are fashioned out of animals or their parts through the action of some earthen fluid; that they had communicated their shape to the clay or soft earth, and had then perished though their figure was preserved

Innovations in Glass and Wine

Understanding Glassmaking

Merret was also very interested in how minerals were used in industries. He wrote papers about how to melt metals and mine for tin.

In 1662, he translated a book called The Art of Glass. This book was originally written in 1611 by Antonio Neri. Merret added 147 pages of his own notes and observations to the book. His writings showed he knew a lot about how glass was made.

The Secret of Sparkling Wine

Merret's most famous discovery came from his work on glass. On December 17, 1662, he shared a paper with the Royal Society called Some Observations concerning the Ordering of Wines.

In this paper, Merret described how winemakers would add sugar and molasses to wine. This made the wine "brisk and sparkling." Today, we know this process as the méthode champenoise. It's how bubbles are made in sparkling wine.

English Innovation in Wine

Before Merret's discovery, wines sometimes became fizzy by accident. But the glass bottles back then were not strong enough. They would often explode because of the pressure from the bubbles.

In the early 1600s, an English inventor named Sir Robert Mansell improved glass production. His factories made much stronger glass bottles. This meant English winemakers could deliberately make wine sparkling without the bottles exploding. This happened long before Dom Pérignon is often given credit for inventing sparkling wine in France around 1697.

Even though Merret was more interested in making glass, his discovery is very important for wine history. Today, some English sparkling wine producers even use his name to describe their wines.