Charles Cavendish (Nottingham)
Encyclopedia
Sir Charles Cavendish was an English aristocrat, Member of Parliament
, and patron of philosophers and mathematicians.
in 1619. He was MP for Nottingham
in 1624 and 1628, and sat in the Short Parliament
of 1640. He built a mansion on the site of Bolsover Castle, bought by his father (also called Sir Charles Cavendish). His work on the house, to a design by John Smythson (son of Robert Smythson
), was never completed. He went into exile with his brother after the Battle of Marston Moor
(1644).
His group of intellectual acquaintances has been called the “Welbeck Circle”, after the family home Welbeck Abbey
; it has also been called the “Newcastle Circle” after the elder brother’s title. Because the Cavendishes were royalist émigrés of the 1640s, the centre of this circle moved to Paris, where it took on the form of a salon
. It grew around Thomas Hobbes
and John Pell
, with Sir Kenelm Digby joining in Paris, and also included William Petty
.
Cavendish knew Pell from the Welbeck period, along with the mathematicians Walter Warner
and Robert Payne. He supported William Oughtred
and knew John Wallis. From early travels in France, he knew Marin Mersenne
and Claude Mydorge
; later he met René Descartes
, Gilles de Roberval
and Pierre Gassendi
.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, and patron of philosophers and mathematicians.
Life
He was the younger brother of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and was knighted by James IJames I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
in 1619. He was MP for Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
in 1624 and 1628, and sat in the Short Parliament
Short Parliament
The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....
of 1640. He built a mansion on the site of Bolsover Castle, bought by his father (also called Sir Charles Cavendish). His work on the house, to a design by John Smythson (son of Robert Smythson
Robert Smythson
Robert Smythson was an English architect. Smythson designed a number of notable houses during the Elizabethan era. Little is known about his birth and upbringing—his first mention in historical records comes in 1556, when he was stonemason for the house at Longleat, built by Sir John Thynne...
), was never completed. He went into exile with his brother after the Battle of Marston Moor
Battle of Marston Moor
The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the First English Civil War of 1642–1646. The combined forces of the Scottish Covenanters under the Earl of Leven and the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester defeated the Royalists commanded by Prince...
(1644).
His group of intellectual acquaintances has been called the “Welbeck Circle”, after the family home Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey near Clumber Park in North Nottinghamshire was the principal abbey of the Premonstratensian order in England and later the principal residence of the Dukes of Portland.-Monastic period:...
; it has also been called the “Newcastle Circle” after the elder brother’s title. Because the Cavendishes were royalist émigrés of the 1640s, the centre of this circle moved to Paris, where it took on the form of a salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
. It grew around Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury , in some older texts Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury, was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy...
and John Pell
John Pell
-Early life:He was born at Southwick in Sussex. He was educated at Steyning Grammar School, and entered Trinity College, Cambridge, at the age of thirteen. During his university career he became an accomplished linguist, and even before he took his B.A. degree corresponded with Henry Briggs and...
, with Sir Kenelm Digby joining in Paris, and also included William Petty
William Petty
Sir William Petty FRS was an English economist, scientist and philosopher. He first became prominent serving Oliver Cromwell and Commonwealth in Ireland. He developed efficient methods to survey the land that was to be confiscated and given to Cromwell's soldiers...
.
Cavendish knew Pell from the Welbeck period, along with the mathematicians Walter Warner
Walter Warner
Walter Warner was an English mathematician and scientist.-Life:He was born in Leicestershire and educated at Merton College, Oxford, graduating B.A. in 1578....
and Robert Payne. He supported William Oughtred
William Oughtred
William Oughtred was an English mathematician.After John Napier invented logarithms, and Edmund Gunter created the logarithmic scales upon which slide rules are based, it was Oughtred who first used two such scales sliding by one another to perform direct multiplication and division; and he is...
and knew John Wallis. From early travels in France, he knew Marin Mersenne
Marin Mersenne
Marin Mersenne, Marin Mersennus or le Père Mersenne was a French theologian, philosopher, mathematician and music theorist, often referred to as the "father of acoustics"...
and Claude Mydorge
Claude Mydorge
Claude Mydorge was a French mathematician. His primary contributions were in geometry and physics.Mydorge served on a scientific committee set up to determine whether Jean-Baptiste Morin's scheme for determining longitude from the Moon's motion was practical.-External links:...
; later he met René Descartes
René Descartes
René Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
, Gilles de Roberval
Gilles de Roberval
Gilles Personne de Roberval , French mathematician, was born at Roberval, Oise, near Beauvais, France. His name was originally Gilles Personne or Gilles Personier, that of Roberval, by which he is known, being taken from the place of his birth.Like René Descartes, he was present at the siege of La...
and Pierre Gassendi
Pierre Gassendi
Pierre Gassendi was a French philosopher, priest, scientist, astronomer, and mathematician. With a church position in south-east France, he also spent much time in Paris, where he was a leader of a group of free-thinking intellectuals. He was also an active observational scientist, publishing the...
.
Further reading
- Noel MalcolmNoel MalcolmNoel Robert Malcolm FBA FRSL is a modern English historian, writer, and columnist.-Life:Malcolm was educated at Eton College , read History at Peterhouse, Cambridge, wrote his doctorate dissertation at Trinity College, Cambridge, and was for a time Fellow of Gonville and Caius College,...
and Jacqueline Stedall (2005), John Pell (1611-1685) and His Correspondence with Sir Charles Cavendish: The Mental World of an Early Modern Mathematician