He built a private observatory at Tarn Bank (his home in Cumberland) initially equipped with a 4¼-inch aperture telescope of 6-foot focal length.
He was also a fellow of the Geological Society of London[9] and established a network of rain-gauges in the Lake District, reporting annually the rainfall in the previous year.
[13] According to his brother, there were no financial, family or personal problems, but Fletcher's health was poor ('a great derangement of the liver') and he was averse to taking medical advice; on occasions he had seemed withdrawn, as he had done in his childhood before epileptic fits to which he had then been liable.
The surgeon who examined the body, questioned by the coroner, advised that persons with epileptic tendencies could well be seized by a suicidal mania; the jury accordingly found that Fletcher had killed himself whilst of unsound mind.
[14] The Carlisle Patriot – opposed to Fletcher in politics – spoke of his 'amiable character, great attainments, and strong and vigorous intelligence'.