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harvard edu also gives reference to the BAA Journal: 1986 96, 5 P299 by Peter Johnson, so should be on the BAA archive DVD.
Apparently joined BAA in December 1940.
Belfast Telegraph Sat Feb 12 1938
“… in the desert limestone east of Gibeon [Namibia] is a whole valley simply peppered with small meteors. Some 40 or 50 have been dug up and are preserved at Windhoek where they have been made into a rockery in the public park”.
There is also a piece on Wikipedia: “Gibeon (meteorite)”.
There is a sample of the Gibeon meteorite in the meteorite collection of the Natural History Museum(BM): iron, Octahedrite. Date 1836. According to Wikipedia Captain J E Alexander collected samples and sent them to London where they were examined by John Herschel. Perhaps that’s where the NHM sample came from ? Herschel was a friend of John George Children, the father of Anna Atkins and assistant keeper of the Natural History Department of the British Museum.
Thanks for posting the picture – very interesting. I downloaded the image from the website and put it through Photoshop but unfortunately I am unable to make out any details on the shield. My first thoughts are it relates to Blethyn or, as I think more likely, it relates to the person who commissioned the making of the telescope. Either way, it’s a new angle to research. Is there a motto below the shield and if so what does it read? No need to translate. Having actually seen the item would you describe the dark red in the picture as purple? Do you know if the other two telescopes show a shield/crest etc, and is the colouring the same?
I think it may be worthwhile you contacting Jill Campbell, the archivist at Knebworth House. If you tell her you are writing an article about the telescope she may be able to tell you when and by what means Knebworth House obtained it. Often such places will itemise such objects in stock checks or keep a record of items given to them. To know the date it was first recorded as being at the house could prove useful, as would be the name of the donor, if there was one. I expect it would take her sometime to find that information, if she can. Her e-mail address is on the Knebworth House website. Go to, About Us/Archive. You could also ask her about the motto, which should be a quick and easy question to answer, if you do not already have that information.
Yes, you may well be right, especially as a Latin term is used after the name. I wonder what inscription is on the other two telescopes.
You say the telescope is signed with the name “Theodorus”. Interestingly, and at the risk of confusing matters, Wikipedia has “Theodorus” as the Dutch equivalent of the English and French “Theodore”. Welsh is “Tewdwr”. Is there a Dutch connection?
Did Theodorus actually make the telescope or does his name simply refer to the artwork? Does the type of art work give any clues to the telescope’s origin?
Blethyn mentioned above was baptized as Theodore, not Theodorus. However, “Theodorus” may have been used as a marketing ploy due to the popularity of telescopes in the Netherlands at the time.
Nature does not always play ball. However, there may be another child pre 1613 which I haven’t found.
IGI = International Genealogical Index. Back in the day this was a personal name index to mainly dates of baptism and marriage. It was on microfiche. In the UK it was arranged in sets by county and showed the parish where each event took place. The updated digital version can be accessed on familysearch.org. It is a very useful tool, but with the best will in the world errors do occur, so it is always best to check the original document where possible.
It would appear William (father of Philemon) was the first to only use the Blethyn surname instead of the previously used Bleddyn.
I first found Ann Blethin in the register on Ancestry when I was looking for another person. I made a note of 1614. When I went back to examine the entry more closely I could not find her, which is why I only entered 1614 above. She does not come up on the Ancestry index so if she is in the index she must be under a name other than Blethin or a close variant. That said I later found Ann Blethin on the IGI as being baptised on 30 May 1614, which confirms what I saw. As the other children were baptized within a few days of their birth, Ann is likely to have been born after May 20 during the same year as her baptism.
Which index did you search?
Further info: Philemon Blethin MA, is listed on the Clergy of the Church of England Database (1619 – 1642). Admission as vicar to Dorstone, Hereford is 12/10/1621. He married Susana Godwin on 21 April 1610, she being the daughter of Dr Godwin, possibly Franciscus Godwyne (1562-1633). Francis Godwin was later the Bishop of Hereford and he had associations with Matherne, Monmouthshire. Francis apparently wrote the first story about space travel in English literature: The man in the Moone: or A Discourse of a Voyage Thither by Domingo Gonsales, the Speedy Messenger, which was published posthumously in 1638 (source: Encyclopaedia Britannica). He was the great uncle of Jonathan Swift (Wikipedia).
Children of Philemon and Susana are:
1. Susana b. 21 July 1613; bpt. 26 July 1613
2. Ann b. 1614
3. Godwin b. 3 January 1615; bpt. 7 January 1615
4. Theodore b. 14 March 1616; bpt. 23 March 1616
5. Francis b. 22 February 1620?; bpt 3 March 1620
All Monmouthshire. Please treat these dates with a little caution as the entries do not appear to be in sequence with at least one date heading missing.
(source: Ancestry)
Further, there are papers listed on the National Archives index as being held at Lambeth Palace dated 16 October 1655. Title: Dorstone Vicarage Hereford. Description: James Whiting. The death of Philemon Blethin. Thomas Dainty, stationer, of St Michael Quern, London.
Dainty was also a bookseller – maybe a business connection with Theodore the bookbinder?
Of course, none of the above may relate to your telescope maker, but at first sight it does look rather promising and, without any other candidates, is worthy of further research.
A Theodore Blethin appears in Boyds Inhabitants of London (44802). Citizen and Fishmonger. Fishmonger after 1633. Free 1641. Bookbinder 1641 poll tax.
Further, entry #9 above mentions a Phileman as having a son Theodore who was baptized at Mathern. According to Alumni Oxonienses a William Blethin BCL (who was Bishop of Llandaff), is buried in the chancel of the church at Matherne Co Monmouth and he is noted as the father of Philemon. Philemon is noted as being of age 19 on 16 March 1601-02 (does not mean he was born on 16 March). William died 15 Oct 1590. This Philemon was last noted as vicar of Dorstone. Hereford in 1619. A note states “see Foster’s Index Ecclesiasticus.
My copy arrived this morning. I live in SE Essex. The last few issues have arrived around the middle of the month.
A response to zen32156
I wonder if stacking images taken over a shorter time period may help.
There is an interesting video on Youtube by Peter Zelinka entitled “Editing Comet Neowise with Photoshop”. He mentions Deep Sky Stacker and not using sigma clipping average method to process images. Unfortunately I have only ever used an old version of Photoshop Elements so am unfamiliar with the software in the video which looks way above my area of expertise. However, if you look at the video starting at about 9 minutes in it may answer your questions or at least give you a few ideas. Others may also find the video of interest.
