| Authorised form of name | Bernard; Edward (1638 - 1697); mathematician and scholar |
| Dates | 1638 - 1697 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Perry St Paul [Paulerspury], near Towcester, Northamptonshire, England, Europe |
| Date of birth | 2 May 1638 |
| Place of death | Oxford, England, Europe |
| Date of death | 12 January 1697 |
| Dates and places | Baptism:
Paulerspury, near Towcester, Northamptonshire, England, Europe (15 May 1638)
Burial:
St John's College chapel, Oxford, England, Europe (16 January 1697) |
| Occupation | Clergyman, Church of England |
| Research field | Astronomy |
| Mathematics |
| Activity | Education:
Merchant Taylors' School; St John's College, Oxford (BA 1658/9; MA 1662; BD 1668; DD 1684); Incorporated at Cambridge (1672)
Career:
Fellow of St John's College (1658); went to Leyden to inspect the oriental manuscripts bequeathed to the University by Joseph Scaliger and Levin Warner (1668); Rector of Cheam, Surrey (1672-1673); Chaplain to the Bishop of Exeter (1672-1673); Savilian Professor of Astronomy, Oxford (1673-1691); returned to Leyden to buy books from the library of Heinsius (1683); Rector of Brightwell, Berkshire (1691-1697); attended the sale of the Golian Manuscripts in Leyden (1696)
Memberships:
Oxford Philosophical Society |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 09/04/1673 |
| Age at election | 34 |
| Proposer | Henry Oldenburg |
| Other Royal Society activity | Asked to contribute experimental discourse although he remained inactive;
Had collections of ancient Arabic and Greek observations published (1684) |
| Relationships | Parents: Joseph Bernard and Elizabeth Linche
Siblings: Anne Bernard
Married: Eleanor Howell |
| Published works | RCN: 27799
RCN: 27800
RCN: 43889
RCN: 27798 |
| General context | He studied Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac and Coptic and contributed Arabic verses to a work 'Epicedia academica Oxoniensis' (1661). He also studied mathematics with John Wallis (FRS 1663) and was appointed as Christopher Wren's (FRS 1663) deputy as Savilian professor of astronomy. In this role and when he took over from Wren, he was a correspondent to John Flamsteed (FRS 1677). Over the course of his career, he published some works on antiquity and astronomy. After his death, the Bodleian library bought his books and manuscripts, including Bernard's unpublished work. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Sources | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Venn; Hunter; Foster; Gunther; ODNB
References:
Hall, A R. 1995. 'John Collins on Newton's Telescope', in Notes and Records, vol. 49, pp. 71-78 |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/237497 |
| Royal Society code | NA5898 |
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| MS/390/36 | Bonds of John Wallis and Edward Bernard to the Treasurer of the Royal Society | 30 November 1674 and 22 February 1675 |
| CLP/20/88 | Paper, Account of Dr. [Edward] Bernard's 'Treatise of measures & weights' by Robert Hooke | 17th century |
| EL/B2/7 | Letter, from Edward Bernard to Henry Oldenburg | 4 February 1671 |
| EL/B2/6 | Letter, from Edward Bernard to Henry Oldenburg | November 1670 |
| EL/L6/4 | Letter, from George Lewis to Arthur Charlett and Edward Bernard, dated at Fort St George | 6 September 1697 |
| EL/B2/9 | Letter, from Edward Bernard to Henry Oldenburg | 11 August 1676 |
| EL/B2/8 | Letter, from Edward Bernard to Henry Oldenburg, dated at St Johns, Oxford | 15 April 1673 |