Astronomers Royal:
(1) Flamsteed, 1675; (2) Halley, 1719; (3) Bradley, 1742; (4) Bliss, 1762; (5) Maskelyne, who originated the Nautical Almanack, 1765; (6) Pond, 1811; (7) Airy, 1835; (8) Christie, 1881.
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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.