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David Brewster at the Royal Society of Edinburgh : science, politics and patronage in Scotland, 1808–37

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Date
04/2022
Author
Jenkins, B.
Keywords
19th century
David Brewster
Patronage
Politics
Royal Society of Edinburgh
Walter Scott
DA Great Britain
T-NDAS
AC
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Abstract
The Scottish natural philosopher David Brewster played an important role in the history of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), being at different times its general secretary, vice-president, and president. This paper examines his career between joining the society in 1808 and becoming principal of the University of St Andrews in 1838. It explores how he built a network of scientific and personal connections with key individuals in Scottish science that helped him establish himself as a leading Scottish natural philosopher of the nineteenth century. The surviving records of the RSE allow us to see how Brewster used recommendations of new members and his own contributions to the meetings of the society to build his reputation. Brewster was a committed reform Whig for his entire career. We will see how he both benefited from the patronage of fellow Whigs, such as John Playfair and James Russell, and was able to build strong personal connections with figures from across the political spectrum, from the Tory president of the society, Sir Walter Scott, to the radical anatomist, Robert Knox. Brewster’s career at the RSE has much to tell about the roles of politics, patronage and sociability in the scientific culture of Scotland in the early nineteenth century. © The Scottish Historical Review Trust 2022.
Citation
Jenkins , B 2022 , ' David Brewster at the Royal Society of Edinburgh : science, politics and patronage in Scotland, 1808–37 ' , Scottish Historical Review , vol. 101 , no. 1 , pp. 20-45 . https://doi.org/10.3366/shr.2022.0546
Publication
Scottish Historical Review
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3366/shr.2022.0546
ISSN
0036-9241
Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © The Scottish Historical Review Trust. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the author created accepted manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.3366/shr.2022.0546.
Description
Funding: Leverhulme Trust funded project, ‘After the Enlightenment: Scottish Intellectual Life, 1790–1843’ (Award RPG-2018-017).
Collections
  • University of St Andrews Research
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/25454

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