Title: On small variable star in Serpens Authors: Harding, C. L.
You will he pleased to hear of a small variable star, which I have discovered since June 9th, in last year It is situated in Serpens; and my observations (which however are not very correct) give its position for 1800, as follows...
R Serpentis (HD 141850) was discovered on the 9th June 1826 by the German astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding during the preperation of the Berlin Academic star charts, a project of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences. The yellowish-red star is located 600 light years away, midway between Beta and Gamma.
R Serpentis, however, had been observed prior to Harding's time, though not recognized as a variable; it appears on a French chart made by D'Agelet in March 1783, thus preserving for us the approximate date of a very early maximum. Source