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Thomas Grubb (1800-1878)

Introduction and Early Life edit

Thomas Grubb dominated astronomy in the early nineteenth century[1].Thomas Grubb and eventually his son's (Howard Grubb) telescope-making firm was one of the most advanced technological enterprise in nineteenth-century Ireland[2] . Thomas Grubb pioneered telescope manufacturing from his workplace close to Charlemont Bridge on Dublin's Grand Canal [3]. His work in astronomy and telescope-making contributed to many places globally such as South Africa, India, Australia, Greenwich and the Crimea [4].

Professor Tom Ray of DIAS , an expert in astronomy quoted " Grubb's work was such of such high quality that much of the equipment the firm built is still in use today. A fine example of his work can be seen in Dunsik observatory, part of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. This telescope known, as the South Refractor, is still used by the public to view stars and planets. Despite being 150 years old, its Victorian clock mechanism and mechanic function properly." [5]

Thomas Grubb was born in Waterford on 4th August, 1880 according to Quaker records [6]. The Society of friends is where Thomas Grubb birth is registered with. In 1826, he got married to Sarah Palmer (1798-1883) in Co. Kilkenny[7]. His first daughter was Anabella(1927) followed by Ellen (1829) who died young, Mary Anne another one of his daughters (1831) and in 1833, Henry Thomas Grubb was his first male child and finally Howard Grubb another male child was born in 1844 [8].

His early years were quite obscure. Before 1832, Thomas Grubb was a clerk in a Dublin house but this did not last too long [9]. He eventually picked up optics as a hobby and constructed a small observatory with a 9- inch reflector[10]. His engineering business and small observatory is where he produced specialized instruments and machinery [11]. Some of the products he constructed includes telescopes, small machine tools and other astronomical instruments [12]. His early business did not only consist of telescopes but also billards [13]. Strangely he produced sideline of cast iron beds for billard tables too. Infact his name appeared in Wilson's Dublin Directory for 1833 as a 'metal billard table manufacturer' [14].Works that that Thomas Grubb wrote was not really legible and awkward this suggests that he was largely self-educated as there is no record to show his level of formal education [15].His first big contract was for the construction of an equatorial mounting for the 13.3-inch lens of Markree Observatory which became the largest telescope the world has ever seen at the time[16].

Family Life edit

Thomas Grubb was an Irish optician and founder of the Grubb Telescope Company. Thomas Grubb was born on the fourth of August 1800[17] and died on the nineteenth of September 1878 at the age of seventy eight. He was born near Portlaw, County Waterford. He was the son of William Grubb Junior, a prosperous Quaker farmer and draper of Capel Street. and his second wife, Eleanor Fayle both members of the Society of Friends. Thomas was the great-great-grandson of Ishmael Grubb who had emigrated to Ireland from Northamptonshire in 1656.[18] He disowned the Society of Friends on his marriage to Sarah Purser on 12 September 1826.[18]They had nine children. When Grubb died in 1878 the firm continued under his son, Sir Howard Grubb who was born on the twenty eight of July 1844 and died on the sixteenth of September. Grubb was a self-taught Quaker mechanic from Co Waterford. By the 1830s he had established an engineering works at the Grand Canal in Dublin near the Charlemont Bridge. Thomas Grubb had eight children. Little is known about his early life. His rather primitive writing style in later life may suggest that he has comparatively little formal education, though he was undoubtedly an original thinker.[17] He also wrote quite illegibly which suggests little to no formal education.[17] Howard Grubb married in 1871 to Mary Hester Walker, daughter of a physician in Louisiana. In 1826 Thomas Grubb got married to Sarah Palmer  who was born in 1798 and died in 1883 in County Kilkenny. His first daughter was Anabella born in 1927 followed by Ellen in 1829 who died young, Mary Anne another one of his daughters in 1831 and in 1833, Henry Thomas Grubb was his first male child and finally Howard Grubb another male child was born in 1844.[19]  For 95 years Thomas and Howard Grubb, father and son, supplied astronomical instruments to the world.[20] Howard Grubb was born in Dublin and entered Trinity College to start studying Engineering but, in 1865, and without completing his course, he left the university and went into the family’s workshops.[21] One of Thomas Grubb's daughters, Mary Ann, married G G Stokes, the Cambridge mathematician and physicist, who as a long-term consultant to the Grubb firm, provided inestimable support on advanced optical therapy.

