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ART. 294 - Sir George Gabriel Stokes, Bart., 1819—1903

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

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Summary

In common with so many distinguished men Sir George Stokes was the son of a clergyman. His father, Gabriel Stokes, who was Rector of Skreen, County Sligo, married Elizabeth Haughton, and by her had eight children of whom George was the youngest. The family can be traced back to Gabriel Stokes, born 1680, a well known engineer in Dublin and Deputy Surveyor General of Ireland, who wrote a treatise on Hydrostatics and designed the Pigeon House Wall in Dublin Harbour. This Gabriel Stokes married Elizabeth King in 1711 and among his descendants in collateral branches there are several mathematicians, a Regius Professor of Greek, two Regius Professors of Medicine, and a large sprinkling of scholars of Trinity College, Dublin. In more recent times Margaret Stokes, the Irish Antiquary, and the Celtic scholar, Whitley Stokes, children of the eminent physician, Dr William Stokes, have, among others, shed lustre on the name.

The home at Skreen was a very happy one. In the excellent sea air the children grew up with strong bodies and active minds. Of course great economy had to be practised to meet the educational needs of the family; but in the Arcadian simplicity of a place where chickens cost sixpence and eggs were five or six a penny, it was easy to feed them. They were all deeply attached to their mother, a beautiful and severe woman who made herself feared as well as loved.

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Scientific Papers , pp. 173 - 189
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009
First published in: 1912

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