| Authorised form of name | Aubrey; John (1626 - 1697); antiquary and biographer |
| Other forms of surname | Awbrey |
| Dates | 1626 - 1697 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Easton Pierse [Percy] Wiltshire, England, Europe |
| Date of birth | 12 March 1626 |
| Place of death | Oxford, England, Europe |
| DatesAndPlaces | Burial:
Church of St Mary Magdalene, Oxford, England, Europe (7 June 1697) |
| Occupation | Antiquary |
| Research field | Topography |
| Natural history |
| Activity | Education:
Grammar school in Blandford St Mary, Dorset (1637/38); Trinity College, Oxford (matriculated 1641); Middle Temple (admitted 1646)
Career:
Discovered the megaliths at Avebury, Wiltshire (1649); inherited estates in Wiltshire, Herefordshire and Wales from his father (1652) but dissipated them through law suits, selling the last of his property (1670) and his library (1677); formed topographical collections on Surrey and North Wiltshire; assisted Anthony Wood with his 'Antiquities of Oxford'; wrote 'Brief Lives' of his notable contemporaries
|
| Membership category | Original Fellow |
| Date of election | 20/05/1663 |
| Age at election | 36 |
| Proposer | Walter Charleton |
| RSActivity | Committee and panels:
Committee for Agriculture [Georgical] (1664) |
| Other Royal Society activity | Presented an invention of a clepsydra (1667); Made telescopic astronomical observations (1668); Submitted topographical observations of Wiltshire and Surrey (1668-) |
| Relationships | Parents: Richard Aubrey and Deborah Lyte
Additional relatives: great-grandfather William Aubrey |
| PublishedWorks | RCN: 25627
RCN: 25625
RCN: 25622 |
| OtherInfo | Aubrey was generally sceptical and anti-clerical in his religious views, which was clear in his 'Hypothesis ethicorum et scala religionis', of which a manuscript unfortunately does not survive. His good reputation and wide network of social connections is visible in his autobiographical notes, e.g. on Robert Hooke (FRS 1663), Seth Ward (FRS 1663), or Thomas Hobbes. His 'Brief Lives' is one of the best known literary works of his time. His work 'Monumentum Britannica' (c.1693) remained vital for the study of archaeology. His contributions to the Society showcase a wide range of interests in natural history, astronomy, manufacturing, topography, and agriculture. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Image | 
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| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Foster; ODNB
References:
Robert G Frank, Jr, 'John Aubrey, FRS, John Lydall, and Science at Commonwealth Oxford' in NR 1972-3 vol 27 pp 193-217, plate
J Buchanan-Brown, 'The Books Presented to the Royal Society by John Aubrey, FRS' in NR 1973-4 vol 28 pp 167-193
S Mendyk, 'Robert Plot: Britain's "Genial Father of County Natural Histories"' in NR 1984-85 vol 39 pp 159-177
R Lewis, 'The publication of John Wilkins's Essay (1668): some contextual considerations' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp133-146
P Breeze, 'The ancestry of Robert Hooke: John Hooke of Wroxhall' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 269-271
L Jardine, 'The 2003 Wilkins Lecture: Dr Wilkins's boy wonders' in NR 2004 vol 58 pp 107-129
Notes:
The election date is Aubrey's re-election date into the Society after the grant of the second charter in April 1663. All Fellows admitted in a two-month window after this charter, until 22 June 1663, are considered Original Fellows. He was previously elected on 7 January 1663 and admitted into the Society on 21 January 1663. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/71386625 |
| Code | NA8372 |
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| IM/004655 | Aubrey, John | nd |
| IM/000157 | Aubrey, John | nd |
| DM/5/80 | 'Recommended to Mr Aubrey' | c.1660s |
| CLP/12i/17/2 | Plate, aero-clepsydra by [John Aubrey] | [1667] |
| CLP/4i/34/1 | Manuscript, 'Observations on winds' by John Aubrey | 14 December 1671 | 5 February 1673 |
| CLP/12i/17 | Paper, 'On a clepsydra' by [John] Awbrey [Aubrey] | [1667] |
| CLP/7i/28 | Paper, regarding observations of Surrey, Wiltshire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, London, Hampshire and Sussex by John Aubrey | 7 April 1668 |
| DM/5/64 | Minutes of meetings of the Committee for Agriculture (endorsed as 'Transactions of the Georgicall Committee') | October 1664-February 1665 |
| MS/92 | Manuscript copy of 'Memoires of Naturall Remarques in the county of Wilts, to which are annexed observables of the same kind in the county of Surrey and Flynt-shire' by John Aubrey transcribed by B G Cramer | 6 June 1685 | 1690-1691 |
| CLP/12i/17/1 | Manuscript, 'On a clepsydra' by [John] Awbrey [Aubrey] | [1667] |
| EL/P1/55 | Copy of a letter, from Andrew Paschall to Mr [John] Aubrey | 13 January 1674 |
| EL/P1/56 | Copy of a letter, from Andrew Paschall to Mr [John] Aubrey | 18 January 1676 |
| CLP/4i/34 | Paper, 'Observations on winds' by John Aubrey | 14 December 1671 | 5 February 1673 |
| EL/P1/39 | Letter, from Francis Potter to John Aubrey | 22 February 1663 |
| EL/A/45 | Letter, from John Aubrey to Edmond Halley, dated at London | 31 August 1695 |
| CLP/4i/34/2 | Drawing, device for measuring wind by William Brouncker | 5 February 1673 |
| CLP/8i/24 | Figure, nubecula or cloudy stars near the constellation Hydra produced by Mr [John] Aubrey | 1668 |