Murdoch McKenzie
Encyclopedia
Murdoch Mackenzie, FRS (1712–1797) was a hydrograph
er and cartographer.
Born in Orkney and employed by the Royal Navy
, he became the first person to accurately chart the coastline around North Ronaldsay
where many vessels had come to grief. His work led to the construction of a lighthouse at Dennis Head. North Ronaldsay and his charts are still in use by shipping today.
He also surveyed the north coast of Ireland and the west coast of Scotland, publishing the results in "Nautical description of the west coast of Great Britain from Bristol Channel to Cape Wrath" (1776)
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1774.
He died in Minehead, Somerset in 1797.
Hydrograph
A hydrograph is a graph showing the rate of flow versus time past a specific point in a river, or other channel or conduit carrying flow...
er and cartographer.
Born in Orkney and employed by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, he became the first person to accurately chart the coastline around North Ronaldsay
North Ronaldsay
North Ronaldsay is the northernmost of the Orkney Islands, Scotland and with an area of is the fourteenth largest.-Geography:North Ronaldsay lies around north of its nearest neighbour, Sanday at . The island is around long along its length and is defined by two large sandy bays; Linklet Bay on...
where many vessels had come to grief. His work led to the construction of a lighthouse at Dennis Head. North Ronaldsay and his charts are still in use by shipping today.
He also surveyed the north coast of Ireland and the west coast of Scotland, publishing the results in "Nautical description of the west coast of Great Britain from Bristol Channel to Cape Wrath" (1776)
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1774.
He died in Minehead, Somerset in 1797.
External links
- Margaret Carr, Charting the life of the man who mapped Orkney, The OrcadianThe OrcadianThe Orcadian is the oldest newspaper in Orkney, Scotland, first published in 1854. At first a monthly paper, it soon became a weekly. It is produced in Kirkwall and comes out each Thursday....
, 19 September 2005 - Simon Treasure, Murdoch Mackenzie Snr, The Orcadian surveyor
- Images of Mackenzie charts, National Library of ScotlandNational Library of ScotlandThe National Library of Scotland is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. It is based in a collection of buildings in Edinburgh city centre. The headquarters is on George IV Bridge, between the Old Town and the university quarter...