Charles Herbert Lees, 1864 - 1952

Very few are left with us now of the men of science who were trained in Victorian days and carried out important scientific investigations before the end of last century. Charles Herbert Lees, who died on 25 September 1952 published at least a dozen papers of some consequence in the Proceedings and Transactions of the Royal Society and in the Philosophical Magazine before the end of the year 1900. Indeed, the work for which he is best known, and perhaps his most important work, was accomplished in days when such innovations as the elementary quantum of action or any serious generalization of Newtonian mechanics were still undreamt of. Lees was born on 28 July 1864 at ‘Ballarat’ in Glodwick Lane, Oldham, Lancashire. He was the second of the three sons of John and Jane Lees. An elder brother, John Frederick, born on 12 December 1855, became Borough Accountant and Treasurer of Oldham and died on 6 September 1915. The younger brother, Edward Oscar, born 16 March 1867, became General Manager of the Manchester and County Bank and its branches, and retired in December 1931. Indeed, many of Lees’s relatives and forebears appear to have been very prominent, about Oldham and that part of Lancashire, in engineering, mechanical construction, commerce, as well as in local municipal affairs and administration. His father, John Lees, who was born at Lowerfields, near Oldham, on 4 July 1822, was apprenticed to Messrs Garnett, millwrights, in Oldham, and later became ‘job-master’ (sub-contractor) in the works of Messrs Platt Bros, machinists, of Oldham. During 1847 there was an engineering ‘lock out’ and John Lees made use of his enforced leisure to visit Birmingham, Coventry, Hull, York and London. In 1851 it appears that he built several houses and a shop in Glodwick Lane, where later his son, Charles Herbert, was born. In 1852 he sailed to Melbourne, arriving at the end of August, after a voyage of 84 days. He was one of the successful gold diggers of that time, since he (with his three partners) discovered, on 31 January 1853, the famous ‘Leg of mutton’ nugget of gold. It was found at a depth of 65 feet in their claim at Canadian Gully, Ballarat, and weighed 134 lb. 11 oz.! On arrival in England it was shown to Queen Victoria and Prince AlbertV er y few are left with us now of the men of science who were trained in Victorian days and carried out important scientific investigations before the end of last century. C harles H er ber t L ees, who died on 25 September 1952 published at least a dozen papers of some consequence in the Proceedings and Transactions of the Royal Society and in the Philosophical Magazine before the end of the year 1900. Indeed, the work for which he is best known, and perhaps his most important work, was accomplished in days when such innovations as the elementary quantum of action or any serious generalization of Newtonian mechanics were still undreamt of. Lees was born on 28 July 1864 at ‘Ballarat’ in Glodwick Lane, Oldham, Lancashire. He was the second of the three sons of John and Jane Lees. An elder brother, John Frederick, born on 12 December 1855, became Borough Accountant and Treasurer of Oldham and died on 6 September 1915. The younger brother, Edward Oscar, born 16 March 1867, became General Manager of the Manchester and County Bank and its branches, and retired in December 1931. Indeed, many of Lees’s relatives and forebears appear to have been very prominent, about Oldham and that part of Lancashire, in engineering, mechanical construction, commerce, as well as in local municipal affairs and administration. His father, John Lees, who was born at Lowerfields, near Oldham, on 4 July 1822, was apprenticed to Messrs Garnett, millwrights, in Oldham, and later became ‘job-master’ (sub-contractor) in the works of Messrs Platt Bros, machinists, of Oldham. During 1847 there was an engineering ‘lock out’ and John Lees made use of his enforced leisure to visit Birmingham, Coventry, Hull, York and London. In 1851 it appears that he built several houses and a shop in Glodwick Lane, where later his son, Charles Herbert, was born. In 1852 he sailed to Melbourne, arriving at the end of August, after a voyage of 84 days. He was one of the successful gold diggers of that time, since he (with his three partners) discovered, on 31 January 1853, the famous ‘Leg of mutton’ nugget of gold. It was found at a depth of 65 feet in their claim at Canadian Gully, Ballarat, and weighed 134 lb. 11 oz.! On arrival in England it was shown to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.