MACLEAR

Sir Thomas (eld. son of James Maclear). b. Newton Stewart, Tyrone 17 March 1794; ed. Winchester; studied at Guy’s and St. Thomas’s hospitals; M.R.C.S. 1815; house surgeon of Bedford infirmary 1815; practised at Biggleswade 1823–33, where he erected an observatory 1828; astronomer royal at Cape of Good Hope 5 Jany. 1834 to 1870; F.R.A.S. 1828; F.R.S. 8 Dec. 1831, royal medallist 1869; Lalande medal of the Academy of sciences 1867; knighted by patent 24 May 1860; granted civil list pension of £100, 18 June 1863; became totally blind 1867; contributed to Memoirs of R. Astronom. soc. 1835 etc.; author of Observations of Halley’s comet made at Cape of Good Hope 1837; Astronomical observations made under the direction T. Maclear 1840; Contributions to astronomy and geodesy 2 vols. 1851 and 1853; Verification and extension of La Caille’s arc of meridian 1866; Catalogue of 4810 stars from observation made by sir T. Maclear 1884. d. Grey villa, Mowbray, Cape town 14 July 1879. bur. in the observatory grounds. Monthly notices of R.A.S. xl 200–204 (1880); Proc. of royal society , xxix 17–18 (1879); Nature 14 Aug. 1879 p. 365.