John Gadbury

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John Gadbury

John Gadbury (born January 1, 1627 in Wheatley , Oxfordshire , † late March 1704 in London ) was an English astrologer .

life and work

John Gadbury was the illegitimate son of the farmer William Gadbury of Worminghall and Frances, a daughter of the MP and wealthy Oxfordshire nobleman , Sir John Curzon of Waterperry , who was Roman Catholic and disinherited his daughter because of this improper relationship.

Gadbury grew up in poverty and was apprenticed to Thomas Niclas, a tailor in Oxford , at the age of around 14 . It is possible that there was later a reconciliation with the wealthy grandfather, who could have given Gadbury a further education. Evidence has not been handed down; Gadbury himself later stated that he studied physics and astrology at Oxford .

In 1644 Gadbury left Oxford to study in London with William Lilly , who at that time was called the "English Merlin " and was considered the leading astrologer in England. With him Gadbury learned not only the basics of astrology and fortune telling, but also the calculation of ephemeris and the preparation of almanacs .

He married for the first time around 1648; The marriage resulted in a son, John, in 1651, who was only one year old. His wife died before 1681; In 1687 Gadbury entered into a second marriage, which remained childless.

As a result, he joined various religious groups, the Presbyterians , the Independents and in 1648 the Quaker sect of the Ranter Abiezer Coppe , from which he separated again in 1651. Politically, he was initially a supporter of the Levellers . In 1652 he may return to Oxfordshire to not only meet his grandfather but also to study astrology under Nicolas Fiske . In 1655 he published his annual ephemeris for the first time and in 1656 his Emendation of Hartgil's Astronomical Tables ("improvement of Hartgil's astronomical tables"), which Lilly provided with a foreword. In the same year his two-volume Cœlestis Legatus, or the Celestial Ambassadour, astronomically predicting the grand Catastrophe that is probable to befall the most of the kingdoms and countries of Europe and 1658 Genethlialogia, or the Doctrine of Nativities and The Doctrine of Horary Questions, Astrologically handled (provided with his portrait made by T. Cross).

Under Oliver Cromwell's reign, Gadbury's political beliefs changed. He became a royalist, turned to the political right under the Tories and converted to the Catholic faith. This created tension with Lily, who was on the side of the parliamentarians. It came to a rift; Gadbury's horoscope collection, published in 1661, now had the permission to print and a foreword from court astrologer and rival George Wharton , whereupon Lily Gadbury referred to in a letter as “Oliver's vicarious agent”. A deep dispute arose between former friends and close colleagues, which they publicly resolved in their writings. In 1674 Lilly described those people who - like Gadbury - were born under the ascendant of Scorpio as criminal and deceitful, to which Gadbury responded with a sharp defense to "Grandpa Lilly". Lilly responded under the pseudonym Bentivolio Philo-Huff-Lash with A just reward for unreasonable service or, An Answer to JG's late Hectorisme for Scorpio, & c. London 1675 , in which he called Gadbury a "dangerous Don Quixote".

Gadbury also became enmity with his student John Partridge , while a few, including Elias Ashmole and John Aubrey , confessed to being his followers. Partridge was a Whigs and Protestant , while Gadbury, like his grandfather, was now a Roman Catholic. In addition, Gadbury followed the courtly Regiomontanus house system in his astrological work , while Partridge had redeveloped the Placidus house system.

On November 2, 1679, Gadbury was imprisoned and falsely accused of participating in the papist conspiracy , of which he was acquitted in 1681 and received compensation. In June 1690 he was involved in a conspiracy against Wilhelm III. (Orange) and was detained again for a few weeks without a trial or conviction.

The time of Gadbury's death is not clearly recorded. Contemporary documents speak of the end of March or merely mention that he was buried on March 28, 1704 in St. Margaret's Church, Westminster.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ British History online, note 22
  2. ^ David Plant, John Gadbury, Politics and the Decline of Astrology. Skyscript.co.uk
  3. ^ The Gentleman's magazine. 1838. p. 487
  4. ^ Censura literaria , Gadbury's writing from 1683, in which he describes himself as a "student of physics and astrology".
  5. ^ The Gentleman's magazine. 1838. p. 487
  6. ↑ By Joseph Woodfall Ebsworth in Dictionary of National Biography , 1885-1900, Volume 20, without paper.
  7. ^ The Gentleman's magazine. 1838. p. 487

literature

  • James H. Holden: History of Horoscopic Astrology. American Federation of Astr, 2006, ISBN 0-8669-0463-8 . P. 189

Web links

Wikisource: John Gadbury  - Sources and full texts (English)
personal data
SURNAME Gadbury, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bentivolio Philo-Huff-Lash
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English astrologer
DATE OF BIRTH January 1, 1627
PLACE OF BIRTH Wheatley (Oxfordshire)
DATE OF DEATH March 1704
Place of death London