Patrick Murdoch facts for kids

Patrick Murdoch was a smart and busy man who lived a long time ago, dying in 1774. He was an author, a publisher, and a mathematician. He wrote a book about the poet James Thomson. He also helped publish a book by Colin MacLaurin about Isaac Newton's amazing discoveries.

Patrick Murdoch's Life Story

Patrick Murdoch was born in Dumfries, Scotland. He went to the University of Edinburgh where he was excellent at mathematics. He was a student and friend of the famous mathematician Colin Maclaurin.

In 1729, Patrick became a private teacher, called a tutor. He taught John Forbes, the son of a important judge named Lord Culloden. They traveled together to many cities in Europe, like Orleans, Montauban, and Rome. Later, John Forbes often visited Murdoch and even sent his own son, Duncan, to be taught by him. Patrick also taught the younger sons of James Vernon, who was an ambassador.

In 1738, James Vernon gave Patrick Murdoch a job as a rector (a type of church leader) at Stradishall in Suffolk, England. His friend, the poet James Thomson, even wrote some nice poems for him about this new job.

Patrick Murdoch became a member of the Royal Society (F.R.S.) on March 20, 1745. This was a big honor for scientists. In 1748, he earned his Master of Arts (M.A.) degree from Cambridge University.

In 1749, he became a rector at Kettlebaston, Suffolk. He left that job in 1760 to become a vicar at Great Thurlow, but he still lived in Stradishall. In 1756, he went to Berlin with his friend Andrew Mitchell (who was a diplomat). Patrick helped with their letters and messages while Mitchell was busy. Soon after returning home, he received a Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) degree, probably from the University of Edinburgh.

Patrick Murdoch passed away in October 1774 in London. People said he was a kind, honest, and very smart person. He never married. His large collection of books was sold in 1776.

Patrick Murdoch's Works and Books

Patrick Murdoch was a good friend of the poet James Thomson. In one of Thomson's poems, Castle of Indolence, Patrick wrote a stanza (a verse) describing Thomson. Thomson then wrote the next stanza describing Patrick, calling him "a little, round, fat, oily man of God."

Patrick also wrote a clear and interesting short story about Thomson's life. This story was included in many editions of Thomson's Works and his famous poem The Seasons.

He helped publish Colin Maclaurin's book, Account of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophical Discoveries, in 1748. Patrick made sure the book was printed correctly to help Maclaurin's children. He also edited a book about perspective from Isaac Newton's notes, called Neutoni Genesis Curvarum per Umbras, in 1746. Patrick even planned to publish all of Newton's works, but he became too unwell to finish the project. He was a long-time friend to both the publisher Andrew Millar and the diplomat Andrew Mitchell.

Patrick Murdoch wrote his own book called Mercator's Sailing, applied to the true Figure of the Earth, in 1741. He also wrote eight papers for the Philosophical Transactions, which was a scientific journal. Two of these papers, about trigonometry and geographical maps, are still kept today in the British Library.

He translated a large German geography book by Anton Friedrich Buesching into English. This book, New System of Geography, was about European countries and was published in 1762.

Many of Patrick Murdoch's letters can still be found today. His letters to Dr. Thomas Birch and Sir Andrew Mitchell are in the British Library. Some of his letters were also printed in a book called the 'Culloden Papers'.