26/04/2026
The collection of James Ferguson's artefacts was bought by the people of Banff and Banffshire from Dr Ebenezer Henderson of Fife for the Museum of Banff.
25 April 1710: The birth near Rothiemay of Scottish astronomer James Ferguson. Ferguson gained fame through his travelling lectures and easy-to-understand works on the basics of astronomy, despite never receiving formal training. He learned mechanics at a very early age and developed an interest in stargazing while working as a shepherd in the Scottish Highlands. Financial constraints prevented him from attending a major Scottish university; nonetheless, he utilised his talents to create mechanical devices like orreries, clocks, and globes, and made a living by painting portrait miniatures with India ink. His first significant publication on astronomy established his scientific reputation and led to his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1763. This work offered clear, illustrated guidance on orrery mechanics and explained planetary movements, eclipse timings, and the findings of astronomers such as Johannes Kepler, Sir Isaac Newton, and Edmond Halley. This endeavour was particularly beneficial, as it enabled individuals without formal mathematical training to grasp Newton's theories and contributed to the rise of amateur astronomy in the mid-eighteenth century. Ferguson toured the country delivering popular astronomy lectures and continued to publish related works throughout the 1760s and 1770s until his passing in 1776.
