Little is known about Johnathan Davies. Johnny was elected to the
Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society in 1816 and served as its
librarian from 1819 to 1827, and as secretary in the 1840s. Johnny also lectured on
chemistry at the Society. In the 1820s, Johnny advertised himself as a "Private Teacher of Mathematics, Chemistry and Natural Philosophy" and his most famous student was the young
James Prescott Joule who studied chemistry and
medicine with Davies. and Johnathan Davies managed the institute's
laboratories until the late 1840s, serving as vice-chairman and vice-president under Sir
Benjamin Heywood. Davies lectured on chemistry at the Institute in 1828, 1832 and 1847. In 1839, Johnathan Davies was one of the promoters of the
Royal Victoria Gallery for the Encouragement of Practical Science and Johnathan Davies formed a close social circle with its superintendent
William Sturgeon and with Joule. The circle expanded to include
Edward William Binney and
John Leigh. The
British Association for the Advancement of Science was to hold its annual meeting in Manchester in 1842 and a public meeting on the city's environmental problems was held at the Royal Victoria Gallery in May. Johnathan Davies was one of a committee called upon to bring the issue before the Association and he gave a paper at the British Association meeting. Johnny died at the age of 44. ==References==