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Information about Richard Of Wallingford

For the Constable of Wallingford Castle, see Richard of Wallingford (constable).
Richard of Wallingford (1292–1336) was an English mathematician who made major contributions to astronomy/astrology and horology while serving as abbot of St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire.

Richard was born, the son of a blacksmith, at Wallingford in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire) in England. When he was orphaned he was taken to William de Kirkeby the Prior of Holy Trinity Priory. Richard subsequently spent 6 years studying at Oxford University before becoming a monk at St Albans. He later studied for 9 more years at Oxford. In 1326 he became abbot of St Albans.

Richard of Wallingford is best known for the astronomical clock he designed, while he was abbot, which is described in the Tractatus Horologii Astronomici (1327). The clock was completed about 20 years after Richard's death by William of Walsham but was apparently destroyed during Henry VIII's reformation and the dissolution of St Albans Abbey in 1539.

Richard also designed and constructed a calculation device, known as an equatorium, which he called Albion. This could be used for astronomical calculations such as lunar, solar and planetary longitudes and could predict eclipses. This is described in the Tractatus Albionis. He published other works on trigonometry, celestial coordinates, astrology, and various religious works.

Richard suffered from what was then thought to be leprosy (although it might have been syphilis, scrofula or tuberculosis) which he apparently contracted when he went to have his position as abbot of St Albans Abbey confirmed by the Pope at Avignon. He died at St Albans.

Richard of Wallingford, abbot and mathematician is not to be confused with the later Richard of Wallingford, constable of Wallingford Castle, and supporter of Wat Tyler in the English peasants' revolt of 1381.

References

Enlarge picture
Richard of Wallingford pointing to a clock, in reference to his gift to the abbey. His face is disfigured, possibly by leprosy.
  • North, J. (2004) God's Clockmaker: Richard of Wallingford and the Invention of Time. Oxbow Books. ISBN 1-85285-451-0
  • Watson, E (1979) The St Albans Clock of Richard of Wallingford. Antiquarian Horology 372-384.
Richard of Wallingford

Miniature of Richard of Wallingford

Astronomical Clock, Originally designed by Richard

See Also

External links

Persondata
NAMERichard of Wallingford
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTIONEnglish mathematician
DATE OF BIRTH1292
PLACE OF BIRTHWallingford, England
DATE OF DEATH1336
PLACE OF DEATHSt Albans
Richard of Wallingford (14th century), constable of Wallingford Castle and landowner in St Albans, played a key part in the English peasants' revolt of 1381. Though clearly not a peasant, he helped organise Wat Tyler’s campaign, and was involved in presenting the
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1292 in other calendars
Gregorian calendar 1292
MCCXCII
Ab urbe condita 2045
Armenian calendar 741
ԹՎ ՉԽԱ
Bah' calendar -552 – -551
Buddhist calendar 1836
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1336 in other calendars
Gregorian calendar 1336
MCCCXXXVI
Ab urbe condita 2089
Armenian calendar 785
ԹՎ ՉՁԵ
Bah' calendar -508 – -507
Buddhist calendar 1880
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English (from Old English Ænglisc) are a nation and ethnic group native to England and speak English. The largest single population of English people reside in England — the largest constituent country of the United Kingdom.
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Astronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earth's atmosphere (such as the cosmic background radiation).
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Astrology (from Greek: αστήρ, αστρός (astér, astrós), "star", and λόγος, λόγου (lógos, lógou), "word" or "speech" lit.
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Horology is the study of the science and art of timekeeping devices. Clocks, watches, and marine chronometers are examples of instruments used to measure time. The name of the study is derived from the Latin word hora
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worldwide view of the subject.
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The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity and Buddhism.
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St Albans Cathedral (formerly St Albans Abbey, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban) is an Anglican church at St Albans, England. At 106 metres (348 feet), its nave is the longest of any cathedral in England.
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(pronounced [ˈhɑːtfʊdʃə] or [ˈhɑːʔfʊdʃə
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blacksmith is a person who creates objects from iron or steel by "forging" the metal; i.e., by using hand tools to hammer, bend, cut, and otherwise shape it in its non-liquid form. Usually the metal is heated until it glows red or orange as part of the forging process.
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Wallingford

Wallingford ()
|240px|Wallingford (

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Berkshire

Shown within England
Geography
Status Non-metropolitan &
Ceremonial county
Origin Historic
Region South East England
Area
- Total Ranked 40th
 km ( sq mi)
ONS code Formerly 10
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Oxfordshire (abbreviated Oxon, from the Latinised form Oxonia) is a county in the South East of England, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire.
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Motto
Dieu et mon droit   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the Queen".
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An orphan (from the Greek ορφανός) is a person (typically a child), who has lost both parents, often through death. One legal definition used in the USA is someone bereft through "death or disappearance of, abandonment or desertion by,
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For other uses, see Prior (disambiguation)
Prior is a 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.
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Wallingford Priory was a Benedictine priory dedicated to the Holy Trinity in Wallingford in the English county of Berkshire (now Oxfordshire).

Nothing remains of Holy Trinity Priory
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University of Oxford (usually abbreviated as Oxon. for post-nominals, from "Oxoniensis"), located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world.
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1326 in other calendars
Gregorian calendar 1326
MCCCXXVI
Ab urbe condita 2079
Armenian calendar 775
ԹՎ ՉՀԵ
Bah' calendar -518 – -517
Buddhist calendar 1870
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astronomical clock is a clock with special mechanisms and dials to display astronomical information, such as the relative positions of the sun, moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets.
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1327 in other calendars
Gregorian calendar 1327
MCCCXXVII
Ab urbe condita 2080
Armenian calendar 776
ԹՎ ՉՀԶ
Bah' calendar -517 – -516
Buddhist calendar 1871
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Henry VIII
King of England, King of Ireland, Prince of Wales

Reign 22 April1509 – 28 January1547
Coronation 24 June 1509
Born 28 May 1491(1491--)
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The English Reformation refers to the series of events in sixteenth-century England by which the church in England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church.
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Dissolution of the Monasteries, referred to by Roman Catholic writers as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the formal process during the English Reformation by which Henry VIII confiscated the property of the monastic institutions in England, Wales and Ireland between
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15th century - 16th century - 17th century
1500s  1510s  1520s  - 1530s -  1540s  1550s  1560s
1536 1537 1538 - 1539 - 1540 1541 1542

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
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An Equatorium (plural: Equatoria) was a medieval astrometic analog computer device used by astronomers and astrologers. It was invented in al-Andalus in early 11th century al-Andalus.
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Moon  

The Moon as seen by an observer on Earth
Orbital characteristics
Periapsis: 363,104 km
0.0024 AU
Apoapsis: 405,696 km
0.0027 AU
Semi-major axis: 384,399 km
0.
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The Sun

Observation data
Mean distance
from Earth 1.4961011 m
(8.31 min at light speed)
Visual brightness (V) −26.74m [1]
Absolute magnitude 4.
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planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion in its core, and has cleared its neighbouring region of
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