Robert Dunkin
Encyclopedia
Robert Dunkin of Penzance, Cornwall, was a Quaker businessman and a mentor of the young Humphry Davy, a founder of the science of electrochemistry
, in the practice of experimental science.
According to a death notice in The West Briton
19 August 1831:
"At Penzance on Thursday the 11th instant, Mr Dunking, [died] aged 70 years. – This most respectable man was a member of the Society of Friends
; he was originally a saddler, which business he long carried on; but he was also an excellent mathematical instrument
maker, and was well known to men of science by some valuable improvements in the barometer and the thermometer. He was an able mathematician, and in natural philosophy, especially in electricity and magnetism, he was deeply skilled – His amiable disposition, and the unassuming manners so well suited to his religious opinions, secured him the respect of all who knew him and will long endear his memory to his numerous friends."
, baptised 14 July 1761.
On 20 January 1786 Robert Dunkin and Celia Bonello, a widow, daughter of William and Elizabeth Odgers of Helston, were married, after the manner of Quakers. Their son, Robert, was born on 1 July 1787..
Celia Dunkin was an active Quaker . She died, aged 76, on 21 January 1824.
Robert Dunkin died, aged 89, at Penzance, 10 August 1831 .
, Penzance:
DUNKIN & JAMES/
SADDLE AND HARNESS/
Manufacturers/
PENZANCE/
PHILOSOPHICAL INSTRUMENTS/
Made and Repaired/
THERMOMETER
S, BAROMETERS
, THEODOLITES
, ANGLOMETERS,
SHIPS COMPASSES
&C/
ENGRAVED COPPERPLATE PRINTING
/
MEDICAL ELECTRICITY &C
Pigot’s Directory of Cornwall—1823 shows Robert Dunkin operating from Market Place, Penzance . Robert Dunkin is listed under "Tradesmen" as a saddlemaker in the Universal British Directory—1791 .
at this date (1786). He was listed as a member of Penzance Quaker Meeting, in a list written in 1828, his acquisition of membership being by "convincement". He published a religious poem "On God" in the Imperial Magazine in 1820.
's first biographer, John Ayrton Paris
, was an unreliable witness, according to June Z. Fullmer. She contests the idea that Davy was a "country bumpkin", giving evidence that he and his family were of middling status in Penzance society: "Intimated always, in Paris's descriptive flights, were notes of snobbish disdain". Paris caricatures Dunkin as "Will Snaffle" in his roman a clef - Philosophy in sport made science in earnest (1827)..
June Z. Fullmer says:"Instruction of Davy
did not arise solely from his schooling and his apprenticeship. As important as anyone for his training was Robert Dunkin .... Dunkin has been variously referred to as saddler, ironmonger, patentee and mathematical instrument maker. These changing sobriquets reflect his versatility and technological expertise." ... "Perhaps the best testimony to Dunkin's ability derives from his activities. He received two patent
s, the first, in 1802, with Dr Henry Penneck as co-patentee, for the invention of 'Methods of improving Sailing and Navigation of certain ships and vessels'; the second, in 1813, for 'Methods of lessening the consumption of steam and fuel in working fire engines, and also methods for the improvement of certain instruments useful for mining and other purposes ' ".
Robert Hunt
, in his article in Dictionary of National Biography
(1888) on Davy , says: "....These conditions developed a love of poetry and the composition of verses and ballads. At the same time he acquired a taste for experimental science. This was mainly due to a member of the Society of Friends named Robert Dunkin, a saddler; a man of original mind and of the most varied acquirements. Dunkin constructed for himself an electrical machine, voltaic pile
s, and Leyden jar
s, and made models illustrative of the principles of mechanics. By the aid of these appliances he instructed Davy in the rudiments of science. As professor at the Royal Institution, Davy repeated many of the ingenious experiments which he had learned from his quaker instructor."
Harold Hartley
in his Humphry Davy, discounted Ayrton Paris's tale (Life p.31) about Davy's source of scientific instruments. Paris claimed that they were a gift from a French doctor, who had been shipwrecked off Land's End. " . . . any doubt about the veracity of Davy's statements about his apparatus has now been removed, as Dunkin's help must have been of the greatest assistance to him in those early days" .
Davy's study of chemistry started in 1897 and his contact with Dunkin ceased when he moved to Bristol on 20 December 1798. Davy's initial contacts with Robert Dunkin may have been much earlier; they lived in the centre of the same town; Dunkin's son, also named Robert, was slightly older than Davy.
