Yorkshire
Blue Plaque to the Revd John Michell BD, FRS
Following support and advice from current and former members of the Branch Committee, a Blue Plaque was unveiled by the Mayor of Kirklees on Saturday 8 September 2007 at Thornhill Parish Church, Thornhill near Dewsbury, to the Revd. John Michell BD, FRS.
The Revd. Michell was Rector at the church from 1767 until 1793, but is also renowned as the ‘father of seismology’ for providing the first scientific explanation of why earthquakes occur, as the first to propose the existence of what we today call Black Holes, and as the designer of the apparatus with which his friend the Hon. Henry Cavendish obtained a value for the density of the Earth in the experiments commonly known as ‘G’.
Following the unveiling the Hon. Henry Cavendish (a.k.a. Chris Butlin – the former Branch Honorary Secretary) gave a brief presentation on the life and scientific work of Revd. Michell. Chris also gave a similar presentation at the Branch Reception at the British Association for the Advancement of Science Festival meeting in York.
Left: Group photograph with the Branch Chairman John Hemingway far left, the Mayor of Kirklees centre, Hon. Henry Cavendish (Chris Butlin), far right the current Rector the Revd. Canon Lindsay Dew, together with children of the parish.
A pamphlet is available free on request via e-mail to ChrisAButlin@aol.com outlining Michell’s life and work together with details of a number of associated weblinks, books and journals. The pamphlet is also available at ThornhillParishChurch – the Church of St Michael and All Angels. For those who are interested in more detail on the Revd. Michell, a biography of him is to be published by the Yorkshire Archaeological Society in early 2008 – further information on this is available from Mr B Wallis, 87 Bywell Close, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire WF12 7LP.
Chris A Butlin
1 November 2007
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