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Annual Reports

The published output of the Royal Observatory falls into six categories: 

Observations and associated catalogues, Annals, Bulletins and Circulars
Annual Reports
Scientific Papers
The Nautical Almanac and associated tables, along with the later spin off volumes
Notes, Reports, Manuals, house journals, etc
Visitor Guides and material for non-professionals

This section deals with the The Annual Reports.

 

Introduction

Annual Reports to the Board of Visitors were published from 1836 until 1964. They were produced both as appendices to Greenwich Observations (typically in the volume for the preceding year), and as stand-alone documents. The reporting year originally ran for about 12 months, both begining and ending in May. In 1882, Christie instigated a reporting year that ended on 20 May, bringing it forward to 10 May in 1889. There it remained, until Spencer Jones brought it forward to 30 April in 1936, and then 31 March in 1955. When the Board of Visitors ceased to exist in 1964, regular (but less detailed reports) continued to be published in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society (as they had been since 1960). Separate annual reports were reinstated by Hunter in 1974 and published as separate booklets under the title Royal Greenwich Observatory Reports. Covering periods whose length varied from nine months to a year, the last report of this type to be published was for the year ending 30 September 1980. Boksenberg subsequently published a single glossy report under the title Royal Greenwich Observatory, Telescopes Instruments Research and Services, which covered the five years from 1 October 1980 through to 30 September 1985. This was followed by a slimmer version covering the years 1985 to 1987, after which, no further reports appear to have been published.

 

The Reports of the Astronomer Royal to the Board of Visitors (1836–1964)

Most of the reports can be accessed via the links below. During the Second World War, a confidential addendum was tabled to each report containing information (relating mainly to chronometers, the Nautical Almanac Office and magnetic and meteorological data) that might have been useful to the enemy. They were never published. Copies for the years 1940–42 are held at the National Archives in ADM190/19 , ADM190/20 and ADM190/21 respectively.


1836
 1837 1838 1839 1840

1841 1842 1843 1844 1845

1846 1847 1848 1849 1850

1851 1852 1853 1854 1855

1856 1857 1858 1859 1860

1861 1862 1863 1864 1865

1866 1867 1868 1869 1870

1871 1872 1873 1874 1875

1876 1877 1878 1879 1880

1881 1882 1883 1884 1885

1886 1887 1888 1889 1890

1891 1892 1893 1894 1895

1896 1897 1898 1899 1900

1901 1902 1903 1904 1905

1906 1907 1908 1909 1910

1911 1912 1913 1914 1915

1916 1917 1918 1919 1920

1921 1922 1923 1924 1925

1926 1927 1928 1929 1930

1931 1932 1933 1934 1935

1936 1937 1938 1939 1940

1941 1942 1943 1944 1945

1946 1947 1948 1949 1950

1951 1952 1953 1954 1955

1956 1957 1958 1959 1960

1961 1962 1963 1964

Extracts from the Reports of the Astronomer Royal relating to the Buildings and Grounds (1836–1964)
Extracts from the Reports of the Astronomer Royal relating to Chronometers (1912–1964)
Extracts from the Reports of the Astronomer Royal relating to the Time Service (1912–1964)
Extracts from the Reports of the Astronomer Royal and Directors relating to the Library and Archives (1836–1987)

 

Alternative copies available from Google books


 1836
 1837 1838 1839 1840

1841 1842 1843 1844 1845

1846 1847 1848 1849 1850

1851 1852 1853 1854 1855

1856 1857 1858* 1859* 1860

1861 1862 1863 1864 1865

1866 1867 1868* 1869 1870

* Some pages missing in this version

 

The reports published in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1964–1982)

 

1959/60 1960/1 1961/2 1962/3 1963/4

1964/5 1965/6 1966/7 1968 1969
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974
1975 1975/6 1976/7 1977/8 1978/9
1979/80 1980/82

 

Royal Greenwich Observatory Reports 1974–1980

Most of these reports are not currently available on-line.

Year ending 1974
1 January 1975 – 30 September 1975
1 October 1975 – 30 September 1976
1 October 1976 – 30 September 1977
1 October 1977 – 30 September 1978
1 October 1978 – 30 September 1979
1 October 1979 – 30 September 1980

Royal Greenwich Observatory, Telescopes Instruments Research and Services (1980–85 & 1985–87) 

These two reports are not currently available on-line.

1 October 1980 – 30 September 1985
1 October 1985 – 30 September 1987