MDDM Ch. 75 Hammerfost

[Dave Monroe]

   "'Bayley went to the North Cape.  I was put off
about seventy miles down the coast, at Hammerfost, on
Hammerfost Island.   The Ground was frozen so hard it
took a week to dig a hole for a Post to fix the Clock
to....'" (M&D, Ch. 75, p. 738)

William Bayly, Astronomer
1737/8 to 1810 by Ann Jarvis

According to the Dictionary of National Biography –
p1372 – William Bayly was born at Bishop’s Cannings or
‘Carions’ in Wiltshire in 1737. However in the
baptismal records for Bishop’s Cannings it shows a
William Bailey baptised on 8th October 1738, and his
parents being John and Elizabeth Bailey. His father
was a small farmer. William worked for his father as a
ploughboy. He must however have shown great ability
for ‘ In spite of the constant manual work he had to
do, he took advantage of the kindness of an exciseman
living in a neighbouring village, who offered to give
him some lessons’. From him he learned the elements of
arithmetic.

 A gentleman of Bath named Kingston, heard of the
lad’s taste for mathematics, and gave him some help.
He became an usher in a school at Stoke near Bristol,
and after a while took a similar position in another
school in the neighbourhood. While there employed, he
took every opportunity of increasing his mathematical
knowledge. It is known that the 3rd Duke of Richmond
was a supporter and sponsor of William Bayly in 1768
to 1770....

Dr. Maskelyne, the astronomer royal happened to hear
of his talents, and engaged him as an assistant at the
Royal Observatory. On his recommendation in 1769 Bayly
was sent out by the Royal Society to the North Cape to
observe the transit of Venus.

His observations were printed in the Philosophical
Transactions of the Society....

http://www.canningschurcheswiltshire.org.uk/william_bayley.htm

Bayley, William.  "Astronomical Observations made
   at the North Cape, for the Royal Society."  Phil.
   Trans. of the Roy. Soc., Vol. 59 (Dec. 1769):
   pp. 262-72.

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/ilej/image1.pl?item=page&seq=1&size=1&id=pt.1769.x.x.59.x.262

Hammerfost

Hammerfest--
The noerthernmost town in the world

The city lies 70° 39' 48" north and achieved its town
status on the 7th of July 1789, making it the oldest
town in northern Norway. The town was founded because
of its natural harbour, something which is equally
important today for Hammerfests economic foundation.
Despite its geographical position, Hammerfest has
maintained its international connections. As early as
1852, the first international measurement of the
earths circumference was completed in Hammerfest, and
in 1891 Hammerfest was the first town in northern
Europe with electric street lighting....

[...]

North Cape cruise. This is an exciting boat trip with
one of FFRs new high-speed catamarans. The boat
travels through exciting coastal scenery and passes
close by one of northern Europes largest nesting
cliffs. The North Cape Cruise departs from Hammerfest
every morning and afternoon.... 

http://www.hammerfest.kommune.no/english.html

http://www.hammerfest.kommune.no/welcome_to_hammerfest.pdf

>From Jeremiah Dixon, "Observations Made on the Island
of Hammerfost,"  Phil. Trans. of the Royal Scoiety,
Vol. 59 (Dec. 1769), pp. 253-61 ...

1769
May

[...]

10  Digging holes for fixing the clock-post, and stand
for the transit-instrument.  Note, the ground so much
frozen and rocky, could not finish them this day.

[...]

11  Fisished the digging, and fixed up the post for
the clock; also put up that part of the observatory
which moves round.  Note, the post for the clock was 3
feet in the ground....

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/ilej/image1.pl?item=page&seq=1&size=1&id=pt.1769.x.x.59.x.253

And for those who parlez-vous Francaise ...

"Passages de Venus devant le soleil: historique des
observations" ...

http://www.bdl.fr/Granpub/Promenade/pages6/608.html

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