John Kersey the elder
Encyclopedia
John Kersey the elder was an English
mathematician
, as well as a textbook writer.
, near Banbury
, Oxfordshire
, on 23 November 1616. He came to London, and gained a livelihood as a teacher. At first (1650) he lived at the corner house (opposite to the White Lion) in Charles Street, near the piazza in Covent Garden
, but afterwards moved to Chandos Street, St. Martin's Lane
.
Kersey obtained a wide reputation as a teacher of mathematics. At one time he was tutor to the sons of Sir Alexander Denton
of Hillesden House, Buckinghamshire
. They were both future public figures (Sir Edmund Denton, 1st Baronet
as a Member of Parliament for Buckingham, as his father had been, and Alexander Denton as a judge, as well as MP for Buckingham after Edmund).
, who persuaded him to write his work on algebra
. He was a friend of Edmund Wingate
, and edited the second edition of his Arithmetic in 1650, and subsequent issues till 1683.
To his pupils Edmund and Alexander Denton he dedicated his first and principal original work, The Elements of Mathematical Art, commonly called Algebra, in two folio volumes, dated respectively 1673 and 1674. Both John Wallis and Collins expected much of this work and on its publication it became a standard authority. It was mentioned in the Philosophical Transactions, and was commended by Charles Hutton
. Kersey's method of algebra was employed in Cocker's Arithmetick
, edition of 1703. The eighth edition of Wingate was edited by Kersey in 1683; in the tenth, published in 1699, he is spoken of as 'late teacher of the Mathematicks.'
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
mathematician
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....
, as well as a textbook writer.
Life
He was son of Anthony Carsaye or Kersey and Alice Fenimore, and was baptised at BodicoteBodicote
Bodicote is a village and civil parish south of the centre of Banbury in Oxfordshire.-History:A windmill that stood next to the grove at the top of Bodicote is mentioned in the Domesday Book of AD 1086...
, near Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, on 23 November 1616. He came to London, and gained a livelihood as a teacher. At first (1650) he lived at the corner house (opposite to the White Lion) in Charles Street, near the piazza in Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, but afterwards moved to Chandos Street, St. Martin's Lane
St. Martin's Lane
St. Martin's Lane is a street on the edge of Covent Garden in Central London, which runs from the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, after which it is named, near Trafalgar Square northwards to Long Acre.A narrow street with relatively little traffic, St...
.
Kersey obtained a wide reputation as a teacher of mathematics. At one time he was tutor to the sons of Sir Alexander Denton
Alexander Denton (Royalist)
Sir Alexander Denton was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1625 and 1644. He supported the Royalists during the English Civil War....
of Hillesden House, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. They were both future public figures (Sir Edmund Denton, 1st Baronet
Sir Edmund Denton, 1st Baronet
Sir Edmund Denton, 1st Baronet , was an English politician.Denton was the member of an ancient Buckinghamshire family which had been granted the manor of Hillesdon by King Edward IV. He was returned to parliament as one of two representatives for Buckingham in 1698. The following year he was...
as a Member of Parliament for Buckingham, as his father had been, and Alexander Denton as a judge, as well as MP for Buckingham after Edmund).
Works
He was acquainted with John CollinsJohn Collins (mathematician)
John Collins was an English mathematician. He is most known for his extensive correspondence with leading scientists and mathematicians such as Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Gottfried Leibniz, Isaac Newton, and John Wallis...
, who persuaded him to write his work on algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
. He was a friend of Edmund Wingate
Edmund Wingate
Edmund Wingate was an English mathematical and legal writer, one of the first to publish in the 1620s on the principle of the slide rule, and later the author of some popular expository works...
, and edited the second edition of his Arithmetic in 1650, and subsequent issues till 1683.
To his pupils Edmund and Alexander Denton he dedicated his first and principal original work, The Elements of Mathematical Art, commonly called Algebra, in two folio volumes, dated respectively 1673 and 1674. Both John Wallis and Collins expected much of this work and on its publication it became a standard authority. It was mentioned in the Philosophical Transactions, and was commended by Charles Hutton
Charles Hutton
Charles Hutton was an English mathematician.Hutton was born at Newcastle-on-Tyne. He was educated in a school at Jesmond, kept by Mr Ivison, a clergyman of the Church of England...
. Kersey's method of algebra was employed in Cocker's Arithmetick
Cocker's Arithmetick
Cocker's Arithmetick: Being a Plain and Familiar Method Suitable to the Meanest Capacity for the Full Understanding of That Incomparable Art, As It Is Now Taught by the Ablest School-Masters in City and Country is a grammar school mathematics textbook written by Edward Cocker and published...
, edition of 1703. The eighth edition of Wingate was edited by Kersey in 1683; in the tenth, published in 1699, he is spoken of as 'late teacher of the Mathematicks.'