Background
William Derham was born on November 26, 1657 in Stoughton, England. He was the son of Thomas Derham; his occupation is unknown, but some sources indicate that the family was poor.
Trinity college.
The University of Oxford.
An extract from Derham's work.
A portrait of William Derham, engraved by Josh Baker.
18th century tableau of William Derham.
Trinity college.
An extract from Derham's work.
A portrait of William Derham, engraved by Josh Baker.
The University of Oxford.
18th century tableau of William Derham.
https://www.amazon.com/artificial-clock-maker-treatise-watch-clock-work/dp/1170546676/?tag=2022091-20
1696
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0260981427/?tag=2022091-20
1711
https://www.amazon.com/Astro-Theology-Demonstration-Attributes-Heavens-Illustrated/dp/0343189828/?tag=2022091-20
1731
clergyman philosopher scientist theologian
William Derham was born on November 26, 1657 in Stoughton, England. He was the son of Thomas Derham; his occupation is unknown, but some sources indicate that the family was poor.
Derham attended Blockley Grammar School, and, on May 14, 1675, entered Trinity College, Oxford. He graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts on January 28, 1679.
In 1730 he was awarded the degree of doctor of divinity by the University of Oxford.
Ralph Bathurst, the president of the college, recommended Derham to Bishop Seth Ward, who obtained a chaplaincy for him. He was ordained a deacon of the Church of England in 1681 and priest in 1682, when he was appointed vicar of Wargrave. In 1689 he became vicar of Upminster, not far from London, where he lived for the rest of his life.
In 1711-1712 he delivered the course of Boyle Lectures. On the accession of George I in 1714, he was made chaplain to the Prince of Wales, later George II. In 1716 he became a canon of Windsor. He also acted as physician as well as parson in Upminster.
Derham published a number of papers in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society on meteorology, on astronomy, and on natural history - his paper of 1724 on the sexes of wasps was admired. But it is for his editing of works by Robert Hooke and John Ray, and for his books on natural theology, that he is remembered. Ray’s Synopsis methodica avium et piscium had been sent to a bookseller in 1694; but the latter was in no hurry to publish it, and it remained in manuscript on his shelves until the firm went out of business. On its rediscovery, Derham saw it through the press in 1713. Also in 1713 he supervised a new edition of Ray’s Physico-Theological Discourses and in 1714, a new edition of his Wisdom of God.
In 1718 Derham edited Ray’s Philosophical Letters and wrote a short biography of Ray, which did not appear in print until 1760. After Hooke’s death Richard Waller edited some of his papers, publishing them in 1705 as The Posthumous Works of Robert Hooke. On Waller’s death, Hooke’s papers passed to Derham, who in 1726 published them as Philosophical Experiments of .Dr. Robert Hooke. Also in 1726 he prepared a new edition of Miscellanea curiosa, a collection of important scientific papers from various sources.
Of Derham’s own works, those of greatest interest are The Artificial Clockmaker, Physico-Theology, and Astro-Theology, all of which were very successful and went through many editions. Physico-Theology was translated into French, Swedish, and German, and Astro-Theology into German.
Physico-Theology owes much to Ray’s Wisdom of God, but it became better known in the eighteenth century than Ray’s book and was heavily used by William Paley. Derham’s tone was bland; he sought only to show that this is the best of all possible worlds. Venomous reptiles were difficult to account for, but he reflected that they were mostly to be found in heathen countries.
Derham died on April 5, 1735, and was buried in the chancel of his church at Upminster. He desired to "receive Christian burial in a decent but withall frugal private manner," and to this day there is no memorial to him in the church where he lies.
William Derham is remembered as a prominent clergyman and scientist who united a sincere devotion to his calling with a passion for mathematical and philosophical studies. He contributed many works to the Philosophical Transactions on the motion of the pendulum in a vacuum, on sound, sunspots, Jupiter's satellites, the aurora borealis and other subjects; these works still give a useful glimpse of the background of eighteenth-century science in England.
Derham was affiliated with the Anglican Church.
In 1702 Derham was elected a fellow of the Royal Society.
Though Derham's genius was limited, his curiosity and devotion seem unquestionable.
Physical Characteristics: Derham was a tall, healthy, and strong man.
It is known that Derham was married and had three children. His wife's name is unknown, but some sources provide the name of her mother - Catherine Scott.
