ist ▁and ▁industrial ist . ▁ ▁There ▁is ▁some ▁uncertainty ▁about ▁his ▁orig ins . ▁It ▁is ▁believed ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁Marg ate , ▁England ▁on ▁ 1 7 ▁August ▁ 1 7 9 9 , ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁James ▁L aming , ▁a ▁packet ▁owner , ▁and ▁Sarah ▁Wal ton . ▁He ▁had ▁an ▁elder ▁brother ▁James , ▁born ▁ 1 7 9 1 , ▁who ▁was ▁a ▁prosper ous ▁merchant . ▁In ▁ 1 8 2 5 , ▁Richard ▁qualified ▁for ▁membership ▁of ▁the ▁Royal ▁College ▁of ▁Sur ge ons , ▁and ▁he ▁established ▁a ▁practice ▁in ▁London . ▁ ▁During ▁his ▁le is ure ▁moments , ▁Richard ▁developed ▁an ▁interest ▁in ▁the ▁theory ▁of ▁electric ity . ▁Between ▁ 1 8 3 8 ▁and ▁ 1 8 5 1 ▁he ▁published ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁papers ▁spec ulating ▁about ▁the ▁elect rical ▁make up ▁of ▁atoms . ▁He ▁hypoth es ized ▁that ▁there ▁existed ▁sub - atomic ▁particles ▁of ▁unit ▁charge ; ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁persons ▁ever ▁to ▁do ▁so . ▁He ▁suggested ▁that ▁the ▁atom ▁was ▁made ▁up ▁of ▁a ▁core ▁of ▁material ▁surrounded ▁by ▁concent ric ▁shell s ▁of ▁these ▁elect rical ▁' at oms ', ▁or ▁particles . ▁He ▁also ▁believed ▁that ▁these ▁particles ▁could ▁be ▁added ▁or ▁subtract ed ▁to ▁an ▁atom , ▁changing ▁its ▁charge . ▁ ▁Ar ound ▁ 1 8 4 4 , ▁he ▁suggested ▁a ▁mechanism ▁for ▁an ▁ins ulator ▁as ▁an ▁atom ▁surrounded ▁by ▁" per fect ▁external ▁spher