Board of Longitude Project

The Board of Longitude Project is a five-year research project of the National Maritime Museum and the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at University of Cambridge. The Board of Longitude was established by the British government as a result of the 1714 Longitude Act, "to encourage the submission of ideas, instruments and data that would help solve the navigational problem of finding longitude at sea." One of the aims of the digital project is the examination of the Board of Longitude as a mediator between "government, Navy, commerce, scientific expertise, and artisans." Two of the most significant technologies resulting from the establishment of the Board of Longitude were methods of lunar distance and timekeeping.

Participants: 
Simon Schaffer, Principle Investigator, University of Cambridge (longitude@nmm.ac.uk)
Richard Dunn, Co-Investigator, National Maritime Museum
Rebekah Higgitt, Co-Investigator, National Maritime Museum
Alexi Baker, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Cambridge
Nicky Reeves, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Cambridge
Katy Barrett, Doctoral Student, University of Cambridge
Eóin Phillips, Doctoral Student, University of Cambridge
Sophie Waring, Doctoral Student, University of Cambridge (sjew2@cam.ac.uk)
Sponsor: 
Arts and Humanities Research Council