Izzy Wall, Assistant Curator, writes: The Herschel Museum of Astronomy is very grateful to FNL for their generous support towards the acquisition of this draft manuscript of the memoirs of Caroline Herschel. Caroline, and her brother William (1738-1822), who discovered the planet Uranus, were leading astronomers of the 18th and early 19th century, and Caroline was the first woman to be paid as a professional astronomer in the United Kingdom. Caroline and William Herschel played a pivotal role in the history of science in Georgian Britain and this manuscript provides us with a greater understanding of their lives.
The 57 pages of draft recollections in this manuscript were written around 1836-40 and provide content for chapters I and II in The Memoir and Correspondence of Caroline Herschel. This Memoir was published in London by John Murray in 1876, and edited by Margaret Herschel, wife of Caroline’s nephew John. Although the edited text of the manuscript version was published, much of the colourful material Caroline wrote was removed from the printed text and remains unpublished. There is something special about seeing the original words written in the author’s own hand. The corrections and additions show Caroline’s stream of consciousness, the musings of an older woman recalling the stories of her youth.
The manuscript is written in two sequences. In the first Caroline Herschel writes about her childhood spent in Hanover from 1755. She recounts her childhood experiences and the limited education she received. She recalls fond memories of observing an eclipse with her father in the reflection of a bucket of water, while he explained the phenomenon. She describes her brother William’s escape from his position in a military band, fleeing to England when the French invaded Hanover and the family feared he would be conscripted to fight. It closes with Caroline’s description of her journey to England, and arrival in Bath in 1772.
The second sequence, written when Caroline was becoming more elderly and frail, opens with the memories of her arrival at her brother’s house on New King Street in Bath on 18 August 1772 and chronicles her first three years in the city. Caroline writes about the education she received from William and her struggles when she arrived in England, from finding likeminded friends to dealing with dishonest servants. Caroline shares some very honest feelings about one servant whom she refers to as a ‘hot-headed Welshwoman’ several times. The manuscriptoffers an important insight into the Herschels’ professional lives as musicians in Bath, as well as William’s increasing interest in astronomy and his telescope building endeavours. Caroline recounts the books she read aloud to William while he polished mirrors, notes visits to her brother by the scientists Harry Englefield, Dr Blagden, and the Astronomer Royale, Dr Maskelyne, and even some daring deeds by another brother, Alexander, which involved him holding on to a chimney stack at the top of the house!
When she died in 1848, at the age of 97, Caroline Herschel was highly regarded by the astronomical community across Europe, and she remains an inspirational figure within the field of science and astronomy.
Images courtesy of the Herschel House Trust.
