William Ludlam (c1717–1788)
William Ludlam was baptised at St Mary de Castro, Leicester, in 1717. He went to Leicester Grammar School and subsequently attended St John's College, Cambridge where he gained a Bachelor of Divinity in 1749.
He became Rector of Peckleton, Leicestershire in 1743 and then of Norton by Galby in 1749. (Norton by Galby is now called Kings Norton and Galby is now spelled Gaulby.) However, it seems his duties there were often left to the curate.
The church at Norton by Galby (Kings Norton) in 1794.
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The spire is no longer there, having been struck by lightning twice. Click on image for larger version. |
He was also Rector of Cockfield, a village near Bury St Edmonds in Suffolk from 1767-1788, where he adapted the church tower for astronomical observations. (Mobberley, 2006)
His astronomical observations in Leicester include a transit of Venus and a solar eclipse. Ludlam was an accomplished mathematician. In 1760 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics (previously held by Isaac Newton and William Whiston). He was on the Board of Longitude, set up to find a way of determining longitude at sea.
As well as his astronomical activities he was involved in petitioning against the slave trade. With his brother, Thomas, he wrote two volumes entitled Essays, Scriptural, Moral, and Logical (published in 1807). He died in Leicester in 1788 and was buried at St Mary de Castro.
 Text of memorial plaque for William Ludlam on the south wall of St Mary de Castro, Leicester. |
Following alterations to the church over the years, the plaque has disappeared. Click on image for larger version. |
Leicester in William Ludlam's time.
Astronomical Observations
William Ludlam's observations in Leicester include:
- Transit of Venus, 1769
- Occultation of the Star ζ [Zeta] Tauri by the Moon, 1770
- Measured latitude of Leicester, 1774
- Solar Eclipse, 1778
Astronomical Publications
 Observations made at Leicester on the Transit of Venus over the Sun June 3 1769 by William Ludlam (abridged version)
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"Observations Made at Leicester on the Transit of Venus Over the Sun, June 3, 1769". By the Reverend Mr. Ludlam, Vicar of Norton, Near Leicester, Phil. Trans. 1769 59 236-240. [full version] "Observations made at Leicester on the Transit of Venus over the Sun June 3 1769 By the Rev Mr Ludlam Vicar of Norton near Leicester", The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (Abridged), pp641-2, Vol XII, 1763 to 1769. On p642, William Ludlam writes, "The latitude of Market Harborough, in Leicestershire, from the mean of several accurate observations of the Sun's image, projected into a dark room, by S. Rouse: 52° 28' 30" ". full version of the paper.) Click on image for larger version. |
"An Account of an Occultation of the Star ζ [Zeta] Tauri by the Moon, Observed at Leicester": By the Rev. Mr. Ludlam, in a Letter to the Rev. Mr. Maskelyne, Astronomer Royal, Phil. Trans. 1770 60 355-357. Observed April 28, 1770.
"Astronomical Observations Made at Leicester". By the Reverend Mr. Ludlam, Vicar of Norton, Near Leicester. Communicated by the Astronomer Royal, Phil. Trans. 1775 65 366-372. Measured latitude of Leicester.
"An Eclipse of the Sun June 24, 1778, Observed at Leicester". By the Rev. Mr. Ludlam, Vicar of Norton, Near Leicester; Communicated by the Astronomer Royal, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. 1778 68 1019-1021.
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Directions for the Use of Hadley's Quadrant, with Remarks on the Construction of that Instrument, 1771. The Theory of Hadley's Quadrant, or Rules for the construction of that Instrument, demonstrated. 1771. A supplement to the directions for use, which were intended to show the practical aspects. An introduction and notes, on Mr. Bird's Method of dividing astronomical instruments: To which is added, a vocabulary of English and French technical terms, W. Ludlam, 1786. Ludlam writes that he used a six inch Hadley quadrant in 1769 and an eighteen inch Bird quadrant in 1775. He knew John Bird (1709–1776) |
 Mural Quadrant by John Bird, 1773. 8ft (2.4m) radius. Museum of the History of Science, Oxford.
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 Achromatic Telescope, by Dollond, London, 1774. Museum of the History of Science, Oxford. |
Ludlam used a Dollond telescope to observe the transit of Venus in 1769. He also used a Dollond telescope to watch a balloon ascent towards the end of his life. (Fielding Johnson, p314.) |
Astronomical observations made in St. John's College, Cambridge, in the years 1767 and 1768 with an account of several astronomical instruments, William Ludlam, 1769.
