Charles Thomas Whitmell Archive

Description

This archive reflects the life and work of Charles Thomas Whitmell, an English astronomer, scientist, mathematician and educationalist. The collection includes a series of notebooks, scrapbooks, diaries, and bound volumes covering the subjects of science, mathematics, education, travel, poetry, and everyday life. It also contains personal papers relating to his scientific and educational work.

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Biography or history

Charles Thomas Whitmell was born in Leeds in 1849 and attended Leeds Grammar School. His early diaries reveal a strong passion for science from a young age.

He went on to study Natural Sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge, and later at the University of London. After graduating, he returned to Cambridge to deliver extension lectures in various scientific subjects.

Whitmell enjoyed a long career in education. He began as an Assistant Master at Tonbridge School in Kent, before being appointed Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools, a role he served in Sheffield, Cardiff, and the West Riding. He was a strong advocate for educational reform and broader access to learning.

Whitmell was a dedicated contributor to the fields of science and mathematics, with his interests ranging from optics and astronomy to geology. He published numerous papers and delivered many public lectures. He was actively involved in scientific communities, including the Cardiff Naturalists’ Society, the British Astronomical Association, and served as President of the Leeds Astronomical Society.

A keen traveller, Whitmell documented his journeys to countries such as Norway and America, often publishing his travel writing in newspapers like the Leeds Mercury.

Charles met his wife, Lucy, during a solar eclipse expedition he led to Spain in 1900. They married in 1903. Lucy Whitmell was recognised as an accomplished poet. She was the author of popular war poem, ‘Christ in Flanders’, which was widely reprinted during the First World War.

Lucy died in 1917, and Charles followed two years later, in 1919.

System of arrangement

The Charles Thomas Whitmell Archive is arranged according to the original handlist, which is attached to the collection-level record. The volumes in the collection have been organised into series based on the themes outlined in this handlist.

Access and usage

Access

Access to this material is unrestricted.

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