Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse facts for kids
Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse (born November 17, 1840 – died August 29, 1908) was an important Irish nobleman and a keen amateur astronomer. He was also known as Laurence Parsons. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the Order of St Patrick.
Biography
Lawrence Parsons was born at Birr Castle in County Offaly, Ireland. His father was William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, a famous astronomer. His father built the "Leviathan of Parsonstown" telescope. This telescope was the largest of its kind back then. Lawrence's mother, Mary Field, was also an amateur astronomer and a photography pioneer.
Lawrence took over his father's title in 1867. He was taught at home by tutors, like John Purser. Later, he studied at Trinity College Dublin and Oxford University. His brother was Charles Algernon Parsons, who invented the steam turbine.
Lawrence Parsons held several important positions. He was the head, or Chancellor of the University of Dublin, from 1885 to 1908. His father had also held this role before him. He was also the Lord Lieutenant of King's County, a local government role, from 1892 until he died. He was also a Justice of the Peace and was appointed High Sheriff of King's County in 1867–68. He received the honour of being knighted KP in 1890.
Lord Rosse also did some early work with metals. He explored how to put copper onto silver films around 1865. He was looking for a very flat mirror design for telescopes. He found that the copper would shrink and come off the glass. This showed that thin layers of material on glass can create stress.
Even though his father was more famous in astronomy, Lawrence made his own observations. He especially studied the Moon. He is most known for discovering NGC 2, a galaxy. In 1880, Otto Boeddicker, a young German astronomer, became his main helper.
He was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society in December 1867. He gave an important lecture there in 1873. He was also a vice-president of the society in 1881 and 1887. From 1896, he was the President of the Royal Irish Academy. In May 1902, he received an honorary degree from the University of Wales.
Family Life
Lawrence Parsons married Frances Cassandra Hawke on September 1, 1870. They had three children together:
- William Parsons, 5th Earl of Rosse (born June 14, 1873 – died June 10, 1918). He married Frances Lois Lister-Kaye.
- Hon. Geoffry Lawrence Parsons (born May 24, 1874 – died May 13, 1956). He married Margaret Betty Gladstone.
- Lady Muriel Frances Mary Parsons (born November 13, 1876 – died April 10, 1927). She married Brigadier-General Harold Maxwell Grenfell.
Images for kids
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Birr Castle, County Offaly
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Parsons' plaque in Birr Castle
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