While the Scottish Enlightenment is traditionally considered to have concluded toward the end of the 18th century, disproportionately large Scottish contributions to British science and letters continued for another 50 years or more, thanks to such figures as the mathematicians and physicists James Clerk Maxwell, Lord Kelvin, and the engineers and inventors James Watt and William Murdoch, whose work was critical to the technological developments of the Industrial Revolution throughout Britain.

He has been awarded honorary doctorates from Deakin University, Murdoch University and the University of South Carolina, and is a Professorial Fellow at the Asia Pacific Centre for Military Law at the University of Melbourne.

Murdoch was the inventor of the oscillating cylinder steam engine, and gas lighting is attributed to him in the early 1790s, also the term " gasometer ".

if William Murdoch is not at home he should be sent for immediately as he understands the patterns and care must be taken to avoid mistakes of which our engine shop has been too guilty.

We want more Murdocks, for of all others he is the most active man and best engine erector I ever saw ... When I look at the work done it astonishes me & is entirely owing to the spirit and activity of Murdoch who hath not gone to bed 3 of the nights.

From 1782 there is evidence that Murdoch was discussing and collaborating with Watt on a number of inventions and improvements.

There is, however, a dearth of letters from Murdoch to Watt from 1780 until 1797 in the Watt archive, possibly, as argued by John Griffiths, due to an attempt by Watt's son, James Watt Junior, to uphold his father's reputation by removing any evidence of the origin of some of the inventions he patented.

By this time Murdoch had already built a working model of his steam carriage, which was held in the Museum of Science and Industry, Birmingham until its closure in 1997 and is now at Thinktank, Birmingham's new science museum ; accounts exist from witnesses who " saw the model steam carriage run around Murdoch's living room in Redruth in 1784 ".

One story often told, both in respect of a full size carriage & one of his models, is that one night Murdoch decided to test his carriage outside on the open road and it soon outpaced him, leaving him to chase after it.

Another story often told, this one almost certainly apocryphal, is of Murdoch travelling from " mine to mine in a steam chaise lit by gas ", given the state of the roads at that time this can be discounted.

However, it is argued by John Griffiths that Murdoch may have built a full-size steam carriage some time in the 1790s, which could be the source of this story.

The key invention for which Murdoch is best known is the application of gas lighting as a replacement for oil and tallow produced light.

It is known, by the account of William Fairbairn that Murdoch occasionally used his gas as a portable lantern:

In 1798 Murdoch returned to Birmingham to work in the Soho foundry and continued his experiments with gas, as part of which he lit the interior of the Soho main building, although it is likely that it was lit only in part and not ( at this time ) permanently.

At the celebration of the centenary of gas lighting in 1892, a bust of Murdoch was unveiled by Lord Kelvin in the Wallace Monument, Stirling, and there is also a bust of him by Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey at St. Mary's Church.

There is also a Murdoch House in Rotherhithe, London.

is: Iris Murdoch

* The title of An Unofficial Rose by Iris Murdoch, is taken from Brooke's The Old Vicarage, Granchester.

Accompanied by Mr. Jordan, Joe finds that his replacement in the prizefight with the champ is a clean-cut, honest fighter named Murdoch, whom Joe knows and respects.

Mr. Jordan reveals to Joe that this is his destiny ; he can be Murdoch and live his life.

A Severed Head is a satirical, sometimes farcical 1961 novel by Iris Murdoch.

In A Severed Head, Murdoch succeeds in presenting a middle-aged bourgeois who initially thinks of himself as a survivor but realizes that he is in fact a victim.

Murdoch is particularly good at conveying the atmosphere of benevolence and the apparent lack of hard feelings among the individuals that have wronged and been wronged.

The McClelland Award is Australia's richest sculpture prize, and is awarded by the gallery biennially ( supported by the gallery's patron and Langwarrin resident, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch ).

She is the patron of the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and of the Australian American Association ( Victoria ), founded by her husband.

Murdoch is a patron of the Australian Family Association.

Murdoch returned as a guest host on the 4 October 2007 episode, alongside Karl Stefanovic, to raise awareness about Breast Cancer as she is a patron of the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

The gradual evolution of Network Ten into its current form has its origins in the ongoing attempts by media mogul Rupert Murdoch to acquire a prized commercial television licence in Australia's largest capital city market, Sydney.

When Murdoch became an American citizen in 1985 so that he could expand his media empire in the United States, Australia's media ownership laws obliged him to dispose of the flagship television stations, which were sold to The Northern Star, an offshoot of the Westfield Group conglomerate controlled by property tycoon Frank Lowy.

It wasn't until 1975 that Western Australia's second university, Murdoch University opened.

Despite Australia's much smaller population, the team was very competitive in early games, producing stars such as Jack Blackham, Billy Murdoch, Fred " The Demon " Spofforth, George Bonnor, Percy McDonnell, George Giffen and Charles " The Terror " Turner.

The first Test double century was scored at the Oval in 1884 by Australia's Billy Murdoch.

In November 2009, Illyria purchased 50 % of dmg Radio Australia's interests and Lachlan Murdoch became Chairman.

Fred Spofforth, Australia's legendary " Demon Bowler ", did not play in the first Test as a show of dissent at the non-selection of Billy Murdoch, the New South Wales wicket-keeper to whom he then attributed much of his success.

In 1878, Murdoch toured England and North America with Australia's first representative cricket team, participating in a famous victory over an MCC side.

Treasury Place forms Australia's finest Renaissance revival streetscape, combining the facades of the Premier's Department and Treasury, State Offices, now occupied by the Education Department, the former Government Printing Office and Commonwealth Government Offices ( built 1912 – 1914 to the design of John Smith Murdoch ), all overlooking the Treasury Gardens.

Billy Murdoch, Australia's second Test captain.

During this innings, Billy Murdoch, the Australian captain, became the first substitute fielder to take a catch in Test cricket when he caught Australia's top scorer, Henry Scott, when he was on 75.

The occasion was the Second Test at Lord's in 1884 when he was caught for 75 by his own captain Billy Murdoch, who was fielding as a substitute for Australia's opponents England.

Australia's leading bowler Fred Spofforth refused to play in the match, because Blackham was preferred to Spofforth's New South Wales team-mate Billy Murdoch.

Initially, Sarah Murdoch announced Kelsey Martinovich as the winner of Australia's Next Top Model.

Sarah Murdoch replaced Jodhi Meares as host of Australia's Next Top Model after Meares infamously blundered her way through the third season's live finale in 2007 and flat-out refused to appear in 2008's finale.

In 1927 he won the Archibald Prize, Australia's most prestigious art prize for portraiture, with his work titled Mrs Murdoch.