William Crabtree

William Crabtree (* 1610 in Broughton ( Salford ), England, † 1644) was an English astronomer.

After attending school in Manchester Crabtree was financially independent by a rich marriage.

In addition to his continued profession as a businessman, he devoted himself with great passion of astronomy. He could refute predictions of seasoned astronomers thanks to precise calculations.

Along with Jeremiah Horrox in Lancashire, a fellow astronomers, he observed the transit of Venus on 24 November ( Julian, Gregorian December 4 ) in 1639.