The Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College , London, gives free educational lectures to the general public. The college was founded for this purpose in 1597, when it appointed seven professors. Astronomy is one of the original subjects as set out by the will of Thomas Gresham in 1575. [1]
The Professor of Astronomy is appointed in partnership with the City of London Corporation.
Note, years given as, say, 1596/97 refer to Old Style and New Style dates.
| Name | Started | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edward Brerewood | March 1596/97 |
| 2 | Thomas Williams | 11 November 1613 |
| 3 | Edmund Gunter | 6 March 1619/20 |
| 4 | Henry Gellibrand | 2 January 1626/27 |
| 5 | Samuel Foster | 2 March 1636/37 |
| 6 | Mungo Murray | 25 November 1637 |
| 7 | Samuel Foster | 26 May 1641 |
| 8 | Lawrence Rooke | 23 July 1652 |
| 9 | Sir Christopher Wren | 7 August 1657 |
| 10 | Walter Pope | 8 March 1660/61 |
| 11 | Daniel Man | 21 September 1687 |
| 12 | Alexander Torriano | 31 July 1691 |
| 13 | John Machin | 16 May 1713 |
| 14 | William Romaine | 25 June 1751 |
| 15 | William Cockayne | 21 April 1752 |
| 16 | Peter Sandiford | 16 July 1795 |
| 17 | Joseph Pullen [2] | 3 December 1833 |
| 18 | Edmund Ledger [3] | 27 July 1875 |
| 19 | Samuel Arthur Saunder | 2 December 1908 |
| 20 | Arthur Robert Hinks | 17 April 1913 |
| (1939–45 Lectures in abeyance) | ||
| 21 | William Herbert Steavenson | 29 May 1946 |
| 22 | Sir John Carroll | 1964 |
| 23 | Sir Martin Ryle | 1968 |
| 24 | Roger Tayler | 1969 |
| 25 | Sir Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow FRS | 1975 |
| 26 | David W Dewhirst | 1976–80 |
| 27 | Michael Rowan-Robinson | 1981 |
| 28 | Andrew Fabian | 1982 |
| 29 | Raymond Hide | 1984 |
| 30 | George Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham OM FRS | 1 September 1990 |
| 31 | Heather Couper FRAS | 1 September 1993 |
| 32 | Colin Pillinger FRS | 1 September 1996 |
| 33 | Frank Close OBE | 1 September 2000 |
| 34 | John D Barrow FRS | 1 September 2003 |
| 35 | Ian Morison FRAS | 1 August 2007 |
| 36 | Carolin Crawford | 1 August 2011 |
| 37 | Joseph Silk | 2015 |
| 38 | Katherine Blundell | 2019 [4] |
| 39 | Chris Lintott | 22 June 2023 [5] |
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