Seafarers, aviators and chronic insomniacs are familiar with the Beaufort Scale, the empirical measure of wind force so soothingly delivered on the Shipping Forecast. It was developed on board HMS Woolwich by its then commander, Irish-born Francis Beaufort (1774-1857).
Beaufort’s first seafaring position was as a cabin boy aged 14 on the East Indiaman Vansittart, soon learning the value of accurate charts when she hit a shoal off Indonesia and was wrecked. In 1790, he joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman, even then ‘expand[ing] his journal from the required notation of the weather every 12 to 24 hours to reports of it at two-hour intervals’. From then on, until three days before his death aged 83, he kept a daily weather journal, with notations of wind, temperature and barometric readings.
Beaufort rose quickly through the ranks to captain and, after the Napoleonic Wars, the Admiralty gave him his first command, HMS Woolwich, later tasking him with conducting a hydrographic survey of the Rio de la Plata estuary in South America.
'We have few officers (indeed I do not know one) in our Service who have half his professional knowledge and ability, and in zeal and perseverance he cannot be excelled'
He presented his 13-point system in his private logbook entry of January 13, 1806, stating that he would ‘estimate the force of the wind according to the following scale, as nothing can convey a more uncertain idea of wind and weather than the old expressions of moderate and cloudy, etc..’ Over the years, he tinkered with and simplified his creation, but it was not until 1838 that it was formally adopted by the navy. The Beaufort Scale standardised observations, ensuring one man’s gentle breeze couldn’t be confused with another’s violent storm.
In 1808, Alexander Dalrymple, the Admiralty’s first hydrographer, remarked: ‘We have few officers (indeed I do not know one) in our Service who have half his professional knowledge and ability, and in zeal and perseverance he cannot be excelled’.
Beaufort noted in 1838 that ‘no seaman in command of a ship ever thinks of going to sea without a barometer’ and, in 1843, he oversaw a naval issue of mercury instruments, so even those ‘not imbued with a sense of [meteorology’s] importance’, at least had something to consult. Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1829, he was appointed the British Admiralty Hydrographer of the Navy the same year, a post he served in for a record 26 years. He was knighted in 1848.
Beaufort also trained Robert FitzRoy, the creator of the Shipping Forecast. When Fitzroy sought ‘a well-educated and scientific gentleman’ to accompany him on the second voyage of survey ship HMS Beagle, Beaufort’s enquiries led him to a young Charles Darwin.
-
Splendid isolation at four gorgeous properties for sale around the worldFor those craving a home that offers a true escape from the world, some wonderful properties are on the market right now. Here's our pick of some of the finest — ideal for nature lovers, those in search of tranquility and Bond villains alike.
-
Agromenes: 'See it. Say it. Sorted. This is truly where Britain is broken'Country Life's Cultural Crusader rails against the constant annoying reminders of how we should live our lives.
-
Galls: Nature's most beautiful, horrifying and intriguing parasitesA playground for aphids, wasp eggs, and funghi — galls come in all shapes and sizes
-
Five years of drought means there's only one conclusion for Britain's farmers: 'Climate change is real and affecting us now'The cumulative effects of the past five years of hot weather are causing chaos for farmers — and there's no signs that it will improve. Jane Wheatley reports.
-
The ring ouzel: The mystery behind the common blackbird's feral twinA master of disguise, inexplicably shy and unpredictably wild, the increasingly rare ring ouzel warrants giving any blackbird a second glance.
-
The winners and losers of summer 2025, from foragers to fishermen, and turtles to troutBlue skies and rising mercury have been a theme of this summer, but there are always those who thrive and those who struggle in unusual times.
-
'Two months to the Moon, three for rest and refreshment and two more for the return': The English stork success storyLong unseen on British shores, white stork chicks are hatching once again in the UK and a colony is now flourishing in West Sussex thanks to a pioneering restoration project.
-
Storm overflow plan 'needs flushing down the lavatory once and for all' say angling groups as perilous state of English rivers revealedThe recently published Cunliffe Report shows that 'waterways are suffering from chronic neglect, corporate greed and useless regulation'.
-
From Queen bees to Queen Camilla, how one woman built a multi-million pound beauty empire out of bee venomDeborah Mitchell's skincare range has generated quite a buzz among celebrities including HRH and Victoria Beckham.
-
‘Though she be but little, she is fierce’: Everything you didn't know about sparrowhawksScourge of the bird feeder and a master of ‘shock and awe’ assassinations, the sparrowhawk pursues its quarry with such tenacity and unpredictability that it often blindsides its prey.
