Gilbert Clerke
Encyclopedia
Gilbert Clerke was an English mathematician
, natural philosopher and Socinian theological writer.
, Rutland
, in 1626, he was a son of John Clerke, master of the school there
. In 1641 he was admitted to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
, and there he proceeded M.A., being elected a fellow in 1648. In 1651 he received presbyterian ordination; he became proctor
also in the next year, 1652; but in 1655 he resigned his fellowship and left the university, because the statutes required him to take the degree of Bachelor of Divinity
, and his conscientious scruples made this impossible.
His ability brought him into communication with Richard Cumberland
, his contemporary at Cambridge, and with William Whiston
; but, inheriting a small property at Luffingham, Northamptonshire
, he quietly pursued his mathematical studies in that county to the end of his life. He did approach Isaac Newton
for some clarification of the Principia. His directions to find the meridian
relate to observations taken at Stamford, where Whiston knew him. He laid out the gardens of Lamport Hall
.
The manner and the time of his death are not recorded. He is supposed to have died about 1697.
and attacked Francis Bacon
, Thomas Hobbes
, and Seth Ward
. In the next year he was following the lines of Torricelli
and Robert Boyle
; and, dedicating the resulting work to Sir Justinian Isham
, he brought it out in 1662 as Tractatus de Restitutione Corporum. Another work of his was Finalis Concordia, alluded to by him in some correspondence with Richard Baxter
on church divisions.
In 1682 he published his expansion of William Oughtred
's Clavis Mathematica with the title Oughtredus explicatus, with part i. dedicated to Isham, part ii. to Sir Walter Chetwynd
. In this work Clerke spoke of his invention of the spot-dial. He published his Description of it in 1687, this being the only work he wrote in English.
In 1695 appeared Tractatus tres; quorum qui prior Ante-Nicenismus dicitur, a Unitarian
answer to George Bull
's Nicene writings, the first two of these being by Clerke and the third anonymous. He is credited with all three by some writers, while others take from him the two to which he put his name and attribute them all to Samuel Crellius
(1661–1747). Clerke's position as an original theologian is also questioned; it has been thought he merely reproduced Daniel Zwicker
's arguments. Clerke did not suffer the fate of Socinians William Freke
(1694) and John Smith
(1695) who were forced to recant.
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, natural philosopher and Socinian theological writer.
Life
Born at UppinghamUppingham
Disambiguation: "Uppingham" is the colloquial name for Uppingham SchoolUppingham is a market town in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, located on the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, about 6 miles south of the county town, Oakham.- History :A little over a mile to the...
, Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, in 1626, he was a son of John Clerke, master of the school there
Uppingham School
Uppingham School is a co-educational independent school of the English public school tradition, situated in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, England...
. In 1641 he was admitted to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.The college was founded in 1596 and named after its foundress, Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex. It was from its inception an avowedly Puritan foundation: some good and godlie moniment for the mainteynance...
, and there he proceeded M.A., being elected a fellow in 1648. In 1651 he received presbyterian ordination; he became proctor
Proctor
Proctor, a variant of the word procurator, is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The word proctor is frequently used to describe someone who oversees an exam or dormitory.The title is used in England in three principal senses:...
also in the next year, 1652; but in 1655 he resigned his fellowship and left the university, because the statutes required him to take the degree of Bachelor of Divinity
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
, and his conscientious scruples made this impossible.
His ability brought him into communication with Richard Cumberland
Richard Cumberland (philosopher)
Richard Cumberland was an English philosopher, and bishop of Peterborough from 1691. In 1672, he published his major work, De legibus naturae , propounding utilitarianism and opposing the egoistic ethics of Thomas Hobbes.Cumberland was a member of the latitudinarian movement, along with his friend...
, his contemporary at Cambridge, and with William Whiston
William Whiston
William Whiston was an English theologian, historian, and mathematician. He is probably best known for his translation of the Antiquities of the Jews and other works by Josephus, his A New Theory of the Earth, and his Arianism...
