ABSTRACT
On 4 June 1756, the Prince of Wales attained the age of eighteen, and soon began to form his own household. During the next few months the names of various appointees were announced in the newspapers, especially in October after the prince had returned from Kew to Leicester House, London, for the winter. The precise date of Adams's appointment as Mathematical Instrument Maker to the Prince of Wales has not been discovered, but newspaper announcements indicate that it was towards the end of 1756. With his official Ordnance appointment, regular orders from Christ's Hospital, and now this personal appointment to the Prince of Wales, at Christmas 1756 Adams must have been congratulating himself on his success. However, just as Adams was beginning to feel that his future looked secure, an event outside his control nearly brought his career to a premature and sudden end.
