John Harris (writer)
Encyclopedia
John Harris was an English
writer, scientist, and Anglican priest. He is best known as the editor of the Lexicon Technicum: Or, A Universal English Dictionary of Arts and Sciences
(1704), the earliest of English encyclopaedias
, and as the compiler of the Collection of Voyages and Travels which was published under his name.
, probably in Shropshire
, and was a scholar of Trinity College, Oxford
, from 1684 to 1688. He was presented to the vicarage of Icklesham
in Sussex
, and subsequently to the rectory of St Thomas, Winchelsea
. In 1696 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and published a paper in Philosophical Transactions on microscope observations of animalcula
which included the first ever description of a Bdelloid Rotifer.
In 1698 he gave the seventh series of the Boyle Lectures
, Atheistical Objections against the Being of God and His Attributes fairly considered and fully refuted.
Between 1702 and 1704 he delivered at the Marine Coffee House in Birchin Lane the mathematical lectures founded by Sir Charles Cox
, and advertised himself as a mathematical tutor at Amen Corner
. The friendship of Sir William Cowper
secured for him the office of private chaplain, a prebend
in Rochester Cathedral
(1708), and the rectory of the united parishes of St Mildred, Bread Street
and St Margaret Moses
, as well as other preferments.
He showed himself a Whig, and engaged in a bitter quarrel with the Rev. Charles Humphreys
, who afterwards was chaplain to Henry Sacheverell
. Harris for a time acted as vice-president of the Royal Society
. At his death, he was completing an elaborate History of Kent in Five Parts of which the first volume only was published, by D. Midwinter of St. Paul's Churchyard in London, in 1719. He is said to have died in poverty brought on by his own bad management of his affairs.
Attribution
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
writer, scientist, and Anglican priest. He is best known as the editor of the Lexicon Technicum: Or, A Universal English Dictionary of Arts and Sciences
Lexicon technicum
Lexicon Technicum: Or, An Universal English Dictionary of Arts and Sciences: Explaining not only the Terms of Art, but the Arts Themselves was in many respects the first alphabetical encyclopedia written in English...
(1704), the earliest of English encyclopaedias
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
, and as the compiler of the Collection of Voyages and Travels which was published under his name.
Life
He was born about 16661666 in England
Events from the year 1666 in England. This is the first year to be designated as an Annus mirabilis, in John Dryden's 1667 poem so titled, celebrating England's failure to be beaten either by fire or by the Dutch.-Events:...
, probably in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, and was a scholar of Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
, from 1684 to 1688. He was presented to the vicarage of Icklesham
Icklesham
Icklesham is a village and civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. The village is located about six miles east of Hastings, on the main A259 Hastings to Rye road....
in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, and subsequently to the rectory of St Thomas, Winchelsea
Winchelsea
Winchelsea is a small village in East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately two miles south west of Rye and seven miles north east of Hastings...
. In 1696 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and published a paper in Philosophical Transactions on microscope observations of animalcula
Rotifer
The rotifers make up a phylum of microscopic and near-microscopic pseudocoelomate animals. They were first described by Rev. John Harris in 1696, and other forms were described by Anton van Leeuwenhoek in 1703...
which included the first ever description of a Bdelloid Rotifer.
In 1698 he gave the seventh series of the Boyle Lectures
Boyle Lectures
The Boyle Lectures were named after Robert Boyle, a prominent English/Irish natural philosopher of the 17th century. Boyle endowed a series of lectures in his will, which were designed as a forum where prominent academics could discuss the existence of God....
, Atheistical Objections against the Being of God and His Attributes fairly considered and fully refuted.
Between 1702 and 1704 he delivered at the Marine Coffee House in Birchin Lane the mathematical lectures founded by Sir Charles Cox
Charles Cox (brewer)
Sir Charles Cox was an English brewer and Whig Member of Parliament for Southwark from 1695 to 1712. For many years afterwards the MP for Southwark would generally be a brewer....
, and advertised himself as a mathematical tutor at Amen Corner
Amen Corner
Amen Corner may refer to:*Amen Corner , 1960s British pop group*Amen Corner , 1983 musical*Amen Corner , novel by Rick Shefchik*The Amen Corner, 1954 play by James Baldwin...
. The friendship of Sir William Cowper
William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper
William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper PC KC FRS was an English politician who became the first Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. Cowper was the son of Sir William Cowper, 2nd Baronet, of Ratling Court, Kent, a Whig member of parliament of some mark in the two last Stuart reigns...
secured for him the office of private chaplain, a prebend
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
in Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Norman church in Rochester, Kent. The bishopric is second oldest in England after Canterbury...
(1708), and the rectory of the united parishes of St Mildred, Bread Street
St Mildred, Bread Street
St Mildred Bread Street was a church in Bread Street Ward of the City of London dedicated to the 7th century Saint Mildred the Virgin, daughter of Merewald, sub-king of the West Mercians and one of the few to retain Wren's original fittings into the 20th Century.The earliest record of the church...
and St Margaret Moses
St Margaret Moses
St Margaret Moses was a parish church in Little Friday Street in the Bread Street Ward of the City of London.. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666 and not rebuilt.-History:...
, as well as other preferments.
He showed himself a Whig, and engaged in a bitter quarrel with the Rev. Charles Humphreys
Charles Humphreys
Charles Humphreys was an American miller and statesman from Haverford, Pennsylvania. He is the son of Daniel Humphreys and Hannah Wynne . He served as a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776...
, who afterwards was chaplain to Henry Sacheverell
Henry Sacheverell
Henry Sacheverell was an English High Church clergyman and politician.-Early life:The son of Joshua Sacheverell, rector of St Peter's, Marlborough,...
. Harris for a time acted as vice-president of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
. At his death, he was completing an elaborate History of Kent in Five Parts of which the first volume only was published, by D. Midwinter of St. Paul's Churchyard in London, in 1719. He is said to have died in poverty brought on by his own bad management of his affairs.
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Attribution