| Authorised form of name | Potter; Francis (1594 -1678); clergyman, instrument maker, and experimentalist |
| Dates | 1594 -1678 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Mere vicarage, Wiltshire, England, Europe |
| Date of birth | 29 May 1594 |
| Dates and places | Burial:
Chancel in Kilmington, Wiltshire, England, Europe |
| Occupation | Clergyman, Church of England |
| Research field | Mechanics |
| Activity | Education:
King's School, Worcester; Trinity College, Oxford (BA 1613; MA 1616; BD 1625)
Career:
Rector of Kilmington, Somerset (1626-1678); made sundials, quadrants and compasses; published 'An Interpretation of the Number 666' (1642)
|
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 11/11/1663 |
| Royal Society activity | Committee and panels:
Committee for the Histories of Trades (1664) |
| Other Royal Society activity | Presented papers on his inventions to the Royal Society (1663) |
| Relationships | Parents: Richard Potter (prebendary of Worcester)
Siblings: Hannibal Potter |
| General context | Potter was close friends with biographer John Aubrey (FRS 1663) and was featured in his 'Brief Lives'. In his work as a mechanic and inventor, Potter was an admirer of John Wilkins (FRS 1660). He furthermore showed an interest in religion, in particular the study of eschatology. During the Civil War and the Interregnum, he was not affected by sequestration and could maintain his positions. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Sources | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Foster; Aubrey; ODNB
References:
Frank, R G Jr. 1972-3. 'John Aubrey, FRS, John Lydall, and Science at Commonwealth Oxford', in Notes and Records, vol. 27, pp. 193-217
Notes:
Potter was first elected on 18 March 1663, prior to the Society receiving its second Royal Charter, and was not officially re-elected FRS of the incorporated Royal Society until the date stated above (11 November 1663). Potter is therefore not considered an original Fellow of the Royal Society, a classification reserved for those named in the 1663 charter or elected within the subsequent two months, the period allowed in the charter for the declaration of Fellows. Elections like Potter's that predated this were no longer recognised. The date of any subsequent re-election is given in this database as the official election date. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/10899711 |
| Royal Society code | NA1388 |