Editing John Flamsteed (section)

== Life ==

Flamsteed was born in [[Denby]], [[Derbyshire]], England, the only son of Stephen Flamsteed and his first wife, Mary Spadman. He was educated at the free school of Derby and at [[Derby School]], in St Peter's Churchyard, [[Derby]], near where his father carried on a [[malt|malting business]]. At that time, most masters of the school were [[Puritan]]s. Flamsteed had a solid knowledge of [[Latin language|Latin]], essential for reading the scientific literature of the day, and a love of [[history]], leaving the school in May 1662.<ref name=birks>Birks, John L. (1999) ''John Flamsteed, the first Astronomer Royal''. London, Avon Books. {{ISBN|1860335683}}</ref>{{rp|3–4}}

His progress to [[Jesus College, Cambridge]], recommended by the Master of Derby School, was delayed by some years of chronic ill health. During those years, Flamsteed gave his father some help in his business, and from his father learnt [[arithmetic]] and the use of [[Fraction (mathematics)|fractions]], developing a keen interest in [[mathematics]] and [[astronomy]]. In July 1662, he was fascinated by the thirteenth-century work of [[Johannes de Sacrobosco]],  ''[[De sphaera mundi]]'', and on 12 September 1662 observed his first partial [[solar eclipse]]. Early in 1663, he read [[Thomas Fale]]'s ''Horologiographia: The Art of Dialling'', which set off an interest in [[sundial]]s. In the summer of 1663, he read Wingate's ''Canon'', [[William Oughtred]]'s ''Canon'', and Thomas Stirrup's ''Art of Dialling''. At about the same time, he acquired [[Thomas Street (astronomer)|Thomas Street]]'s ''Astronomia Carolina, or A New Theory of the Celestial Motions'' (''Caroline Tables''). He associated himself with local gentlemen interested in astronomy, including William Litchford, whose library included the work of the [[astrologer]] [[John Gadbury]] which included astronomical tables by [[Jeremiah Horrocks]], who had died in 1641 at the age of twenty-two. Flamsteed was greatly impressed (as [[Isaac Newton]] had been) by the work of Horrocks.<ref name=birks/>{{rp|8–11}}

In August 1665, at the age of nineteen and as a gift for his friend Litchford, Flamsteed wrote his first paper on astronomy, entitled ''Mathematical Essays'', concerning the design, use and construction of an astronomer's [[Quadrant (instrument)|quadrant]], including tables for the [[latitude]] of Derby.<ref name=birks/>{{rp|11}}

In September 1670, Flamsteed visited Cambridge and entered his name as an undergraduate at [[Jesus College, Cambridge|Jesus College]].<ref>{{acad|id=FLMT670J|name=Flamsteed, John}}</ref> While it seems he never took up full residence, he was there for two months in 1674, and had the opportunity to hear Isaac Newton's ''Lucasian Lectures''.<ref name=birks/>{{rp|26}}

Ordained a deacon, he was preparing to take up a living in Derbyshire when he was invited to London by his patron [[Jonas Moore]], Surveyor-General of the Ordnance. Moore had recently made an offer to the [[Royal Society]] to pay for the establishment of an observatory. These plans were, however, preempted when [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] was persuaded by his mistress, [[Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth]], to hear about a proposal to find longitude by the position of the Moon from an individual known as Le Sieur de St Pierre. Charles appointed a Royal Commission to examine the proposal in December 1674, consisting of [[William Brouncker, 2nd Viscount Brouncker|Lord Brouncker]], [[Seth Ward (bishop of Salisbury)|Seth Ward]], [[Samuel Moreland]], [[Christopher Wren]], [[Silius Titus]], [[John Pell (mathematician)|John Pell]] and [[Robert Hooke]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Having arrived in London on 2 February 1675, and staying with Jonas Moore at the [[Tower of London]], Flamsteed had the opportunity to be taken by Titus to meet the King. He was subsequently admitted as an official Assistant to the Royal Commission and supplied observations in order to test St Pierre's proposal and to offer his own comments. The commission's conclusions were that, although St Pierre's proposal was not worth further consideration, the King should consider establishing an observatory and appointing an observer in order to better map the stars and the motions of the Moon in order to underpin the successful development of the [[Lunar distance (navigation)|lunar-distance method]] of finding longitude.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Howse|first1=Derek|title=Greenwich Time and the Longitude|date=1997|publisher=Philip Wilson|isbn=0856674680|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/greenwichtimelon0000hows}}</ref>

