astronomy

John Christopher Bartholomew

John Christopher Bartholomew is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand John Christopher Bartholomew rather than just read about it. In short: John Christopher Bartholomew (or J.C. Bartholomew) (15 January 1923 – 16 January 2008) was a Scottish-Belgian cartographer and geographer.

Key takeaways

John Christopher Bartholomew belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect John Christopher Bartholomew to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of John Christopher Bartholomew from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

John Christopher Bartholomew (or J.C. Bartholomew) (15 January 1923 – 16 January 2008) was a Scottish-Belgian cartographer and geographer.

Life Bartholomew was born on 15 January 1923 in Edinburgh to Ian Bartholomew, a Scottish cartographer and geographer, and Marie Antoinette Bartholomew (née Sarolea), a Belgian. A member of the Bartholomew family of geographers and map publishers, Bartholomew was the paternal grandson of John George Bartholomew, a cartographer and geographer, the great-grandson of the cartographer John Bartholomew Jr and the great-great-grandson of John Bartholomew Sr, a cartographer, engraver and founder of John Bartholomew and Son. Through his mother, Bartholomew was the great-nephew of the philologist and author Charles Saroléa. Educated at Edinburgh Academy and Gordonstoun, Bartholomew later studied geography at the University of Edinburgh.

Career He took over cartographic directorship of the family business from his father in 1951. Later, two of his brothers joined the company: Peter Bartholomew (1924-1987) as chairman and Robert Bartholomew (1927-2017) as production director. The company's most memorable production during their control was the Times Atlas (initially in five volumes but then more widely available in a single 'Comprehensive' and in a 'Concise' version). Bartholomew served as president of the British Cartographic Society in 1970–71. He was also a vice-president of the International Cartographic Association, 1972–80, and from 1987 to 1993, he was president of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. He was active on the committee of the Scottish Rights of Way Society (now ScotWays), and was appointed its honorary president. His lasting legacies include view indicators on the summits of both North Berwick Law and the Braid Hills.

Personal life

Bartholomew was married to Ginette Bartholomew (née Achard-James), with whom he had five children. On 16 January 2008, Bartholomew died in Edinburgh aged 85. He is buried against the north wall of the 20th-century extension to Dean Cemetery in western Edinburgh at the memorial to his grandfather, John George Bartholomew. His father Ian, and uncle Hugh lie with him, as does his wife Ginette.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John Christopher Bartholomew

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John Christopher Bartholomew claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to John Christopher Bartholomew before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about John Christopher Bartholomew ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of John Christopher Bartholomew

In research: John Christopher Bartholomew appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses John Christopher Bartholomew in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: John Christopher Bartholomew is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1923 births, 2008 deaths, 20th-century Belgian businesspeople, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John Christopher Bartholomew outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study John Christopher Bartholomew in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what John Christopher Bartholomew means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain John Christopher Bartholomew out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is John Christopher Bartholomew in simple terms?

John Christopher Bartholomew (or J.C. Bartholomew) (15 January 1923 – 16 January 2008) was a Scottish-Belgian cartographer and geographer.

Why does John Christopher Bartholomew matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study John Christopher Bartholomew?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on John Christopher Bartholomew.