John Keill
| John Keill | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1 December 1671 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died |
31 August 1721 (aged 49) Oxford, England |
| Residence | England |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Fields | Mathematician and astronomer |
| Institutions | University of Oxford |
| Alma mater |
Edinburgh University Balliol College, Oxford |
| Academic advisors | David Gregory |
| Notable students |
Brook Taylor John Theophilus Desaguliers[1] |
| Known for | Defending Isaac Newton |
|
Notes He is the brother of physician James Keill. | |
John Keill (1 December 1671 – 31 August 1721) was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was primarily a mathematician and important disciple of Isaac Newton. He studied at Edinburgh University, under David Gregory, and obtained his bachelors degree in 1692 with a distinction in physics and mathematics. Keill then attended Balliol College, Oxford obtaining an MA on 2 February 1694.
John's father was Robert Keill who was an Edinburgh lawyer. His mother was Sarah Cockburn. She came from a family with strong associations with the Church. She had an uncle who was bishop of Aberdeen and a brother who was an Episcopal priest who supported the Stuart cause refusing to take an oath of allegiance to William and Mary after James II was deposed in the Revolution of 1688. James Keill who became a physician, was John's younger brother born two years later.
Keill claimed that Leibniz plagiarized Newton's invention of calculus and he served as Newton's chief defender. However, Newton himself eventually grew tired of Keill as he stirred up too much trouble.
In 1715, Keill published a book on trigonometry and logarithms, Euclides Elementorum Libri Priores Sex. He also wrote on forces between particles and on theories of the origin of the universe. His lectures were published in Leiden, 1725, in a book called Introductio ad Veram Astronomiam.
In 1717, he married Mary Clements, a woman 25 years his junior. The marriage created great scandal at the time as she was from a lower class.
It was stated in the old Dictionary of National Biography that Keill left no will. His will is referenced in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and is held by The National Archives.[2][3] It was executed on 12 January 1720 and was proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in October 1721. He left £500 and his household furniture and plate to his wife and his books, instruments and other money in trust for his son.[citation needed]
External links
- Keill's MacTutor biography
-
"Keill, John". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
References
- ↑ Isis, 2003, 94: 435–455
- ↑ Henry, John. "Keill, John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/15256. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
- ↑ TNA, Will of Doctor John Keill or Keil, Doctor of Physic and Astronomy, Professor in Oxford.
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