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Nature will not be put out of her way, and suffer her materials to be put into all that
variety of situations which philosophy requires, in order to discover her wonderful powers,
without trouble and expence. Hence the patronage of the great is essential to the flourishing
state of this science.
Joseph Priestley, 1767.
Physics at court
The enthusiasm of the royal family for natural philosophy was important for two reasons: natural
philosophers needed patrons, and the tastes of the royal family influenced the fashions of the
day.
George III was not the first member of the royal family to show an interest in science. After
the death of Queen Anne in 1714, Parliament sent for the Elector of Hanover to become King
George I. Soon after their arrival, members of the new royal family attended lectures given by
J.T. Desaguliers.
In 1727 George II succeeded his father on the throne of England and Caroline became Queen. She
ordered the construction of a hermitage at Kew, ornamented with
busts of Newton and Boyle.
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The Duke of Cumberland, second son of King George II, also took an interest in natural
philosophy. As part of a strategy to subdue the Scottish clans and gain control of the
highlands, a detailed geographical survey of the whole of Scotland was carried out. As a result,
Cumberland acquired a collection of scientific instruments, including some used for land
surveying. After Cumberland's death, they were inherited by his nephew, George III.
The Duke of Cumberland's theodolite
Benjamin Cole, a prominent London instrument maker, made this theodolite for the Duke of
Cumberland, George III's uncle, in the 1740s or 1750s. It bears the Duke's coat of arms. A
theodolite is a surveying instrument that measures both horizontal and vertical angles. A new
invention in the eighteenth century, the theodolite was not in fact widely used until the
nineteenth.
© Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library
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George II's son Frederick, who never came to the throne due to an early death, had some
curiosity towards the new science and commissioned an armillary sphere from Jonathan Sisson.
However, it was George II's grandson, the future George III, who took a keen interest.
Armillary sphere, 1731
This model of the solar system, or armillary sphere, was made for Frederick, George III's
father, by Jonathan Sisson in 1731. The Earth, Moon and planets rotate about the Sun which is at
the centre of the solar system. The horizontal ring is engraved with the Julian calendar and the
signs of the zodiac. Each sign of the zodiac occurs eleven days earlier than they do today. This
is because the calendar changed in 1752.
© Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library
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In 1755,
when George was Prince of Wales, Lord Bute took charge of his education. Bute himself had an
interest in natural philosophy and had built up his own cabinet of apparatus. Early in 1755,
George and his brother Edward also took a course on the subject from the travelling lecturer
Stephen Demainbray.
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George Adams' trade card, c.1760
The card lists instruments supplied by Adams. The address is at the sign of Tycho Brahe's head.
Shops were identified by painted signs until the 1760s. After that signs were removed and the
streets numbered to prevent injuries from falling signs.
Courtesy of the Science & Society Picture Library
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When George became King in 1760, he emulated Bute by ordering his own set of
instruments from George Adams to demonstrate the principles
of mechanics and pneumatics. Adams was one of the foremost
instrument makers of the day. The commission from the King was an important one: he was probably
well paid for making the instruments, and was certainly able to make use
of his title of 'Mathematical Instrument-Maker to the King' to sell instruments to government
bodies and wealthy individuals. He was also able to publish with royal sanction a treatise on
the use of globes, in return for which he included in the book a flattering dedication to the
King composed by Dr Johnson.
Rolling double cone from the King George III Collection, c.1750
As the double cone rolls along the two sloping arms, it appears to roll uphill. In fact the
centre of gravity moves downwards. This demonstration was invented at the end of the seventeenth
century and became common in eighteenth-century lectures on mechanics.
© Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library
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Mechanical powers apparatus, 1775
This apparatus illustrates all the mechanical powers. It consists of the balance, pulleys,
levers, inclined plane, wheel and axle, screw, compound engine, compound lever, double cone,
friction wheels, weights and wedge. This apparatus was made my George Adams the younger,
instrument maker to the king as his father had been.
© Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library
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Plate electrical machine, ca. 1770
This is a relatively early plate electrical machine with a Lane micrometer electrometer, which was invented by Lane in 1767. It is essentially a micrometer screw which is used to adjust the distance a spark must jump. The conductor has reached a certain potential when the spark jumps a certain distance.
© Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library
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Electric chimes, last quarter 18th century
Although this was possibly made by Adams to be used with his electrical machine, it is more likely to be the 'musical bells' listed in the items made by Adams the Younger for the Prince of Wales during the 1780s. It is typical of his style and the period.
© Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library
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King's electrical orrery, c. 1765
This orrery is likely to be by George Adams because it is similar in style to other electrical equipment made around this date, and he refers to it in his 'Essays on Electricity' as the 'King's electrical orrery' (almost certainly a reference to Erasmus King who was a lecturer on scientific subjects in the mid-eighteenth century). This is a tellurian with brass balls representing the Sun, Earth and Moon. When the instrument is charged, two points, one on each rod, cause rotation and the movement of the solar system is imitated.
© Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library
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Click on these links to find out more about:
 Queen Caroline's hermitage at Kew
Astronomy
George Adams' apparatus
The grand orrery
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