Person Jones; William (1675 - 1749); mathematician Jones William mathematician 1675 - 1749 British Male Llanfihangel Tw'r Beird, Anglesey, Wales 1675 London 01 or 03 July 1749

Tibbald's Court, Tibbald's Row, near Red Lion Square, London (1718); Shirburn Castle, Tetsworth, Oxfordshire (home of the Parker family); next to the Salt Office, York Buildings (1737)

Mathematics Career: Entered merchant's counting house in London; travelled to West Indies; taught mathematics on board a man-of-war; Present at the capture of Vigo (1702); Teacher of mathematics in London; tutor in mathematics to Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke (FRS 1753), Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield (FRS 1712) and George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield (FRS 1722); Secretary for Peace; Deputy-Teller of the Exchequer; Governor of the Foundling Hospital; in 1711 appointed a member of the committee set up by the Royal Society to investigate the invention of calculus, and with John Machin and Halley, he was responsible for the preparation of the printed report. Introduced the Greek letter for pye to use as a symbol for the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle. Gained popularity once Leonard Euler adopted it in 1739. Died of heart disease; his library, considered to be the finest mathematical library in England, and his papers were left to the 2nd Earl of Macclesfield Son of John George Jones, farmer, and his wife, Elizabeth Rowland; married Maria, daughter of George Nix, Cabinet-maker, of London Father of Sir William Jones (FRS, 1772) 'Synopsis palmariorum mathestos' 1706 , famous for using symbol for pye with the modern meaning of the ratio of the circumference of a cirde to the diameter. Royal Society roles: Council (1717-1718, 1721, 1723, 1725-6, 1728, 1730); VP (1749) Fellow 30/11/1711 Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB; Thomas Authority: Death date from Ruth Wallis (index to BR) References: Obituary, 'Gentleman's Magazine' 1749, p331; obituary, 'London Magazine' 1749, p336 H G Lyons, 'Two Hundred Years Ago: 1739' in NR 1939 vol 2 pp 34-42 Notes: DNB and DSB give date of death as 03 July 1749. International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 'Synopsis palmariorum matheseos', (London, 1706); 'A New Compendium of the Whole Art of Navigation' (London, 1702) with tables by J Flamsteed; Discourses of the Natural Philosophy of the Elements', 1731; 1675 - 1 or 3 Jul 1749 NA7728 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 28/03/2023 RS_NET\JonathanB Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/9856920 87e486d4-6c8c-4336-b054-2975b1c4d761