This guide is intended as an aid to researching the history of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, and the lives and work of the Astronomers Royal who were resident there from when it was founded in the seventeenth century until it was relocated to Herstmonceux Castle, Sussex in the twentieth century.

Historical Context

The Royal Observatory was founded by Charles II by way of a Royal Warrant in 1675, and shortly after John Flamsteed (1646-1719) was appointed as the first Astronomer Royal. He was directed by the King to “to apply himself with the most exact care and diligence to the rectifying of the tables of the motions of the heavens, and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so much desired longitude of places for the perfecting of the art of navigation." The Observatory was built as both a working site and as a home for the Astronomer Royal and his family, developing and expanding over the centuries to accommodate the growing staff and remit of the Royal Observatory. The original building remains synonymous with its first occupier and to this day is known as ‘Flamsteed House’.   

Following Flamsteed’s death in 1719, nine successive individuals were appointed to the post of Astronomer Royal continuing the work into the twentieth century when it was decided that the Observatory would need to be relocated. Issues caused by air and light pollution, and the vibrations from new train lines which interfered with the precision instruments, meant that the original site was no longer viable. Operations were removed first to Herstmonceux Castle in Sussex in 1958 and then to Cambridge in 1990.

Surviving records

There are very few original Observatory papers within the Caird Library.

The principal historical paper records of the Observatory are held in Cambridge University Library in the Royal Greenwich Observatory (RGO) Archives. To access the material, you will need to register for a reader’s card, details of which can be found here.

Due to the interconnected nature of both the lives of the Astronomer Royal and the work carried out at the Observatory, the archive at Cambridge University Library is categorised by Astronomer Royal, with official records of the Observatory’s work contained within each Astronomer’s collection. These records contain a range of materials, from personal papers and family mementos to observational data, correspondence with other astronomers and general administrative records. Details of how these papers are organised can be found on the Library’s website. The reference pages for each Astronomer Royal include a brief biography as well as a summary of the contents of each collection, which provides a useful starting point for research.

Additional historic material is scattered throughout various libraries and archives across the country (and, in some cases, the world). What follows here is a summary of the key collections relating to each Astronomer Royal.

1. John Flamsteed (1675-1719)

  • Papers of John Flamsteed at Cambridge University Library [reference RGO/1].
  • Almost the entirety of Flamsteed’s correspondence has been published in full in three volumes, Willmoth, Forbes & Murdin (eds) The Correspondence of John Flamsteed: First Astronomer Royal published between 1995 and 2002. Copies are available for consultation in the Caird Library: Volume I , Volume II and Volume III.

2. Edmond Halley (1720-1742)

  • Papers of Edmond Halley at Cambridge University Library [reference RGO/2]

3. James Bradley (1742-1762)

  • Papers of James Bradley at Cambridge University Library [reference RGO/3]

4. Nathaniel Bliss (1762-1764)

  • As he only served as Astronomer Royal for two years, the Papers of Nathaniel Bliss are contained alongside those of James Bradley at Cambridge University Library [reference RGO/3].

5. Nevil Maskelyne (1765-1811)

  • Papers of Nevil Maskelyne at Cambridge University Library [reference RGO/4]
    • Several of these papers have been digitised and are available to consult online. In particular are several volumes that pertain to Maskelyne’s trials of John Harrison’s chronometer ‘H4’.
  • Maskelyne’s Personal and Family Papers are also available at Cambridge University Library [reference RGO/218]
  • Some documents and papers relating to Nevil Maskelyne and his family are held at the Caird Library under the category MSK. Multiple items within this collection are digitised and available to consult online here.
  • There are some additional items of correspondence in the collections of St John’s College Library at the University of Cambridge (27 items in total).

