Person Pell; John (1611 - 1685); mathematician Pell John mathematician 1611 - 1685 British Male Southwick, Sussex, England, Europe, 1 March 1611 16110301 Dyot Street, London, England, Europe 12 December 1685 16851212 Burial: Rector's vault of St Giles-in-the-Fields, London, England, Europe

Brereton Hall, Cheshire (1665-1680) as guest of William Brereton (FRS 1663) Jermyn Street (1680-) St Margaret's churchyard, Westminster (1683) Dyot Street, Westminster (-1685)

Clergyman, Church of England Mathematics Education: Mr John Jefferies School at Steyning, Sussex; Trinity College, Cambridge (admitted 1624; BA (1628), MA (1630)); Incorporated at Oxford (1631); DD (Lambeth 1663) Career: Assistant Master at Collyer's School in Horsham and teacher at Chichester Academy in Sussex (1630-1638); Published 'An Idea of Mathematics' (1638); Professor of Mathematics at 'Gymnasium Illustre' in Amsterdam (1643); Professor of Philosophy and Mathematics at Breda (1646); Published 'A Refutation of Longomontanus' Pretended Quadrature of the Circle' (1646/7); Returned to England (1652); Cromwell's Envoy and then Resident at Zurich (1654-1658); Editor on Rahn's 'Teutsche Algebra' (1659); Ordained deacon and priest (1661); Rector of Fobbing, Essex (1661-1685); Vicar of Laindon and Basildon, Essex (1663-1685); Chaplain to Gilbert Sheldon, Archbishop of Canterbury (FRS 1665); Published 'A Table of Ten Thousand Square Numbers' (1672); Imprisoned for debt twice and given asylum at the Royal College of Physicians by Daniel Whistler (FRS 1663) Parents: John Pell (d.1616) and Mary Holland (d.1617) Married: 1) Ithumaria Ragnolles (d.1661) Children: four daughters and four sons Pell's return to England in 1652 was likely connected to the imminent First English-Dutch War. By Cromwell, Pell was employed in a diplomat's role in Switzerland in order to detach the protestant cantons from France and gather them within a continental protestant league headed by England. Pell frequently worked towards a goal of accumulating, systemising, and organising mathematical study and showcasing a breadth of knowledge on mathematical literature. Pell's equation was attributed to him by Euler in a letter to Goldbach (1750), and he is frequently cited as the inventor of the division sign, although this was first published by his student Johann Rahn (1622-1676). Royal Society roles: On Council (c. 1676) Committee and panels: Committee on mechanical and optical inventions (1664) ; Committee on reporting and conducting experiments on natural phenomena (1664) Original Fellow 20/05/1663 Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB; Venn; Foster; Aubrey; ODNB References: Noel Malcolm, 'The publications of John Pell, FRS (1611-1685): some new light and some old confusions' in NR 2000 vol 54 pp 275-292 Linda Levy Peck, 'Uncovering the Arundel Library at the Royal Society: Changing Meanings of Science and the Fate of the Norfolk Donation' in NR 1998 vol 52 pp 3-24 D J Bryden, 'Magnetic Inclinatory Needles: Approved by the Royal Society?' in NR 1993 vol 47 pp 17-31 G H Turnbull, 'Samuel Hartlib's Influence on the Early History of the Royal Society' in NR 1953 vol 10 pp 101-130 T Quinn, 'In this issue' in NR 2004 vol 58 pp 245 - 247 N Malcolm, 'An unpublished letter from Henry Oldenburg to Johann Heinrich Rahn' in NR 2004 vol 58 pp 249 - 266 S. Lawrence FIMA, 'Historical Notes: Pell's Contribution to Mathematics', 12 October 2018 Notes: The election date is Pell'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 mentioned as a member on 24 December 1662. Index to BR offers alternative election date 13 August 1662. 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 1 Mar 1611 - 12 Dec 1685 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 27/10/2021 as part of Name Authority Project update. NA8085 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 28/03/2023 RS_NET\JonathanB Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/5190555 779cc069-f841-48fd-b606-beb13895f58d