Richard Kirwan, LL.D, FRS, FRSEMRIA (1 August 1733 – 22 June 1812) was an Irish geologist and chemist. He was one of the last supporters of the theory of phlogiston.
Kirwan was active in the fields of chemistry, meteorology, and geology. He was widely known in his day, corresponding and meeting with Lavoisier, Black, Priestley, and Cavendish.
Richard Kirwan was born at Cloughballymore, County Galway, the second son of Martin Kirwan of Cregg (d.1741), and his wife, Mary French (d.1751).[1] He was a descendant of William Ó Ciardhubháin and a member of The Tribes of Galway. Part of his early life was spent abroad, and in 1754 he entered the Jesuit novitiate either at St Omer or at Hesdin, but returned to Ireland in the following year, when he succeeded to the family estates through the death of his brother in a duel. Kirwan married "Miss Blake" in 1757, but his wife only lived eight more years. The couple had two daughters, Maria Theresa and Eliza.[2]
In 1766, having conformed to the established religion (Church of Ireland) two years previously, Kirwan was called to the Irish Bar, but in 1768 abandoned practice in favour of scientific pursuits. During the next nineteen years he resided chiefly in London, enjoying the society of the scientific men living there, and corresponding with many savants on the continent of Europe, as his wide knowledge of languages enabled him to do with ease. His experiments on the specific gravities and attractive powers of various saline substances formed a substantial contribution to the methods of analytical chemistry, and in 1782 gained him the Copley medal from the Royal Society, of which he was elected a fellow in 1780; and in 1784 he was engaged in a controversy with Henry Cavendish in regard to the latter's experiments on air. He was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1784 and a member of the American Philosophical Society[3] in 1786.
In 1787 Kirwan moved to Dublin, where, in 1799, he became president of the Royal Irish Academy until his death. To its proceedings he contributed some thirty-eight memoirs, dealing with meteorology,[4] pure and applied chemistry, geology, magnetism and philology. One of these, on the primitive state of the globe and its subsequent catastrophe, involved him in a lively dispute with the upholders of the Huttonian theory. His geological work was marred by an implicit belief in the universal deluge, and through finding fossils associated with the trap rocks near Portrush he maintained basalt was of aqueous origin.
An essay on phlogiston, 1789 edition
Kirwan was one of the last supporters in Britain and Ireland of the theory of phlogiston, for which he contended in his Essay on Phlogiston and the Constitution of Acids (1787), identifying phlogiston with hydrogen. This work, translated by Marie-Anne Pierette Paulze, was published in French with critical notes by Lavoisier and some of his associates; Kirwan attempted to refute their arguments, but they proved too strong for him, and he acknowledged himself a convert in 1791.
There is evidence to suggest that Kirwan was a member of the Society of the United Irishmen,[5] a revolutionary republican organisation in 18th century Ireland. The United Irishmen were founded as a reformist club by a group of Irish radical Protestants and Presbyterians in 1791, influenced by the American and French revolutions. Gradually becoming more militant; the Society advocated for Catholic emancipation, and the overthrow in Ireland of British rule. This movement culminated in the defeat of the United Irishmen in the 1798 Rebellion and the Act of Union.
At the time of the Union, Kirwan refused a baronetcy and died in Dublin in June 1812, and was buried there in St. George's Church, Lower Temple Street.