; but, inheriting a small property at Luffingham, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, he quietly pursued his mathematical studies in that county to the end of his life. He did approach Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
for some clarification of the Principia. His directions to find the meridian
Meridian (geography)
A meridian is an imaginary line on the Earth's surface from the North Pole to the South Pole that connects all locations along it with a given longitude. The position of a point along the meridian is given by its latitude. Each meridian is perpendicular to all circles of latitude...
relate to observations taken at Stamford, where Whiston knew him. He laid out the gardens of Lamport Hall
Lamport Hall
Lamport Hall in Lamport, Northamptonshire is a fine example of a Grade I Listed House. It is open to the public.Lamport Hall was the home of the Isham family from 1560 to 1976. Sir Charles Isham, 10th Baronet is credited with beginning the tradition of garden gnomes in the United Kingdom when he...
.
The manner and the time of his death are not recorded. He is supposed to have died about 1697.
Works
In 1660 he issued his first work, De Plenitudine Mundi. In this he reviewed René DescartesRené 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...
and attacked Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
, 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 Seth Ward
Seth Ward (bishop)
Seth Ward was an English mathematician, astronomer, and bishop.-Early life:He was born in Hertfordshire, and educated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1636 and M.A. in 1640, becoming a Fellow in that year...
. In the next year he was following the lines of Torricelli
Torricelli
-People:* Evangelista Torricelli, an Italian physicist and mathematician* Robert Torricelli, a former United States politician* Moreno Torricelli, a former Italian football player* Giuseppe Antonio Torricelli, an Italian sculptor-Science:* Torricelli's Law...
and Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle FRS was a 17th century natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor, also noted for his writings in theology. He has been variously described as English, Irish, or Anglo-Irish, his father having come to Ireland from England during the time of the English plantations of...
; and, dedicating the resulting work to Sir Justinian Isham
Sir Justinian Isham, 2nd Baronet
Sir Justinian Isham, second baronet was an English scholar and royalist politician. In the 1660s he was a Member of Parliament and also an early member of the Royal Society.-Life:...
, he brought it out in 1662 as Tractatus de Restitutione Corporum. Another work of his was Finalis Concordia, alluded to by him in some correspondence with Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymn-writer, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he made his reputation by his ministry at Kidderminster, and at around the same time began a long...
on church divisions.
In 1682 he published his expansion of 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...
's Clavis Mathematica with the title Oughtredus explicatus, with part i. dedicated to Isham, part ii. to Sir Walter Chetwynd
Walter Chetwynd
Walter Chetwynd FRS , of Ingestre Hall, was an antiquary and politician.He was the only child of Walter Chetwynd , the eldest son of Walter Chetwynd , who built Ingestre Hall. He was admitted to the Middle Temple in 1657, but returned his native Staffordshire and occupied various local offices...
. In this work Clerke spoke of his invention of the spot-dial. He published his Description of it in 1687, this being the only work he wrote in English.
In 1695 appeared Tractatus tres; quorum qui prior Ante-Nicenismus dicitur, a Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
answer to George Bull
George Bull
George Bull was an English theologian and Bishop of St David's.-Life:He was born, 25 March 1634, in the parish of St. Cuthbert, Wells, and educated in the grammar school at Wells, and then at Blundell's School in Tiverton under Samuel Butler. Before he was fourteen years old he went into...
's Nicene writings, the first two of these being by Clerke and the third anonymous. He is credited with all three by some writers, while others take from him the two to which he put his name and attribute them all to Samuel Crellius
Samuel Crellius
Samuel Crell-Spinowski was an Arian philosopher and theologian, pastor of the church of the Polish Brethren....
(1661–1747). Clerke's position as an original theologian is also questioned; it has been thought he merely reproduced Daniel Zwicker
Daniel Zwicker
Daniel Zwicker was a German physician from Danzig, and a Socinian theologian and controversialist of the Polish Brethren.-Life:He was the son of Friedrich Zwicker, Lutheran minister of the Church of St. Bartholomew at Danzig...
's arguments. Clerke did not suffer the fate of Socinians William Freke
William Freke
William Freke was an English mystical writer, of Wadham College, Oxford and barrister of the Temple.Freke first comes to attention as a Socinian Unitarian who suffered at the hands of Parliament in 1694 for his anti-Trinitarian beliefs, and later recanted...
(1694) and John Smith
John Smith (Unitarian)
John Smith of St. Augustine's London was an English craftsman and writer, known as "philomath". He was also a Unitarian writer who was coerced into recanting at the height of the 1690s "Socinian controversy".-Religious views:...
(1695) who were forced to recant.