Fullmer cites the first documented contact was Davy's written attack on "The pretended inspiration of Quakers and other sectaries", the continuation of an oral debate. Dunkin is reported as having responded "I tell thee what, Humphry, thou art the most quibbling hand at a dispute as I ever met with in my life". The success of their chemical and electrical experiments must have been to some extent dependent in the skills of the Quaker instrument maker.
Electrochemistry
Electrochemistry is a branch of chemistry that studies chemical reactions which take place in a solution at the interface of an electron conductor and an ionic conductor , and which involve electron transfer between the electrode and the electrolyte or species in solution.If a chemical reaction is...
, in the practice of experimental science.
According to a death notice in The West Briton
The West Briton
The West Briton is a local weekly newspaper published every Thursday. It serves different areas of Cornwall, United Kingdom with four separate editions—Truro and Mid-Cornwall, Falmouth and Penryn, Redruth Camborne and Hayle, and Helston and The Lizard. It was established in 1810 and is part...
19 August 1831:
"At Penzance on Thursday the 11th instant, Mr Dunking, [died] aged 70 years. – This most respectable man was a member of the Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
; he was originally a saddler, which business he long carried on; but he was also an excellent mathematical instrument
Mathematical instrument
A mathematical instrument is a tool or device used in the study or practice of mathematics.Most instruments are used within the field of geometry, including the ruler, dividers, protractor, set square, compass, ellipsograph and opisometer...
maker, and was well known to men of science by some valuable improvements in the barometer and the thermometer. He was an able mathematician, and in natural philosophy, especially in electricity and magnetism, he was deeply skilled – His amiable disposition, and the unassuming manners so well suited to his religious opinions, secured him the respect of all who knew him and will long endear his memory to his numerous friends."
Vital dates
Robert Dunkin was the son of Robert and Anna Dunkin, born at PenzancePenzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, baptised 14 July 1761.
On 20 January 1786 Robert Dunkin and Celia Bonello, a widow, daughter of William and Elizabeth Odgers of Helston, were married, after the manner of Quakers. Their son, Robert, was born on 1 July 1787..
Celia Dunkin was an active Quaker . She died, aged 76, on 21 January 1824.
Robert Dunkin died, aged 89, at Penzance, 10 August 1831 .
Dunkin's business
A Trade card is on display at Penlee HousePenlee House
Penlee House is a museum and art gallery located in the town of Penzance in Cornwall, and is home to a great many paintings by members of the Newlyn School, including many by such luminaries as Stanhope Forbes, Norman Garstin, Walter Langley and Lamorna Birch. Penlee house is currently operated by...
, Penzance:
DUNKIN & JAMES/
SADDLE AND HARNESS/
Manufacturers/
PENZANCE/
PHILOSOPHICAL INSTRUMENTS/
Made and Repaired/
THERMOMETER
Thermometer
Developed during the 16th and 17th centuries, a thermometer is a device that measures temperature or temperature gradient using a variety of different principles. A thermometer has two important elements: the temperature sensor Developed during the 16th and 17th centuries, a thermometer (from the...
S, BAROMETERS
Barometer
A barometer is a scientific instrument used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather...
, THEODOLITES
Theodolite
A theodolite is a precision instrument for measuring angles in the horizontal and vertical planes. Theodolites are mainly used for surveying applications, and have been adapted for specialized purposes in fields like metrology and rocket launch technology...
, ANGLOMETERS,
SHIPS COMPASSES
Compass
A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...
&C/
ENGRAVED COPPERPLATE PRINTING
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
/
MEDICAL ELECTRICITY &C
Pigot’s Directory of Cornwall—1823 shows Robert Dunkin operating from Market Place, Penzance . Robert Dunkin is listed under "Tradesmen" as a saddlemaker in the Universal British Directory—1791 .
Dunkin as a Quaker
As his marriage took place after the manner of Friends, both partners must have been QuakersReligious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
at this date (1786). He was listed as a member of Penzance Quaker Meeting, in a list written in 1828, his acquisition of membership being by "convincement". He published a religious poem "On God" in the Imperial Magazine in 1820.
Dunkin and Davy
Humphry DavyHumphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet FRS MRIA was a British chemist and inventor. He is probably best remembered today for his discoveries of several alkali and alkaline earth metals, as well as contributions to the discoveries of the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine...
's first biographer, John Ayrton Paris
John Ayrton Paris
John Ayrton Paris, FRS was a British physician. He is most widely remembered as the probable inventor of the thaumatrope, which he used to demonstrate persistence of vision to the Royal College of Physicians in London in 1824; at about this time he wrote a book entitled Philosophy in sport made...
