Later Life and Death edit
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Thomas Grubb was one of the leading telescope makers in the United Kingdom and even across the world in his time. He alone made Ireland a focal point for telescope manufacturing during the 19th century. From 1840 to his death, Grubb was an engineer to the Bank of Ireland. Here he was responsible for designing and constructing machines for printing, engraving, and numbering banknotes [1]. As a very gifted and influential person he was and continues to affect people's everyday lives. Grubb has given immense information to astronomy and aided engineers even today. Albert Einstein's Theory of Gravity and revealing the presence of Dark Matter were proved using the instruments developed by the Grubbs[2]. His more notable products included a 27-inch equatorial refractor in Vienna, the 26-inch Thompson refractor for the Royal Greenwich Observatory, 24-inch McClean refractor for the Royal Observatory at the Cape, six 13-inch photographic refractors for the Carte du Ciel and many observatory domes and ancillary apparatus[3]. Grubb's firm has many telescopes that are still in operation. He attained many honors during his life including in 1864 Thomas Grubb was elected to the Fellow of the Royal Society[3]. Grubb passed away on 19 September 1878 in his house, 141 Leinister Road, Rathmines. He was buried at Mount Jerome cemetery located in Dublin[4]. The certified cause of death was decline of life with a duration of illness with Catarrh uncertified [5]. Catarrh refers to an inflammatory affection of any mucous membrane[6]. Grubbs work was carried on by his son, Howard Grubb, who was also elected to the FRS, in 1883 and later knighted in 1887[4]. Howard was present at their house during the passing of his father. Their company later moved to London after Thomas's passing which lead to the closing of the Rathmines firm which was liquidated in the post-war depression. It was rescued by the youngest son of the third Earl of Rosse and was reopened as Grubb-Parsons but came to a final close in 1985. There is a plaque honoring Thomas Grubb at his first engineering cite and observatory located at Canal Road in Dublin 6[1].
- ^ a b "When Dublin provided windows to the stars". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
- ^ "Minister John Halligan unveils plaque to commemorate 'telescope-maker extraordinaire', Thomas Grubb – Irish Tech News". irishtechnews.ie. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
- ^ a b "Book Review: Victorian telescope makers: The lives and letters of Thomas and Howard Grubb / IOP, 1997". Journal for the History of Astronomy. 29 (96): 304. 1998. Bibcode:1998JHA....29..304G. doi:10.1177/002182869802900309. S2CID 220342525.
- ^ a b "The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/11692. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Irish Genealogy" (PDF). civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
- ^ "Causes of Death in the Late 19th Century". courses.wcupa.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-22.