Walcher of Malvern
Encyclopedia
Walcher of Malvern, also known as Walcher of Lorraine or Doctor Walcher, was the second Prior
of Malvern (in the UK, but back then in England
) and a noted astrologer
-astronomer
and mathematician
.
Walcher was from Lotharingia
and came to what was then England about 1091. He is noted for using an astrolabe
to measure the time of several solar
and lunar eclipse
s with an accuracy of about fifteen minutes. Using his early observations, he computed a set of tables giving the time of the new moons from 1036 through 1111, which were considered important for medical astrology. His later observations revealed significant errors in his tables, reflecting the limitations of early medieval astronomical theory.
In one of his later writings, which drew on Arabic astrology-astronomy received from Spain, he recorded angles in degrees, minutes, and seconds, although he wrote these numbers using Roman, rather than Arabic numerals.
Walcher was Prior of Malvern Priory from 1120 to 1135. Walcher's gravestone in in St Anne's Chapel at the Priory Church records his abilities:
"Philosophus bonus dignus Astrologus lotharingus,
Vir pius et humilis, Monachus prior hujus ovilis
Hic jacet in cista Geometricus et Abacista,
Doctor Walcherus. Flet plebs, dolet undique clerus.
Huic lux prima mori Dedit Octobris seniori;
Vivat ut in coelis Exoret quisque fidelis. MCXXXV."
"A good philosopher, a worthy Astrologer of Lorraine,
A pious and humble man, the prior monk of this fold,
Here lies in a casket, a geometer skilled in the abacus,
Doctor Walcher. The people weeps, the cleric grieves everywhere.
To him, our elder, the first day of October brought death;
That he should live in heaven may every faithful soul pray. 1135."
As head of the Priory
he would have been a very influential figure in the county
of Worcestershire
.
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
of Malvern (in the UK, but back then in England
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...
) and a noted astrologer
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
-astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
and 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....
.
Walcher was from Lotharingia
Lotharingia
Lotharingia was a region in northwest Europe, comprising the Low Countries, the western Rhineland, the lands today on the border between France and Germany, and what is now western Switzerland. It was born of the tripartite division in 855, of the kingdom of Middle Francia, itself formed of the...
and came to what was then England about 1091. He is noted for using an astrolabe
Astrolabe
An astrolabe is an elaborate inclinometer, historically used by astronomers, navigators, and astrologers. Its many uses include locating and predicting the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars, determining local time given local latitude and longitude, surveying, triangulation, and to...
to measure the time of several solar
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
and lunar eclipse
Lunar eclipse
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes behind the Earth so that the Earth blocks the Sun's rays from striking the Moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a...
s with an accuracy of about fifteen minutes. Using his early observations, he computed a set of tables giving the time of the new moons from 1036 through 1111, which were considered important for medical astrology. His later observations revealed significant errors in his tables, reflecting the limitations of early medieval astronomical theory.
In one of his later writings, which drew on Arabic astrology-astronomy received from Spain, he recorded angles in degrees, minutes, and seconds, although he wrote these numbers using Roman, rather than Arabic numerals.
Walcher was Prior of Malvern Priory from 1120 to 1135. Walcher's gravestone in in St Anne's Chapel at the Priory Church records his abilities:
"Philosophus bonus dignus Astrologus lotharingus,
Vir pius et humilis, Monachus prior hujus ovilis
Hic jacet in cista Geometricus et Abacista,
Doctor Walcherus. Flet plebs, dolet undique clerus.
Huic lux prima mori Dedit Octobris seniori;
Vivat ut in coelis Exoret quisque fidelis. MCXXXV."
"A good philosopher, a worthy Astrologer of Lorraine,
A pious and humble man, the prior monk of this fold,
Here lies in a casket, a geometer skilled in the abacus,
Doctor Walcher. The people weeps, the cleric grieves everywhere.
To him, our elder, the first day of October brought death;
That he should live in heaven may every faithful soul pray. 1135."
As head of the Priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
he would have been a very influential figure in the county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
.