, was an unreliable witness, according to June Z. Fullmer. She contests the idea that Davy was a "country bumpkin", giving evidence that he and his family were of middling status in Penzance society: "Intimated always, in Paris's descriptive flights, were notes of snobbish disdain". Paris caricatures Dunkin as "Will Snaffle" in his roman a clef - Philosophy in sport made science in earnest (1827)..
June Z. Fullmer says:"Instruction of Davy
Humphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet FRS MRIA was a British chemist and inventor. He is probably best remembered today for his discoveries of several alkali and alkaline earth metals, as well as contributions to the discoveries of the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine...
did not arise solely from his schooling and his apprenticeship. As important as anyone for his training was Robert Dunkin .... Dunkin has been variously referred to as saddler, ironmonger, patentee and mathematical instrument maker. These changing sobriquets reflect his versatility and technological expertise." ... "Perhaps the best testimony to Dunkin's ability derives from his activities. He received two patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s, the first, in 1802, with Dr Henry Penneck as co-patentee, for the invention of 'Methods of improving Sailing and Navigation of certain ships and vessels'; the second, in 1813, for 'Methods of lessening the consumption of steam and fuel in working fire engines, and also methods for the improvement of certain instruments useful for mining and other purposes ' ".
Robert Hunt
Robert Hunt (scientist)
Robert Hunt , a scientist and antiquarian, was born at Devonport, Plymouth, in the United Kingdom. He was involved in statistical, mineralogical and other studies. He died in London on 17 October 1887.-Early life:...
, in his article in Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
(1888) on Davy , says: "....These conditions developed a love of poetry and the composition of verses and ballads. At the same time he acquired a taste for experimental science. This was mainly due to a member of the Society of Friends named Robert Dunkin, a saddler; a man of original mind and of the most varied acquirements. Dunkin constructed for himself an electrical machine, voltaic pile
Voltaic pile
A voltaic pile is a set of individual Galvanic cells placed in series. The voltaic pile, invented by Alessandro Volta in 1800, was the first electric battery...
s, and Leyden jar
Leyden jar
A Leyden jar, or Leiden jar, is a device that "stores" static electricity between two electrodes on the inside and outside of a jar. It was invented independently by German cleric Ewald Georg von Kleist on 11 October 1745 and by Dutch scientist Pieter van Musschenbroek of Leiden in 1745–1746. The...
s, and made models illustrative of the principles of mechanics. By the aid of these appliances he instructed Davy in the rudiments of science. As professor at the Royal Institution, Davy repeated many of the ingenious experiments which he had learned from his quaker instructor."
Harold Hartley
Harold Hartley
Sir Harold Brewer Hartley GCVO CH FRS was a British physical chemist. He moved from academia to important positions in business and industry.He was educated at Dulwich College, and Balliol College, Oxford...
in his Humphry Davy, discounted Ayrton Paris's tale (Life p.31) about Davy's source of scientific instruments. Paris claimed that they were a gift from a French doctor, who had been shipwrecked off Land's End. " . . . any doubt about the veracity of Davy's statements about his apparatus has now been removed, as Dunkin's help must have been of the greatest assistance to him in those early days" .
Davy's study of chemistry started in 1897 and his contact with Dunkin ceased when he moved to Bristol on 20 December 1798. Davy's initial contacts with Robert Dunkin may have been much earlier; they lived in the centre of the same town; Dunkin's son, also named Robert, was slightly older than Davy.
Fullmer cites the first documented contact was Davy's written attack on "The pretended inspiration of Quakers and other sectaries", the continuation of an oral debate. Dunkin is reported as having responded "I tell thee what, Humphry, thou art the most quibbling hand at a dispute as I ever met with in my life". The success of their chemical and electrical experiments must have been to some extent dependent in the skills of the Quaker instrument maker.
Sources
- June Zimmerman Fullmer Young Humphry Davy: the making of an experimental chemist, Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society (2000), (APS Memoirs Volume 237) ISBN 0-87169-237-6 -
- George Clement BoaseGeorge Clement BoaseGeorge Clement Boase was an English bibliographer and antiquary.-Biography:Boase's father was a banker, and Boase himself took up banking in Cornwall and London as a young man from 1846 to 1854...
and William Prideaux Courtney Bibliotheca Cornubiensis: a catalogue of the writings both written and printed of Cornishmen and of works relating to the County of Cornwall with biographical memoranda and copious literary references. (1874)