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Kenneth Edgeworth
Kenneth Essex Edgeworth was an Army officer, engineer, economist and independent theoretical astronomer. He was born 26 February 1880 at Daramona House, Street, Co. Westmeath. His father Thomas belonged to the junior branch of the Edgeworth family of Kilshrewly, Co. Longford. Edgeworth died in Dublin on 10 October 1972 at the age of 92. Edgeworth was a professional soldier who made original contributions to economics and especially to the theory of the origin of the solar system. He's best known for his 1943 proposal of a reservoir of icy objects beyond Neptune. Eight years later astronomer Gerard Kuiper came up with a more detailed prediction. Today we group those distant solar system bodies, including Pluto, Eris, and Makemake, into the Kuiper belt. Some astronomers, however, go with the term Edgeworth-Kuiper belt.

Early Life
Kenneth Essex was born into the archetypal gentleman literary and scientific families, the literary connection being mainly through the Edgeworth line and the scientific being principally through the Wilson family. At the time of Kenneth Essex’s birth, there were two branches of the Edgeworth family extant, the senior branch descended from Richard Love II Edgeworth, and the junior, Kilshrewly, branch.

Edgeworth lived in Daramona House for the firsts four years of his life. Daramona House is the home of his uncle, William E Wilson, another noted Irish astronomer. This played a significant role in his astronomical development. It was his uncle who also proposed Edgeworth to the RAS.

After residing at Daramona, Edgeworth’s parents moved to Ardglas House and then to Mount Murray, near Lough Owel. After about four years at Mount Murray, they then moved to the family home at Kilshrewly, about 7 miles from Edgeworthstown to join Kenneth Essex’s grandfather, retired clergyman Essex Edgeworth. At Kilshrewly, Kenneth Essex developed his engineering skills in his father’s well-equipped workshop, building small engines, and also experimenting with fireworks and photography.

At the age of 14 Edgeworth won a scholarship to Marlborough and three years later attended the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. He served with the Royal Engineers in South Africa, Somaliland, Egypt, Sudan, Chatham, and Dublin. During World War I he oversaw a signals unit in France, was awarded the DSO, and MC and was three times mentioned in dispatches.

During 1916 when Edgeworth took a leave of absence he met and became engaged to the widow of Arthur F. Eves, Isabel Mary (daughter of John Trench Pigott). The couple married on 23 August 1917 in London.