Everything about Richard Of Wallingford totally explained
» For the Constable of Wallingford Castle, see Richard of Wallingford (constable).
Richard of Wallingford (
1292–
1336) was an
English mathematician who made major contributions to
astronomy/
astrology and
horology while serving as
abbot of
St Albans Abbey in
Hertfordshire.
Richard was born, the son of a
blacksmith, at
Wallingford in
Berkshire (now
Oxfordshire) in
England. When he was
orphaned he was taken to William de Kirkeby the
Prior of
Holy Trinity Priory. Richard subsequently spent 6 years studying at
Oxford University before becoming a monk at St Albans. He later studied for 9 more years at Oxford. In
1326 he became abbot of St Albans.
Richard of Wallingford is best known for the
astronomical clock he designed, while he was abbot, which is described in the
Tractatus Horologii Astronomici (
1327). The clock was completed about 20 years after Richard's death by William of Walsham but was apparently destroyed during
Henry VIII's
reformation and the
dissolution of St Albans Abbey in
1539.
Richard also designed and constructed a calculation device, known as an
equatorium, which he called Albion. This could be used for astronomical calculations such as
lunar,
solar and
planetary
longitudes and could predict
eclipses. This is described in the
Tractatus Albionis. He published other works on
trigonometry, celestial coordinates, astrology, and various religious works.
Richard suffered from what was then thought to be
leprosy (although it might have been
syphilis,
scrofula or
tuberculosis) which he apparently contracted when he went to have his position as abbot of St Albans Abbey confirmed by the Pope at
Avignon. He died at
St Albans.
Richard of Wallingford, abbot and mathematician isn't to be confused with the later
Richard of Wallingford, constable of
Wallingford Castle, and supporter of
Wat Tyler in the
English peasants' revolt of 1381.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Richard Of Wallingford'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://richard_of_wallingford.totallyexplained.com">Richard of Wallingford Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
