Sir Isaac Newton
Born in Lincolnshire in 1642, Newton served as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Trinity College Cambridge from 1669 until 1702. Stephen Hawking later held the same prestigious post from 1979 to 2009.
Newton is most famously associated with the law of universal gravitation, which he detailed in his groundbreaking work, Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica.
His influence extended far beyond physics. Newton made major advances in mathematics, including differential and integral calculus as well as binomial theory.
He was also a leading figure in optics, mechanics and astronomy. His invention of the reflecting telescope, along with his investigations into the nature of light, placed him among the foremost scientists of his era.
An inscription on Newton’s monument in Westminster Abbey celebrates his achievements: ‘Here is buried Isaac Newton, Knight, who by a strength of mind almost divine, and mathematical principles peculiarly his own, explored the course and figures of the planets, the paths of comets, the tides of the sea, the dissimilarities in rays of light, and, what no other scholar has previously imagined, the properties of the colours thus produced.
‘Diligent, sagacious and faithful, in his expositions of nature, antiquity and the holy Scriptures, he vindicated by his philosophy the majesty of God mighty and good, and expressed the simplicity of the Gospel in his manners. Mortals rejoice that there has existed such and so great an ornament of the human race! He was born on 25th December 1642, and died on 20th March 1726’.
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin, the naturalist born in Shrewsbury in 1809, reshaped scientific thought with the publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859.
The book became the foundation of evolutionary biology, presenting the theory that species change over generations through the process of natural selection.
Although Darwin was an agnostic and his theory was later seen by many as challenging religious authority, he was buried in Westminster Abbey after a group of prominent clergy supported the idea.
A week after Darwin’s funeral, the Bishop of Carlisle, Harvey Goodwin, defended the decision in a speech: ‘I think that the interment of the remains of Mr Darwin in Westminster Abbey is in accordance with the judgment of the wisest of his countrymen…
‘It would have been unfortunate if anything had occurred to give weight and currency to the foolish notion which some have diligently propagated, but for which Mr Darwin was not responsible, that there is a necessary conflict between a knowledge of Nature and a belief in God…’
Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday was born in London in 1791.
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His work transformed physics and chemistry, while also advancing the study of electricity, magnetism and optical glass.
Albert Einstein held Faraday in exceptionally high regard and kept a portrait of the renowned experimental scientist in his study.
Faraday’s discovery of electromagnetic induction helped turn electricity from a scientific curiosity into a practical and usable technology.
He also introduced or helped establish terms including ‘ion’, ‘electrode’ and ‘cathode’.
Faraday was buried at Highgate Cemetery in north London, but a memorial honouring him was later installed in Westminster Abbey, close to Sir Isaac Newton.
The inscription on his memorial reads simply: ‘The memorial of Michael Faraday 1791–1867. Buried elsewhere’.
James Clerk Maxwell
Maxwell, a hugely influential mathematician and physicist, was born in Edinburgh in 1831.
Before heading to the University of Cambridge, he submitted a paper to the Royal Society of Edinburgh at the age of 15.
He devoted his life to studying optics, colour vision, Saturn’s rings, electromagnetics and thermodynamics.
His work on Saturn’s rings determined that the mysterious planet was orbited by individual particles rather than a fixed ring.
When the Voyager space probe passed Saturn in the 1980s, he was proved correct.
After he died in 1879, he was buried in Kirkcudbright in Scotland, but a memorial was erected at Westminster Abbey near Newton.
He is considered second only to Newton in his contributions to mathematics.