 Ludlam's Report Concerning Mr Harrion's Timepiece, 1765
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"An exact Copy of the Report delivered in to the Hon. Board of Longitude, by Mr Ludlam...", The gentleman's magazine, and historical chronicle, 1765, Volume 35, p412. In Longitude, Dava Sobel, 1995, p131: On August 14, 1765, at Harrison's house in Red Lion Square a committee of experts was assembled to study his watch. "Present were two of the Cambridge math professors Harrison referred to derisively as 'Priests' or 'Parsons', the Reverend John Mitchell and the Reverend William Ludlam." Click on image for larger version. |
 William Ludlam in a biography of the Reverend Thomas Robinson, (Vaughan,1816)
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William Ludlam preferred staying in his workshop to going to church! Click on image for larger version. |
Other Publications
"An Account of a Balance of a New Construction, Supposed to Be of Use in the Woollen Manufacture". By W. Ludlam, B. D. Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, Phil. Trans. 1765 55 205-217. Mentions Samuel Rouse, p206.
"The Principal Properties of the Engine for Turning Ovals in Wood or Metal, and of the Instrument for Drawing Ovals upon Paper", Demonstrated. By the Rev. Mr. Ludlam, Vicar of Norton, Near Leicester; Communicated by the Astronomer Royal, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. 1780 70 378-618.
The Rudiments of Mathematics designed for the use of students at the universities : containing an introduction to algebra, remarks on the first six books of Euclid, the elements of plane trigonometry, W. Ludlam, 5th Edition corrected and enlarged by M. Fryer, 1809.
There are copies of the 1787 and 1809 editions of The Rudiments of Mathematics, a text book written by William Ludlam, in the rare books section of the University of Leicester Library.
Two mathematical Essays by the Rev Mr Ludlam, 1770.
Other William Ludlams
William Ludlam (c1528–1602), a butcher and innholder, was Mayor of Leicester in 1587. His son, also William Ludlam (c1568–1628) was Mayor of Leicester in 1624. Both were buried in the chancel of St Mary's.
References
Bell, J., Universal Catalogue, 1772. Nos 158, 159. Lists Ludlam's writings on Hadley's quadrant.
Clifton, Gloria, 'Dollond family (per. 1750–1871)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/49855, accessed 19 July 2013]
Clifton, Gloria, 'Hadley, John (1682–1744)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/11860, accessed 19 July 2013]
Dictionary of National Biography, 1893, p254
Fielding Johnson, Mrs T., Glimpses of Ancient Leicester, 1906. pp313-4. Mentions Ludlam watching a balloon ascent using a Dolland [sic] telescope.
HM Nautical Almanac Office: Transits of Venus1769 June 3rd-4th Transit of Venus
Ludlam, William (1741–1788) (Clergy of the Church of England Database 1540-1835)
McConnell, Anita, 'Bird, John (1709–1776)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/2448, accessed 19 July 2013]
Mobberley, Martin P., "The Rev. William Ludlam (1716–1788) and the Cockfield Tower Observatory", Journal of the British Astronomical Association, 2006, Vol. 116, No. 3, p.119.
Nichols, John, The history and antiquities of the county of Leicester : Vol. 1, Part 2, 1815, p318 has the text of a memorial plaque for William Ludlam on the south wall of St Mary de Castro.
Nichols, John, The history and antiquities of the county of Leicester, Vol. 2, Part 2, 1798, p733 - drawing of the church at Kings Norton.
Platts, Charles ,'Ludlam, William (bap. 1717, d. 1788)', rev. H. K. Higton, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/17160, accessed 13 Sept 2012]
Scott, Robert Forsyth (Editor), Admissions to the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, Part III, July 1715 - November 1767, Cambridge University Press, 1903. pp 78, 462-3.
Vaughan, Edward Thomas, Some account of the Reverend Thomas Robinson, M.A.: late vicar of St. Mary's, Leicester, and sometime fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge : with a selection of original letters, 1816. Description of William Ludlam: p68-9.
Note:
The online version of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography is available to members via City of Leicester Libraries Online Reference Room and Leicestershire County Council Libraries Online Reference Library.
Last updated 31st July, 2013.