Earl of George Parker Macclesfield

author

Earl of George Parker Macclesfield

d. 1764

An aristocrat with a real passion for science, he helped bring astronomy into the life of 18th-century Britain and played a part in the calendar reform that shaped how Britain kept time. Though he sat in Parliament, he was remembered far more for his learning than for politics.

1 Audiobook

Remarks upon the solar and the lunar years, the cycle of 19 years, commonly called the golden number, the epact, and a method of finding the time of Easter, as it is now observed in most parts of Europe

Remarks upon the solar and the lunar years, the cycle of 19 years, commonly called the golden number, the epact, and a method of finding the time of Easter, as it is now observed in most parts of Europe

by Earl of George Parker Macclesfield

About the author

George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield (c. 1697–1764), was a British nobleman, politician, and astronomer. He succeeded to the earldom in 1732 and is especially remembered for his scientific interests, which set him apart from many public figures of his day.

He studied mathematics and astronomy seriously, built an observatory at Shirburn Castle, and became a Fellow of the Royal Society. From 1752 until his death in 1764, he served as president of the Royal Society, one of the leading scientific institutions in Britain.

He is also associated with the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in Britain in 1752, a major reform in the way dates were measured and recorded. For listeners interested in the meeting point of science, public life, and the Enlightenment, his story offers a glimpse of a period when astronomy mattered not only to scholars, but to the country as a whole.