Eccentricities
Various stories are told of Kirwan's eccentricities as well as of his conversational powers. It is said that flies "were his especial aversion; he kept a pet eagle, and was attended by six large dogs."[6] Kirwan disliked flies and paid his servants for each time they were killed. He also disliked late visitors and had his door-knocker removed each evening at seven o'clock.[7]
Kirwan suffered from dysphagia and always dined alone.[8] He lived on an exclusive diet of ham and milk. The ham was cooked on Sunday and reheated for the rest of the week.[8] Kirwan was obsessed with avoiding a cold. He heated his living room all year round with a fire and always wore an overcoat indoors.[8]
^Foster, John Wilson. (1998). Nature in Ireland: A Scientific and Cultural History. McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 93. ISBN0-7735-1816-9
^ abcShaw, Karl. (2009). Curing Hiccups with Small Fires: A Delightful Miscellany of Great British Eccentrics. Pan MacMillan. p. 122. ISBN978-0-752-22703-0
^"Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter B" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
The Irish Builder vol.XXXIV No.792 p. 269, 15 December 1892
Further reading
Akeroyd, Michael (2003). "The Lavoisier-Kirwan debate and approaches to the evaluation of theories". Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. (published May 2003). 988 (1): 293–301. Bibcode:2003NYASA.988..293A. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2003.tb06110.x. PMID 12796114. S2CID 29844133.
Brockman, C. J. (1927). "Richard Kirwan – Chemist, 1733 – 1812". Journal of Chemical Education. 4 (10): 1275–1282. Bibcode:1927JChEd...4.1275B. doi:10.1021/ed004p1275. Retrieved 30 December 2007.[dead link]
Donovan, M. (1848). "Memoir of R. Kirwan". Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 4: 81.
Mauskopf, Seymour (2002). "Richard Kirwan's phlogiston theory: its success and fate". Ambix (published November 2002). 49 (3): 185–205. doi:10.1179/amb.2002.49.3.185. PMID 12833914. S2CID 170853908.
Reilly, D. (May 1950). "Irish Chemical Pioneers of 150 Years Ago". Journal of Chemical Education. 27 (5): 237–240. Bibcode:1950JChEd..27..237R. doi:10.1021/ed027p237.
Reilly, R.; N. O'Flynn (February 1930). "Richard Kirwan, an Irish Chemist of the Eighteenth Century". Isis. 13 (2): 298–319. doi:10.1086/346457. S2CID 144506691.
Smith, Edgar Fahs (1926). "Forgotten Chemists". Journal of Chemical Education. 3 (1): 29–40. Bibcode:1926JChEd...3...29S. doi:10.1021/ed003p29.
Wyse Jackson, Patrick (1998). "Richard Kirwan (1733–1812): Chemist and Geologist". Irish Chemical News. 12: 36–39.
Deane, S. & B. Mac Suibhne (2008). "Science and Medicine in Nineteenth-Century Ireland". Field Day Review. 2: 285–293.
External links
Berry, Henry Fitz-Patrick (1915). A History of the Royal Dublin Society. London: Longmans, Green and Co. pp. 154–158. ISBN1-4374-5669-3. Retrieved 15 December 2007.
Dixon, F. E. (December 1969). "Some Irish Meteorologists". The Irish Astronomical Journal. 9: 113–119. Bibcode:1969IrAJ....9..113D.
Owenson, Sydney (1829). The Book of the Boudoir. New York: J. & J. Harper. pp. 42–66. Retrieved 20 December 2007. (written by Lady Morgan)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Kirwan, Richard". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 834.
