{"id":20,"date":"2026-03-04T16:12:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T16:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/?page_id=20"},"modified":"2026-03-09T10:26:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T10:26:06","slug":"stephen-gray-selected-bibliography","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/stephen-gray-selected-bibliography\/","title":{"rendered":"About Stephen Gray"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"kent-social-links\"><li><a href='http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/stephen-gray-selected-bibliography\/&amp;t=About Stephen Gray' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-facebook' title='Share via Facebook'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='http:\/\/twitter.com\/home?status=About Stephen Gray%20https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/stephen-gray-selected-bibliography\/' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-twitter' title='Share via Twitter'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='https:\/\/plus.google.com\/share?url=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/stephen-gray-selected-bibliography\/' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-google-plus' title='Share via Google Plus'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/stephen-gray-selected-bibliography\/&amp;title=About Stephen Gray' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-linkedin' title='Share via Linked In'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='mailto:content=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/stephen-gray-selected-bibliography\/&amp;title=About Stephen Gray' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-email' title='Share via Email'><\/i><\/a><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_79\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-79\" style=\"width: 271px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-79\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/files\/2026\/03\/flying_boy.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"271\" height=\"159\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-79\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>An illustration of the popular &#8220;flying boy&#8221; demonstration carried out by Stephen Gray.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Stephen Gray (1666-1736) was a dyer and amateur scientist from Canterbury. He made contributions to various fields including astronomy, palaeontology, biology and optics but is best known for his discovery, in the 1720&#8217;s, that some materials can conduct electricity while others act as insulators. In 1729 he managed for the first time to transmit electricity over long distances working with his friend the Reverend Granville Wheler (at the latter&#8217;s estate Otterden Place, near Lenham). He is also credited with the discovery of electrostatic induction as well as advances in solar astronomy and microscopy, among others. He experienced many difficulties, not least ill health due to his physically demanding job and poverty &#8211; a great handicap at a time when scientific research was mostly a sophisticated pastime for the rich. In spite of his great contributions to Science, Gray&#8217;s recognition only came late in his life: he was the first recipient of the Copley Medal in 1731 and became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1733.<\/p>\n<p>The Stephen Gray Lectures were instituted by the School of Physical Sciences on the University Kent&#8217;s main campus, in Canterbury to celebrate one of the region&#8217;s most prominent Physical Scientists. They were originally proposed by <a href=\"https:\/\/research.kent.ac.uk\/pqm\/person\/jorge-quintanilla\/\">Jorge Quintanilla<\/a>, who has been the organiser of the series, and have continued to be supported by the University of Kent and, since 2025\/26, by the Institute of Physics London &amp; South East Branch.<\/p>\n<h2>Selected Bibliography<\/h2>\n<h3>General<\/h3>\n<p>For a general, very brief introduction to the figure of Stephen Gray, see:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>David R Lewis. \u201cSTEPHEN GRAY (1666-1736) Canterbury Dyer and Amateur Scientist.\u201d <em>CANTERBURY HISTORICAL\u00a0 &amp; ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY (CHAS)<\/em>, 2015. <a href=\"https:\/\/eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.canterbury-archaeology.org.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F06%2FGRAY-RES-rev-1.pdf&amp;data=05%7C01%7CN.C.Gregory%40kent.ac.uk%7C38f9663372ff4017055008db0527175b%7C51a9fa563f32449aa7213e3f49aa5e9a%7C0%7C0%7C638109437666422707%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=xAsi3K0Xtrbbb80lWcSLL93uaWRU97J%2FIc%2F%2BYvAwL2o%3D&amp;reserved=0\">https:\/\/www.canterbury-archaeology.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/GRAY-RES-rev-1.pdf<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The above work is written very much with a Canterbury perspective in mind, but constitutes an excellent starting point.<\/p>\n<p>A thoroughly enjoyable account of Stephen Gray\u2019s life and works set in the broader context of late XVII \/ early XVIII century science is offered in the following book:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>David H. Clark and Stephen P.H. Clark. \u201cNewton\u2019s Tyranny\u202f: The Suppressed Scientific Discoveries of Stephen Gray and John Flamsteed in SearchWorks.\u201d New York : W.H. Freeman and Co., c2001. Accessed February 1, 2017. <a href=\"https:\/\/searchworks.stanford.edu\/view\/4487840\">https:\/\/searchworks.stanford.edu\/view\/4487840<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The book was co-authored by David H Clark, our first Stephen Gray lecturer. You can watch a video of his lecture <a href=\"https:\/\/player.kent.ac.uk\/Panopto\/Pages\/Viewer.aspx?id=9cbe68a3-e93a-44dd-b0cc-74e7ce3e530f\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The above book was reviewed by Mark P. Silverman in <em>American Journal of Physics<\/em> <strong>71<\/strong>, 507 (2003), <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1119\/1.1561274\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1119\/1.1561274<\/a> (also available at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/%7Esilverma\/reviews_commentary\/newtons_tyranny.html\">http:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/~silverma\/reviews_commentary\/newtons_tyranny.html<\/a>, accessed 4 July 2018) and by M. Peck in <em>Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics<\/em> <strong>27<\/strong>, 734-735 (2004), <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2514\/1.11197\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2514\/1.11197<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The following web page contains a useful chronology and data sheet on Stephen Gray:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cThe Galileo Project: Stephen Gray.