 
Howard Grubb

Later Life and Death edit

 
Pretoria 74" Reflector

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 19thcentury. 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 .[22]  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 [23]).  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.[24]  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.[24]

Grubb passed away on 19 September 1878 in his house, 141 Leinister Road, Rathmines. He was buried at Mount Jerome cemetery located in Dublin [25].  The certified cause of death was decline of life with a duration of illness with Catarrh uncertified.[26] Catarrh refers to an inflammatory affection of any mucous membrane.[27]  Grubbs work was carried on by his son, Howard Grubb, who was also elected to the FRS, in 1883 and later knighted in 1887. [25] 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. [27]

Legacy edit

 
Thomas Grubb, Commemorative plaque.

Grubb joined with Revd Thomas Romney Robinson of the substantial Irish astronomical community.[19] Through Robinsons’ connections, Grubb was requested by Cauchoix of Paris for E.J. Cooper Of Markree, co. Sligo, with mounting a 13.3 inch lens. [19] . In order to create this lens, Grubb made a full-scale model of it. This model was altered into a 15 inch reflector for the Armagh obersvatory. The design used by Grubb to create this 15 inch reflector was used by the third earl of Rosse, to mount his telescope in Parsonstown, King’s county. [19] In 1839, Grubb constructed around twenty sets of magnetometers for Professor Humphrey Lloyd, in Trinity College Dublin.[19] In 1840, Grubb was hired as an engineer in Bank of Ireland, where his duties were to design and construct machines for engraving, numbering, and printing banknotes. [19]

Thomas Grubb had 8 children, one of which was Howard Grubb. Howard went on to study in Trinity College Dublin, but never completed his studies. In 1865 Howard left education to work creating astronomic instruments in his family firm. [21]The firm which Grubb worked for went on to design and make telescopes such as the great Vienna telescope in 1878. It was the worlds largest refracting telescope at that time. The company changed its name to Grubb parsons in 1925, and manufactures telescopes until 1985, when It closed down.[28]

In 2018, a commemorative plaque was presented by John Halligan TD, in Dublin. The plaque was constructed by the National Committee for Science and Engineering Commemorative Plaques, to remember and appreciate the scientific advancement; the telescope. [23]

Career edit

Thomas Grubb lacked in formal education so many of his skills in engineering and of instrumental making were from practical learning and experience. In 1830 Thomas Grubb was first a manufacturer for metal billiard-tables. As well as billiard-tables, Thomas Grubb also constructed telescope parts. Eventually, he created a sort of display studio for telescopes which was opened to the public. This observatory was near to his own factory at number 1 Upper Charlemont Street, Portobello, Dublin. At this stage, Thomas Grubb was creating larger and more advanced telescopes and was known to be one of the greatest telescope makers of the Victorian era with his company being the most popular site of optical and mechanical engineering. At this time, Thomas Grubb was then corresponding with Ireland's premier astronomer Thomas Romney Robinson. Thomas R Robinson was the director of Armagh Observatory. The team worked together to expand Thomas Grubb’s telescoping making business and also to bring him to the attention of wealthy people whose association would make Thomas Grubb's business more profitable. One of Thomas Grubbs early commission made by Thomas Robinson was the modification made to Lord Rosse’s Leviathan, also known as William Pearson telescope at Parsonstown (now known as Birr) County Offaly. His innovations were great and large, one of his larger telescopes included a Cassegrain reflector optics,a whiffletree mirror mounting cells and clock-driven polar mounts. For several years one of Thomas Grubbs telescope made in 1834 was the largest in the world, it was the telescope for Markree Observatory in County Sligo. In 1835 it was used to sketch Hailey’s comet and used to view the solar eclipse on the 15th of May 1836. Thomas Grubbs invention was not only reserved for Ireland, but he also built many telescopes outside of Ireland telescopes he built for observatories worldwide included places such as Mecca, Vienna, Madrid, and the Aldershot Observatory, Melbourne. After his death, his youngest son Sir Howard Grubb (1844-1931)was sent to study an academic version of engineering in Trinity College Dublin but withdrew from university to help his father in making a 4ft mirror for the great Melbourne telescope and never resumed back at college. He then took over the optical business. That telescope was the making of the Grubb optical enterprise and created a government-sponsored observatory.

