Thomas Barker (1722 – 29 December 1809) was a Rutland squire who kept a detailed weather record at Lyndon Hall from 1736 to 1798.
The son of Samuel Barker and grandson of William Whiston, he came from a distinguished local family, which had lived in Lyndon from the time of Henry VIII.
[2] Barker's meteorological records have proved a valuable resource for those researching the 18th century British climate, because of its early date for instrumental observations, its length and the meticulousness with which it was compiled.
As well as being a meteorologist, he was also an astronomer, publishing An Account of the Discoveries concerning Comets, with the Way to find their Orbits, and some Improvements in constructing and calculating their Places in 1757.
[5] He was the first modern astronomer to note the discrepancy between some ancient accounts of Sirius being a red star and its current blue-white colour.