\u201d Accessed October 21, 2016. <a href=\"http:\/\/galileo.rice.edu\/Catalog\/NewFiles\/gray.html\">http:\/\/galileo.rice.edu\/Catalog\/NewFiles\/gray.html<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here are some additional, quite detailed biographical articles on Stephen Gray:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cStephen Gray: The First Copley Medallist.\u201d <em>Nature<\/em>, February 22, 1936.<\/li>\n<li>Cohen, I. Bernard. \u201cNeglected Sources for the Life of Stephen Gray (1666 or 1667-1736).\u201d <em>Isis<\/em> 45, no. 1 (May 1, 1954): 41\u201350. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1086\/348285\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1086\/348285<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Clark, David H., and Lesley Murdin. \u201cThe Enigma of Stephen Gray Astronomer and Scientist (1666\u20131736).\u201d <em>Vistas in Astronomy<\/em> 23 (1979): 351\u2013404. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/doi:10.1016\/0083-6656%2879%2990018-7\">https:\/\/doi.org\/doi:10.1016\/0083-6656(79)90018-7<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Sergio Luiz Bragatto Boss, and Joao Jose Caluzi. \u201cUma Breve Biografia de Stephen Gray (1666-1736).\u201d <em>Revista Brasileira de Ensino de Fisica<\/em> 32, no. 1 (2010): 1602.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Electrical experiments<\/h3>\n<p>Jim Al-Khalili produced an excellent series of short, entertaining TV programmes on electricity for the BBC. His re-enactment of the famous Stephen Gray \u201cFlying Boy\u201d experiment is really worth watching:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jim Al-Khalili, \u201cStephen Gray\u2019s \u2018Hanging Boy\u2019 Experiment\u201d (video), in \u201cShock and Awe: The Story of Electricity\u201d, British Broadcasting Corporation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/p00ksnyn\">https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/p00ksnyn<\/a> (accesed 4 July 2018).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can read more about the above experiment here:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cThe Flying Boy Experiment Entertained Audiences By Electrifying a Kid.\u201d Accessed March 7, 2017. <a href=\"http:\/\/io9.gizmodo.com\/the-flying-boy-experiment-entertained-audiences-by-elec-1679627835\">http:\/\/io9.gizmodo.com\/the-flying-boy-experiment-entertained-audiences-by-elec-1679627835<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The following articles cover Stephen Gray\u2019s electricity work, particularly his experiments on electrical conduction and insulation, more broadly:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>W. A. Atherton. \u201cPioneers \u2013 1. Stephen Gray (c. 1666-1736): Discoverer of Electrical Conduction.\u201d <em>Electronics &amp; Wireless World<\/em>, n.d. <a href=\"http:\/\/hccc.org.uk\/pioneers-1-grey.pdf\">http:\/\/hccc.org.uk\/pioneers-1-grey.pdf<\/a><\/li>\n<li>John Jenkins. \u201cConduction, Insulation and Electric Current \u2013 1729.\u201d SPARKMUSEUM. Accessed March 10, 2017. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sparkmuseum.com\/BOOK_GRAY.HTM\">http:\/\/www.sparkmuseum.com\/BOOK_GRAY.HTM<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cHI 322 at NCSU: Electrical Experiments.\u201d Accessed February 1, 2017. <a href=\"http:\/\/www4.ncsu.edu\/%7Ekimler\/hi322\/electric.html\">http:\/\/www4.ncsu.edu\/~kimler\/hi322\/electric.html<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here is an interesting proposition to use Stephen Gray\u2019s conduction experiments for project-based teaching:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Andreas Henke and Dietmar H\u00f6ttecke, \u201cStephen Gray \u2013 Electrical Conduction on the Wrong Track \u2013 Hipstwiki.\u201d <em>History and Philosophy in Science Teaching<\/em>.\u00a0 Accessed January 17, 2017. <a href=\"http:\/\/hipstwiki.wikifoundry.com\/page\/Stephen+Gray+-+Electrical+Conduction+on+the+wrong+track\">http:\/\/hipstwiki.wikifoundry.com\/page\/Stephen+Gray+-+Electrical+Conduction+on+the+wrong+track<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Granville Wheler and Otterden Place<\/h3>\n<p>Otterden Place was the stately home of Gray\u2019s collaborator, Granville Wheler, where the historic experiments on electrical conduction were carried out. The following page describes the place (with only a brief mention of the historic experiments):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cOtterden Place, Kent &amp; Ledston Hall, Yorkshire.\u201d <em>Handed On<\/em> (blog), October 4, 2012. Accessed March 28, 2017. <a href=\"https:\/\/handedon.wordpress.com\/2012\/10\/04\/otterden-place-kent-ledston-hall-yorkshire\/\">https:\/\/handedon.wordpress.com\/2012\/10\/04\/otterden-place-kent-ledston-hall-yorkshire\/<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The following post focuses more specifically on the significance of the site for the history of science. It was written by Charlotte Sleigh, who is the Director of Kent\u2019s Centre for the History of the Sciences, following a visit to the site on the occasion of the first Stephen Gray Lecture:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sleigh, Charlotte. \u201cOtterden Place, Faversham, Kent.\u201d <em>The British Society for the History of Science (BSHS)<\/em> (blog). Accessed July 25, 2017. <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190821203633\/https:\/\/bshs.org.uk\/otterden-place-faversham-kent\">http:\/\/www.bshs.org.uk\/otterden-place-faversham-kent<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stephen Gray (1666-1736) was a dyer and amateur scientist from Canterbury. He made contributions to various fields including astronomy, palaeontology, biology and optics but is &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/stephen-gray-selected-bibliography\/\">Read&nbsp;more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":976,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":120,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20\/revisions\/120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/stephen-gray-lectures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}