Skip to content

Please be aware that some material may contain words, descriptions or illustrations which will not reflect current scientific understanding and may be considered in today's context inaccurate, unethical, offensive or distressing.

Copy letter, from Sir John Herschel to John William Lubbock, dated at Slough

Reference number: HS/25/6/3

Date: 15 March 1840

Description

Copy letter in John Herschel's hand. John Frederick William Herschel has apparently insulted John Lubbock by crediting John Lubbock's colleagues but not John Lubbock with improvements in lunar and planetary theory. John Frederick William Herschel explains how this happened, that John Frederick William Herschel's good intentions went awry.

Reference number
HS/25/6/3
Earliest possible date
15 March 1840
Page extent
3 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator names

John Frederick William Herschel

View page for John Frederick William Herschel

Sir; John Frederick William Herschel

Use this record

Citation

John Frederick William Herschel, Sir; John Frederick William Herschel, Copy letter, from Sir John Herschel to John William Lubbock, dated at Slough, 15 March 1840, HS/25/6/3, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/hs_25_6_3/copy-letter-from-sir-john-herschel-to-john-william-lubbock-dated-at-slough, accessed on 07 November 2025

Link to this record

Embed this record

<iframe src="https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/embed/items/hs_25_6_3/copy-letter-from-sir-john-herschel-to-john-william-lubbock-dated-at-slough" title="Copy letter, from Sir John Herschel to John William Lubbock, dated at Slough" allow="fullscreen" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="500px"></iframe>

Hierarchy

This item is part of:

Related Fellows

Map

Explore the collection

  • Herschel Letters

    This collection of nearly 10,900 letters, drafts, copies and notes is the largest repository of scientific correspondence from and to Sir John Herschel, leading figure of Victorian science.

    Dates: 1807 - 1875

    View collection