THE GRUBBS: 19TH-CENTURY IRISH STARGAZERS In-text: (The Irish Times, 2018)

Your Bibliography: The Irish Times. (2018). The Grubbs: 19th-century Irish stargazers. [online] Available at: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/the-grubbs-19th-century-irish-stargazers-1.2272676


THOMAS GRUBB In-text: (En.wikipedia.org, 2018)

Your Bibliography: En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Thomas Grubb. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Grubb [

THOMAS GRUBB, TELESCOPE MAKER (1800-1878) In-text: (Museums Victoria Collections, 2018)

Your Bibliography: Museums Victoria Collections. (2018). Thomas Grubb, Telescope Maker (1800-1878). [online] Available at: https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/articles/2848

  1. ^ Adelman, Juliana. "The Grubbs: 19th-century Irish stargazers". Irish times. The Irish times. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  2. ^ Adelman, Juliana. "The Grubbs: 19th-century Irish stargazers". Irish times. The Irish times. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  3. ^ Glass, Ian (1 January 1997). Victorian telescope makers The Lives of Thomas and Howard Grubb. Db Institute Of Physics Publishing. ISBN 9780750304542. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  4. ^ Adelman, Juliana. "The Grubbs: 19th-century Irish stargazers". Irish times. Irish times. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  5. ^ McGuire, Alison. "MINISTER JOHN HALLIGAN UNVEILS PLAQUE TO COMMEMORATE 'TELESCOPE-MAKER EXTRAORDINAIRE', THOMAS GRUBB". Irish tech news. Irish tech news. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  6. ^ Glass, Ian (1 January 1997). Victorian telescope makers The Lives of Thomas and Howard Grubb. Db Institute Of Physics Publishing. ISBN 9780750304542. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  7. ^ Glass, Ian (1 January 1997). Victorian telescope makers The Lives of Thomas and Howard Grubb. Db Institute Of Physics Publishing. ISBN 9780750304542. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  8. ^ Glass, Ian (1 January 1997). Victorian telescope makers The Lives of Thomas and Howard Grubb. Db Institute Of Physics Publishing. ISBN 9780750304542. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  9. ^ Glass, Ian (1 January 1997). Victorian telescope makers The Lives of Thomas and Howard Grubb. Db Institute Of Physics Publishing. ISBN 9780750304542. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  10. ^ Glass, Ian (1 January 1997). Victorian telescope makers The Lives of Thomas and Howard Grubb. Db Institute Of Physics Publishing. ISBN 9780750304542. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  11. ^ Glass, Ian (1 January 1997). Victorian telescope makers The Lives of Thomas and Howard Grubb. Db Institute Of Physics Publishing. ISBN 9780750304542. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  12. ^ Glass, Ian (1 January 1997). Victorian telescope makers The Lives of Thomas and Howard Grubb. Db Institute Of Physics Publishing. ISBN 9780750304542. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  13. ^ Glass, Ian (1 January 1997). Victorian telescope makers The Lives of Thomas and Howard Grubb. Db Institute Of Physics Publishing. ISBN 9780750304542. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  14. ^ Glass, Ian (1 January 1997). Victorian telescope makers The Lives of Thomas and Howard Grubb. Db Institute Of Physics Publishing. ISBN 9780750304542. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  15. ^ Glass, Ian (1 January 1997). Victorian telescope makers The Lives of Thomas and Howard Grubb. Db Institute Of Physics Publishing. ISBN 9780750304542. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  16. ^ Glass, Ian (1 January 1997). Victorian telescope makers The Lives of Thomas and Howard Grubb. Db Institute Of Physics Publishing. ISBN 9780750304542. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  17. ^ a b c Physicists of Ireland : passion and precision. McCartney, Mark, 1967-, Whitaker, Andrew, 1946-. Bristol: Institute of Physics. 2003. ISBN 9781420033175. OCLC 80575113.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  18. ^ a b "Grubb, Thomas (1800–1878), engineer and telescope builder". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/11692. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  19. ^ a b c d e f "Grubb, Thomas (1800–1878), engineer and telescope builder". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/11692. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  20. ^ Chapman, Allan (1999-01). "Victorian telescope makers. The lives and letters of Thomas and Howard Grubb". Endeavour. 23 (1): 39. doi:10.1016/s0160-9327(00)80006-x. ISSN 0160-9327. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ a b Pycior, Helena M. (1986-09). "Some People and Places in Irish Science and Technology. Charles Mollan , William Davis , Brendan Finucane". Isis. 77 (3): 519–520. doi:10.1086/354216. ISSN 0021-1753. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ "When Dublin provided windows to the stars". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  23. ^ a b McGuire, Alison (July 30th, 2018). "Minister John Halligan unveils plaque to commemorate 'telescope-maker extraordinaire', Thomas Grubb – Irish Tech News". irishtechnews.ie. Retrieved 2018-11-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ a b "1998JHA....29..304G Page 304". adsbit.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  25. ^ a b "Shibboleth Authentication Request". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/11692. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  26. ^ "Irish Genealogy". civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  27. ^ a b "Causes of Death in the Late 19th Century". courses.wcupa.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-22.
  28. ^ Wayman, Patrick. "IAS Orbit - The 12" Grubb Refractor at Dunsink Observatory". www.irishastrosoc.org. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
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