May 04, 2023
richard, kirwan, english, cricketer, clergyman, cricketer, frse, mria, august, 1733, june, 1812, irish, geologist, chemist, last, supporters, theory, phlogiston, born1, august, 1733, 1733, cloughballymore, county, galway, irelanddied22, june, 1812, 1812, aged,. For the English cricketer and clergyman see Richard Kirwan cricketer Richard Kirwan LL D FRS FRSE MRIA 1 August 1733 22 June 1812 was an Irish geologist and chemist He was one of the last supporters of the theory of phlogiston Richard KirwanBorn1 August 1733 1733 08 Cloughballymore County Galway IrelandDied22 June 1812 1812 06 23 aged 78 DublinKnown forPhlogistonScientific careerFieldsChemistryKirwan was active in the fields of chemistry meteorology and geology He was widely known in his day corresponding and meeting with Lavoisier Black Priestley and Cavendish Contents 1 Life and work 2 Eccentricities 3 Honours and activities 4 Books 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksLife and work Edit A burning glass owned by Richard Kirwan Richard Kirwan was born at Cloughballymore County Galway the second son of Martin Kirwan of Cregg d 1741 and his wife Mary French d 1751 1 He was a descendant of William o Ciardhubhain and a member of The Tribes of Galway Part of his early life was spent abroad and in 1754 he entered the Jesuit novitiate either at St Omer or at Hesdin but returned to Ireland in the following year when he succeeded to the family estates through the death of his brother in a duel Kirwan married Miss Blake in 1757 but his wife only lived eight more years The couple had two daughters Maria Theresa and Eliza 2 In 1766 having conformed to the established religion Church of Ireland two years previously Kirwan was called to the Irish Bar but in 1768 abandoned practice in favour of scientific pursuits During the next nineteen years he resided chiefly in London enjoying the society of the scientific men living there and corresponding with many savants on the continent of Europe as his wide knowledge of languages enabled him to do with ease His experiments on the specific gravities and attractive powers of various saline substances formed a substantial contribution to the methods of analytical chemistry and in 1782 gained him the Copley medal from the Royal Society of which he was elected a fellow in 1780 and in 1784 he was engaged in a controversy with Henry Cavendish in regard to the latter s experiments on air He was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1784 and a member of the American Philosophical Society 3 in 1786 In 1787 Kirwan moved to Dublin where in 1799 he became president of the Royal Irish Academy until his death To its proceedings he contributed some thirty eight memoirs dealing with meteorology 4 pure and applied chemistry geology magnetism and philology One of these on the primitive state of the globe and its subsequent catastrophe involved him in a lively dispute with the upholders of the Huttonian theory His geological work was marred by an implicit belief in the universal deluge and through finding fossils associated with the trap rocks near Portrush he maintained basalt was of aqueous origin An essay on phlogiston 1789 edition Kirwan was one of the last supporters in Britain and Ireland of the theory of phlogiston for which he contended in his Essay on Phlogiston and the Constitution of Acids 1787 identifying phlogiston with hydrogen This work translated by Marie Anne Pierette Paulze was published in French with critical notes by Lavoisier and some of his associates Kirwan attempted to refute their arguments but they proved too strong for him and he acknowledged himself a convert in 1791 There is evidence to suggest that Kirwan was a member of the Society of the United Irishmen 5 a revolutionary republican organisation in 18th century Ireland The United Irishmen were founded as a reformist club by a group of Irish radical Protestants and Presbyterians in 1791 influenced by the American and French revolutions Gradually becoming more militant the Society advocated for Catholic emancipation and the overthrow in Ireland of British rule This movement culminated in the defeat of the United Irishmen in the 1798 Rebellion and the Act of Union At the time of the Union Kirwan refused a baronetcy and died in Dublin in June 1812 and was buried there in St George s Church Lower Temple Street Eccentricities EditVarious stories are told of Kirwan s eccentricities as well as of his conversational powers It is said that flies were his especial aversion he kept a pet eagle