Chemistry, Cameralistics and the Church: Richard Watson\u27s Life (1737-1816)

Richard Watson may not come high in any list of famous scientists though he made some useful contributions to the emerging eighteenth century science of chemistry. He became a professor of chemistry at Cambridge with no knowledge of chemistry but soon overcame this initial ignorance through hard work. He visited mines and factories, giving their owners advice on the problems that they faced. He then changed career path becoming a Professor of Divinity and later became a Bishop in the Church of England. He had been politically active since his youth, but, as a Bishop, he was able to attend the House of Lords, achieving considerable political influence. He retired to an estate that he had purchased in the Lake District and busied himself in his latter years with applying his scientific knowledge to the practice of agriculture. His is an interesting personality that illustrates a number of paradoxes both about the nature of science at that time and the use of scientific expertise as a means of social advancement