The Board of Longitude project: Recent Episodes
Cambridge University
The archives of the Royal Greenwich Observatory, held in Cambridge University Library, include the complete run of the surviving papers of the Board of Longitude through the eighteenth century until its abolition in 1828. These papers throw a vivid light on the role of the British state in encouraging invention and discovery, on the energetic culture of technical ingenuity in the long eighteenth century, and on many aspects of exploration and maritime travel in the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic.
This project, a partnership between Cambridge University Library, the National Maritime Museum and the AHRC-funded Board of Longitude Project, presents fully digitised versions of the complete archive and associated materials, alongside detailed metadata, contextual essays, video, educational resources and hundreds of links through to relevant objects in the National Maritime Museum's online collections.
Sophie Waring (University of Cambridge)
Cambridge University Library holds the complete papers of the Board of Longitude through the eighteenth century until its abolition in 1828. This collection throws a vivid light on the role of the British state in encouraging invention and discovery, on the energetic culture of technical ingenuity in the long eighteenth century, and on many aspects of exploration and maritime travel in the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic.
This meeting marks the online release of a digitised version of this archive and many related manuscript and printed materials of crucial importance for understanding the cultures of travel, invention and inquiry in the long eighteenth century. The project has been supported by JISC and forms part of the Cambridge Digital Library. This remarkable digital archive consolidates resources held at Cambridge University Library as well the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, together with detailed metadata and contextual resources to place the material within a rich intellectual framework.
Speakers at the meeting will address the historic importance of the archive and of the Board of Longitude, as well as discussing important issues in digital humanities and the role of researchers in the production and interpretation of such digitised collections.
Tim Hitchcock (University of Hertfordshire)
Cambridge University Library holds the complete papers of the Board of Longitude through the eighteenth century until its abolition in 1828. This collection throws a vivid light on the role of the British state in encouraging invention and discovery, on the energetic culture of technical ingenuity in the long eighteenth century, and on many aspects of exploration and maritime travel in the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic.
This meeting marks the online release of a digitised version of this archive and many related manuscript and printed materials of crucial importance for understanding the cultures of travel, invention and inquiry in the long eighteenth century. The project has been supported by JISC and forms part of the Cambridge Digital Library. This remarkable digital archive consolidates resources held at Cambridge University Library as well the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, together with detailed metadata and contextual resources to place the material within a rich intellectual framework.
Speakers at the meeting will address the historic importance of the archive and of the Board of Longitude, as well as discussing important issues in digital humanities and the role of researchers in the production and interpretation of such digitised collections.
Larry Stewart (University of Saskatchewan)
Cambridge University Library holds the complete papers of the Board of Longitude through the eighteenth century until its abolition in 1828. This collection throws a vivid light on the role of the British state in encouraging invention and discovery, on the energetic culture of technical ingenuity in the long eighteenth century, and on many aspects of exploration and maritime travel in the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic.
This meeting marks the online release of a digitised version of this archive and many related manuscript and printed materials of crucial importance for understanding the cultures of travel, invention and inquiry in the long eighteenth century. The project has been supported by JISC and forms part of the Cambridge Digital Library. This remarkable digital archive consolidates resources held at Cambridge University Library as well the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, together with detailed metadata and contextual resources to place the material within a rich intellectual framework.
Speakers at the meeting will address the historic importance of the archive and of the Board of Longitude, as well as discussing important issues in digital humanities and the role of researchers in the production and interpretation of such digitised collections.
David Philip Miller (University of New South Wales)
Cambridge University Library holds the complete papers of the Board of Longitude through the eighteenth century until its abolition in 1828. This collection throws a vivid light on the role of the British state in encouraging invention and discovery, on the energetic culture of technical ingenuity in the long eighteenth century, and on many aspects of exploration and maritime travel in the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic.
This meeting marks the online release of a digitised version of this archive and many related manuscript and printed materials of crucial importance for understanding the cultures of travel, invention and inquiry in the long eighteenth century. The project has been supported by JISC and forms part of the Cambridge Digital Library. This remarkable digital archive consolidates resources held at Cambridge University Library as well the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, together with detailed metadata and contextual resources to place the material within a rich intellectual framework.
Speakers at the meeting will address the historic importance of the archive and of the Board of Longitude, as well as discussing important issues in digital humanities and the role of researchers in the production and interpretation of such digitised collections.
Introduction
Richard Dunn (Royal Museums Greenwich) and Simon Schaffer (University of Cambridge)
Cambridge University Library holds the complete papers of the Board of Longitude through the eighteenth century until its abolition in 1828. This collection throws a vivid light on the role of the British state in encouraging invention and discovery, on the energetic culture of technical ingenuity in the long eighteenth century, and on many aspects of exploration and maritime travel in the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic.
This meeting marks the online release of a digitised version of this archive and many related manuscript and printed materials of crucial importance for understanding the cultures of travel, invention and inquiry in the long eighteenth century. The project has been supported by JISC and forms part of the Cambridge Digital Library. This remarkable digital archive consolidates resources held at Cambridge University Library as well the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, together with detailed metadata and contextual resources to place the material within a rich intellectual framework.
Speakers at the meeting will address the historic importance of the archive and of the Board of Longitude, as well as discussing important issues in digital humanities and the role of researchers in the production and interpretation of such digitised collections.
Cambridge University Library and the National Maritime Museum have digitised the Board of Longitude archive. The archive will available online at https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/longitude from 18th July 2013.
This is the final film in the series and tells the story of how the Nautical Almanac was produced thanks to work of a band of human computers. This publication helped sailors find their position at sea.
Cambridge University Library and the National Maritime Museum have digitised the Board of Longitude archive. The archive will available online at https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/longitude from 18th July 2013.
The Board of Longitude sent astronomers on voyages of exploration to test methods of navigation and help make better maps.
This is the second film of the series and looks at some of the techniques they used to make maps and introduces the story of William Gooch, a young astronomer who met an untimely end.
Cambridge University Library and the National Maritime Museum have digitised the Board of Longitude archive. The archive will available online at https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/longitude from 18th July 2013
This first film in a series of three, introduces the Board of Longitude and the 18th century search for an accurate way of finding longitude at sea.
The papers in the Board's archive record scientific endeavour, fateful voyages, bitter feuds and lifetimes of commitment to a common cause.