SCIENTISTS OF NOTTINGHAM AND DISTRICT 109 



and, after holding several junior offices, was President from 1740 to 1745. 

 He was physician to St. Thomas's Hospital, and he contributed to the 

 fifth Pharmacopoeia Londinensis which appeared in 1746. His son 

 Russell Plumptre (1709-1793J was Regius Professor of Physic at Cam- 

 bridge. 



Ransom, William H., M.D., F.R.S. (1824-1907), b. Cromer, Norfolk. 

 Educated privately and at University College, London, he was a fellow 

 student of Huxley. He studied in Paris and in Germany, and taking his 

 medical degree in London (1850) settled in Nottingham where, for 36 

 years, he was Physician to the General Hospital. He was elected F.R.S. 

 in 1870 for his great knowledge of physiology, particularly for original 

 observations on ovology, his candidature being supported by Huxley, Paget 

 and Lister. His chief contributions were made to pure science in early 

 life as he later became absorbed in professional duties. He assisted in 

 British Association researches on Derbyshire Caves, d. Nottingham. 



RooKE, Major Hayman, F.R.S. (d. 1806). Rooke lived near Mansfield 

 and was a well-known meteorologist and antiquarian. He pubUshed 

 various papers on camps and earthworks in Nottinghamshire and on 

 Sherwood Forest. 



Spencer, Herbert (1820-1903), b. Derby. The only surviving child of 

 a schoolmaster, Spencer was educated partly at a day school and partly 

 privately by his uncle. Before definitely embarking on a career of writing 

 he was first a teacher and then a railway engineer and inventor. After 

 a phase of newspaper and essay writing, he settled down in 1857 to write 

 out his system of philosophy. First Principles being completed in 1862. 

 Among his numerous books on philosophy, ethics, and science, are the 

 following: — Principles of Psychology (1855); Education (1861) which has 

 been translated into all the chief languages of the world; Principles of 

 Biology, in writing which he had the co-operation of Huxley and Hooker. 



Shipman, James (d. 1901). Assistant Editor of the Nottingham Daily 

 Express, he devoted his spare time to the examination of the numerous 

 temporary exposures of rocks made during excavations in and around 

 the city, and accumulated much valuable local geological and archaeologi- 

 cal information, some of which is recorded in the Transactions of the 

 Nottingham Naturalists, The Midland Naturalist and several books. He 

 fostered open air science by organising a rambling club. 



Strutt, Edward, F.R.S., 1st Baron Belper (1801-1880), b. Derby. 

 The son of William Strutt (below), he was educated at Cambridge where 

 he was President of the Union Society, read law and took an M.A. degree. 

 He spent most of his leisure studying science and particularly sociology 

 and economics. He represented Derby and Nottingham in Parliament 

 and was in turn High Sheriff and Lord Lieutenant of Notts. He was 

 created Baron Belper in 1856, and in 1871 was appointed President of 

 University College, London. In middle age he was an authority on 

 questions of free trade, law reform and education. He was elected 

 F.R.S. in 1860, and was also a Fellow of the Geological and Zoological 

 Societies, d. London. 



