William Derham
William Derham (born November 26, 1657 in Stoulton , Worcestershire , † April 5, 1735 in Upminster ) was an English clergyman and natural philosopher.
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William Derham was first in Blockley ( Gloucestershire trained) before the Trinity College attended from 1675 to 1679. After his ordination in 1681, he worked for several years as a vicar in Wargrave . Between 1689 and 1735 he was rector at Upminster.
In 1696 his book Artificial Clockmaker appeared , which saw several editions. Other influential books, some of which were also translated, were his Physico-Theology (1713), Astro-Theology (1714) and Christo-Theology (1730). In the first two books, God was "proven" from nature in a physicotheological way. Other authors such as William Paley (1743–1825) or Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774) orientated themselves on these works.
Derham is considered to be the first researcher to measure the speed of sound . He was inducted into the Royal Society on February 3, 1703 and authored several writings that were published in the Transactions of the Royal Society . He also edited the correspondence of John Ray (1627-1705) and prepared the Natural History of Eleazar Albin as well as some manuscripts by Robert Hooke (1635-1703) for printing.
literature
- Marja Smolenaars: Derham, William (1657-1735) . In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press, 2004 ( online ).
Web links
- Entry to Derham; William (1657-1735); Naturalist in the Archives of the Royal Society , London
Individual evidence
- ↑ Winifred Lynskey (1942), Pluche and Derham, New Sources of Goldsmith, PMLA , 57 (2): 435-445 ISSN 0030-8129
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Derham, William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English clergyman and natural philosopher |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 26, 1657 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Stoulton |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 5, 1735 |
| Place of death | Upminster |