6. John Pond (1811-1835)

  • Papers of John Pond at Cambridge University Library [reference RGO/5]
    • This collection is also particularly rich for those interested in the history of chronometers. The Admiralty took over responsibility of the Royal Observatory from the Board of Ordnance in 1821. As such, the Admiralty saw it appropriate that the Observatory should undertake the testing of marine chronometers for the Royal Navy and Pond was appointed the first Superintendent of Chronometers for the Royal Navy in 1821. Many of Pond’s papers associated with this have been digitised and can be consulted online here.

7. Sir George Biddell Airy (1835-1881)

  • Papers of George Airy at Cambridge University Library [reference RGO/6]
  • In 1874 Airy organised five separate expeditions across the southern hemisphere in order to observe the rare astronomical phenomenon of the Transit of Venus. The material held in this collection that relates to these expeditions has been digitised and can be consulted online here.
  • Personal papers of George Airy at Cambridge University Library [reference GBR/0265/UA/Obsy H.1]
  • The Wellcome Collection holds a collection of Airy’s correspondence [reference MS.7108]
  • A small selection of Airy’s papers are available for consultation at the Caird Library, including some which are digitised. They can be found here under AGC/A/4.

8. Sir William Christie (1881-1910)

  • Papers of William Christie at Cambridge University Library [reference RGO/7]

9. Sir Frank Dyson (1910-1933)

  • Papers of Frank Dyson at Cambridge University Library [reference RGO/8]

10. Sir Harold Spencer Jones (1933-1955)

  • Papers of Harold Spencer Jones at Cambridge University Library [reference RGO/9]
  • Some additional uncatalogued personal papers and certificates are available for consultation at the Caird Library under the references MSS/73/128/1-4

11. Sir Richard van der Riet Woolley (1956-1971)

  • Papers of Richard van der Riet Woolley at Cambridge University Library [reference RGO/10]. Woolley oversaw the change of site from Greenwich to Herstmonceux Castle in the first years of his appointment as Astronomer Royal; as a result, the majority of papers in this collection relate to Royal Greenwich Observatory, Herstmonceux.

Additional Collections:

There are some additional collections which contain papers and materials related to specific bodies, projects or outputs concerned with the Royal Observatory. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Papers of the Board of Longitude 1737-1828 at Cambridge University Library [reference RGO/14]. These have been fully digitised and can be consulted online.
  • Reports to the Board of Visitors 1836-1964 at Cambridge University Library [reference RGO/17/1]. These are reports made by the Astronomer Royal to the Board of Visitors regarding affairs of the Royal Observatory.

Photographic Plates:

Over 100,000 glass photographic plates from the Observatory’s working life have survived and are now cared for by the Bodleian Library, Oxford. They require cataloguing and digitisation and are currently unavailable for research.

Instruments, portraits and personal effects:

Royal Museums Greenwich has an extensive collection of Observatory-related materials that can be searched on Collections Online.

Apart from the major telescopes on display in situ at the Royal Observatory, the majority of items are held in store and can only be viewed by researchers by appointment via  collectionaccess@rmg.co.uk

Official Publications:

There is a comprehensive list of all of the official publications produced by the Royal Observatory, as well as links to digitised collections, at Graham Dolan’s website ‘The Royal Observatory Greenwich: Where East Meets West’.

Further Reading:

  • Baily, Francis An Account of the Reverend John Flamsteed (London, 1835) [RMG Item ID: PBG3248]
  • E. Walter Maunder, The Royal Observatory, Greenwich: A Glance at its History and Work, (London, The Religious Tract Society, 1900)
  • Harold Spencer Jones, The Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London, The British (Council/Longmans, 1943)
  • William Hunter McCrea, Royal Greenwich Observatory: An Historical Review issued on the occasion of its Tercentenary, (London, HMSO, 1975)
  • E. G. Forbes, A. J. Meadows, H. D. Howse, Greenwich Observatory: the Royal Observatory at Greenwich and Herstmonceux 1675-1975, volumes 1-3, (London, Taylor and Francis, 1975)

Information on visiting the Caird Library, links to the Archive and Library catalogues, guidance on how to register and order items for viewing or copying can be found on Royal Museums Greenwich's Library website.