What was the Lunar Society?
Q: What was the Lunar Society?
A: The Lunar Society was an important club in the Midlands of 18th century England. It was a dinner club and a learned society, composed of industrialists, inventors, scientists, and other intellectuals who met regularly in Birmingham and elsewhere from 1765 to 1813.
Q: Why did it have the name "Lunar"?
A: The society got its name because it met during the full moon so that extra light would make the journey home easier and safer in the absence of street lighting. Members cheerfully referred to themselves as "lunarticks", a pun on lunatics.
Q: Who were some of its leading members?
A: Some of its leading members included Matthew Boulton, Erasmus Darwin, Thomas Day, Richard Lovell Edgeworth, Samuel Galton Jr., James Keir, Joseph Priestley, William Small, Jonathan Stokes, James Watt, Josiah Wedgwood , John Whitehurst and William Withering. Other great men also visited or corresponded with the society.
Q: Was there a formal membership list for the Lunar Society?
A: No there was no formal membership list for the Lunar Society; anyone could be invited to join. It had flexible arrangements which allowed people to come and go as they pleased.
Q: What event affected the Lunar Society significantly?
A: The Priestly Riots of July 1791 had a significant impact on the Lunar Society; some members were personally attacked while Joseph Priestley's house was burned down completely. The cause of these riots is not entirely clear but it is believed that rioters were against freethinkers and dissenters who they thought supported French Revolution ideals.
Q: Where did meetings take place?
A: Meetings took place at various locations including Erasmus Darwin's home in Lichfield , Matthew Boulton's home Soho House ,and Great Barr Hall .