and was attended by six large dogs 6 Kirwan disliked flies and paid his servants for each time they were killed He also disliked late visitors and had his door knocker removed each evening at seven o clock 7 Kirwan suffered from dysphagia and always dined alone 8 He lived on an exclusive diet of ham and milk The ham was cooked on Sunday and reheated for the rest of the week 8 Kirwan was obsessed with avoiding a cold He heated his living room all year round with a fire and always wore an overcoat indoors 8 Honours and activities EditFellow of the Royal Society 1780 Copley Medal 1782 Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 1789 9 Royal Irish Academy 1799 1812 President Wernerian Natural History Society of Edinburgh 1808 honorary founding memberBooks Edit Richard Kirwan Portrait by Hugh Douglas Hamilton 2 Elements of Mineralogy 1784 Essay on Phlogiston and the Constitution of Acids 1787 An Estimate of the Temperature of Different Latitudes 1787 Essay of the Analysis of Mineral Waters 1799 Geological Essays 1799 The Manures Most Advantageously Applicable to the Various Sorts of Soils 1796 sixth edition in 1806 Logick 1807 Metaphysical Essays 1809 An Essay on Human Happiness 1810 References Edit Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783 2002 PDF The Royal Society of Edinburgh July 2006 ISBN 0 902 198 84 X a b Reilly R N O Flynn February 1930 Richard Kirwan an Irish Chemist of the Eighteenth Century Isis 13 2 298 319 doi 10 1086 346457 S2CID 144506691 APS Member History search amphilsoc org Retrieved 6 April 2021 Dixon F E December 1969 Some Irish Meteorologists The Irish Astronomical Journal 9 113 119 Bibcode 1969IrAJ 9 113D Deane S amp B Mac Suibhne 2008 Science and Medicine in Nineteenth Century Ireland Field Day Review 2 285 293 Stephen Leslie ed 1887 Kirwan Richard Dictionary of National Biography Vol 11 London Smith Elder amp Co pp 228 230 Foster John Wilson 1998 Nature in Ireland A Scientific and Cultural History McGill Queen s University Press p 93 ISBN 0 7735 1816 9 a b c Shaw Karl 2009 Curing Hiccups with Small Fires A Delightful Miscellany of Great British Eccentrics Pan MacMillan p 122 ISBN 978 0 752 22703 0 Book of Members 1780 2010 Chapter B PDF American Academy of Arts and Sciences Retrieved 28 July 2014 The Irish Builder vol XXXIV No 792 p 269 15 December 1892Further reading EditAkeroyd Michael 2003 The Lavoisier Kirwan debate and approaches to the evaluation of theories Ann N Y Acad Sci published May 2003 988 1 293 301 Bibcode 2003NYASA 988 293A doi 10 1111 j 1749 6632 2003 tb06110 x PMID 12796114 S2CID 29844133 Brockman C J 1927 Richard Kirwan Chemist 1733 1812 Journal of Chemical Education 4 10 1275 1282 Bibcode 1927JChEd 4 1275B doi 10 1021 ed004p1275 Retrieved 30 December 2007 dead link Donovan M 1848 Memoir of R Kirwan Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 4 81 Mauskopf Seymour 2002 Richard Kirwan s phlogiston theory its success and fate Ambix published November 2002 49 3 185 205 doi 10 1179 amb 2002 49 3 185 PMID 12833914 S2CID 170853908 Reilly D May 1950 Irish Chemical Pioneers of 150 Years Ago Journal of Chemical Education 27 5 237 240 Bibcode 1950JChEd 27 237R doi 10 1021 ed027p237 Reilly R N O Flynn February 1930 Richard Kirwan an Irish Chemist of the Eighteenth Century Isis 13 2 298 319 doi 10 1086 346457 S2CID 144506691 Smith Edgar Fahs 1926 Forgotten Chemists Journal of Chemical Education 3 1 29 40 Bibcode 1926JChEd 3 29S doi 10 1021 ed003p29 Wyse Jackson Patrick 1998 Richard Kirwan 1733 1812 Chemist and Geologist Irish Chemical News 12 36 39 Deane S amp B Mac Suibhne 2008 Science and Medicine in Nineteenth Century Ireland Field Day Review 2 285 293 External links EditBerry Henry Fitz Patrick 1915 A History of the Royal Dublin Society London Longmans Green and Co pp 154 158 ISBN 1 4374 5669 3 Retrieved 15 December 2007 Dixon F E December 1969 Some Irish Meteorologists The Irish Astronomical Journal 9 113 119 Bibcode 1969IrAJ 9 113D Owenson Sydney 1829 The Book of the Boudoir New York J amp J Harper pp 42 66 Retrieved 20 December 2007 written by Lady Morgan Thomson Thomas 1818 A System of Chemistry 5 ed Philadelphia Abraham Small pp 124 126 ISBN 0 03 024952 X Kirwan and the Royal Irish Academy Life and works This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Kirwan Richard Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 15 11th ed Cambridge University Press p 834 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Richard Kirwan amp oldid 1145141455, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