On 4 March 1675 Flamsteed was appointed by royal warrant "The King's Astronomical Observator" – the first English [[Astronomer Royal]], with an allowance of £100 a year. The warrant stated his task as "rectifieing the Tables of the motions of the Heavens, and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so much desired Longitude of places for Perfecteing the Art of Navigation".<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Willmoth|editor1-first=Frances|title=Flamsteed's Stars: New Perspectives on the Life and Work of the First Astronomer Royal, 1646–1719|date=1997|publisher=The Boydell Press|isbn=0851157068|page=60}}</ref> In June 1675, another royal warrant provided for the founding of the [[Royal Greenwich Observatory]], and Flamsteed laid the foundation stone on 10 August.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Howse|first1=Derek|title=Greenwich Time and Longitude|date=1997|publisher=Philip Wilson|isbn=0856674680|pages=[https://archive.org/details/greenwichtimelon0000hows/page/44 44–45]|url=https://archive.org/details/greenwichtimelon0000hows/page/44}}</ref>

In February 1676, he was admitted a Fellow of the [[Royal Society]], and in July, he moved into the Observatory. In 1684 he was "[e]levated to the priesthood [and] appointed rector"<ref name="The Life of John Flamsteed:  Britain's First Royal Astronomer">{{cite web|url=http://info.ambervalley.gov.uk/docarc/docviewer.aspx?docGuid=2dc245dce04843a7ba2d1c76b9d0bd53|title=The Life of John Flamsteed: Britain's First Royal Astronomer |last=Rees|first=Martin (Introduction) |publisher=Amber Valley Borough Council|access-date= 2 May 2017}}</ref> of the small village of [[Burstow]], near [[Crawley]] in [[Surrey]]. He held that office, as well as that of Astronomer Royal, until his death. He is buried at Burstow, and the east window in the church was dedicated to him as a memorial.<ref name="VCH42952">{{cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/Surrey/vol3/pp176-182|title=A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3. Parishes: Burstow|editor-last=Malden|editor-first=H. E. |date=1911|work=[[Victoria County History]] of Surrey|publisher=British History Online|pages=176–182|access-date=14 June 2013}}</ref> 
[[File:Flamsteed wall memorial.jpg|thumb|300px|Plaque marking the grave of John Flamsteed and his wife in the [[chancel]] of St Bartholomew's Church in [[Burstow]], Surrey]] The will of Flamsteed's widow, Margaret, left instructions for her own remains to be deposited "in the same Grave in which Mr John Flamsteed is buryed in the Chancell of Burstow Church". She also left instructions, and twenty five pounds, for the executor of her will to place "in the aforesaid Chancell of Burstow … A Marble stone or Monument, with an inscription in Latin, in memory of the late Reverend Mr. John Flamsteed". It seems no such monument was created, and almost 200 years later, a plaque was placed to mark his burial in the chancel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.greenwich.co.uk/rob-powell/the-grave-of-john-flamsteed/|title=The Grave of John Flamsteed|last=Powell|first=Rob|date=16 January 2015|work=Greenwich.co.uk Blogs|access-date=3 March 2018}}</ref>

After his death, his papers and scientific instruments were taken by his widow. The papers were returned many years later, but the instruments disappeared.<ref name="AWH">
{{cite book
 | last = Hirshfeld
 | first = Alan W.
 | title = Parallax: The Race to Measure the Cosmos
 | publisher = Henry Holt and Co
 | date = 2001
 | page = [https://archive.org/details/parallax00alan/page/162 162]
 | isbn = 0716737116
 | url = https://archive.org/details/parallax00alan/page/162
 }}</ref>