James Prescott Joule and Sale

By Sarah Griffiths on Feb 10, 09 08:57 AM in 1800-1899

One of Sale's most famous residents, the physicist James Prescott Joule, is buried in its Brooklands Cemetery.

He was born in Salford in 1818 into a wealthy brewing family. Joule suffered from illness as a child and, along with his brothers, was taught by a series of tutors at home. At the age of 14 he attended the University of Manchester and stayed for two years before moving on to Cambridge to study under John Dalton, the chemist.

He then moved back to Manchester to enter the brewing business in which he worked for the rest of his life. However, he had a laboratory close to the brewery and was able to conduct experiments on a range of subjects.

This pioneering work included the formulation of Joule's Law in 1840, the determination of the amount of work needed to produce a given amount of heat and a paper on the kinetic theory of gases. This research contributed to the foundation of modern physics. He became a member of the Royal Society in 1850, won its Copley medal in 1866 and was appointed president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science twice.

Joule died in Sale in 1889 at the age of 70. His gravestone in Brooklands Cemetery bears the number 772.55 which was the amount of work needed to raise the temperature of 1lb of water by one degree Fahrenheit. There is also a statue of the physicist in Manchester Town Hall and a memorial in Westminster Abbey.

Despite the importance of his work, he modestly stated that "I believe I have done two or three little things, but nothing to make a fuss about."

Comments (0)