William Richardson

William Richardson (2 February 1796 – 23 March 1872) was a notable British astronomer at Greenwich Observatory who was later accused of murder.

Richardson was an amateur scientist who had an interest in the field of astronomy and was appointed in 1822 to work as an assistant at the observatory.

Background William Richardson was born at Pocklington, Yorkshire. He was married to Anne Rogerson in the year 1821, a lady who was about two years younger than him. He already had six children by the time George Biddell Airy joined the Observatory. By the time he left the observatory he had nine surviving children in all.

During the census of 1841, he was staying in Greenwich with his two daughters Amelia and Ann Maria.

Richardson became involved in a scandal which led to his arrest in January 1846 in Pocklington. at an annual salary of £100 plus £10 additional payment on consecutive three years in the service plus other allowances. His housing was also paid for by the Admiralty in order to provide suitable accommodation for him on his arrival at the Observatory. It was Richardson's recommendation to Pond that saw the recruitment of Yorkshiremen William Rogerson and Thomas Eli, which meant that half of the assistants at the observatory were from Yorkshire. Richardson was offered the position to become the director at the Madras Observatory in East India Company, but declined the offer due to alleged health concerns he had. This could have been a topflight position in his career had he not forgone it at this moment when he was full of ego. The responsibilities highlighted for Richardson by the observatory before the reign of George Biddell Airy included doing the computations regarding the Troughton Circle and Jones Circle, although the payable amounts he was given for these external jobs was not clearly stated.

In 1835, when Pond was replaced by Airy, the standards at the observatory were falling.

Richardson was also able to acquire several other properties in Pocklington including The Star, an ancient building with a thatched roof, which was later damaged in a fire that had spread from the adjourning brewhouse on 4 March 1845. These buildings were later re-built and still exist as a result of the then modern London architecture that was used to design them. He had also had eight other properties in and around the market place. These included the Brewhouse and the residential area that he stayed in at the Parramatta Villa. His house was built in the 1861 to 1871 period. After his death, the building was sold and later its name changed from Parramatta Villa to Sherbutt House. This building was later modified to be used as an educational establishment by Charles Nichols.

Achievements During his period at the Royal Observatory, Richardson was credited with the data calculations which enabled the making of "A catalog of 7385 stars: chiefly in the southern hemisphere, prepared from observations made ... at the observatory at Parramatta, New South Wales ...”. In a piece published later in the year 1835 by the Admiralty. Richardson was also credited with an investigation into the subject of the Constant of aberration which won him the gold medal of the Royal Astronomical Society for his work. This work also inspired him to write about this topic in his book on Constant of Aberration a masterpiece of that time which was held highly by the astronomers in that period.

Richardson had vast knowledge in the field of Elementary Mathematics, a strength of his mental capabilities. He was thus able to keep the Circle computations in an organised way and was "a first-rate observer with the Circle" as described by Mr. Troughton. This trait really made him a real asset to the Royal Observatory. He was even able to make calculations for others which even involved cataloging for Sir Thomas Brisbane and the astronomical society.

Publications and works Richardson wrote a book on the investigation into the Constant of Aberration which was highly valued by the Royal Astronomical Society and the astronomers of his days. Later, he worked on “A catalog of 7385 stars: chiefly in the southern hemisphere, prepared from observations made ...” at the Parramatta observatory in New South Wales. The Admiralty then published it in the year 1835. He later wrote an article on the "Greenwich assistants during 250 years "which was published several years later in 1925 by Henry Hollis.