John Beale (writer)
Encyclopedia
John Beale was an English clergyman, scientific writer, and early Fellow of the Royal Society. He contributed to John Evelyn
's Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber
, and was an influential author on orchard
s and cider
. He was also a member of the Hartlib Circle
.
, Herefordshire
, a nephew of Sir William Pye, attorney in the court of wards. He was educated at King’s College, Worcester
by Henry Bright
, who is thought to have nurtured his early study of Erasmus, and then at Eton College
, before going to King's College, Cambridge
in 1629. In his own account he had a photographic memory, and had early read in Melanchthon, Johannes Magirus
and Zacharias Ursinus
; he read philosophy to the King's students for two years. Thomas Birch
identifies this period as the time when Ramism
and Calvinism
fell out of fashion there. He graduated B.A. in 1633, M.A. in 1636, and was Fellow from 1632 to 1640. He travelled on the continent in the late 1630s, and was rector of Sock Dennis, Somerset
from 1638.
Beale proposed an art of memory
to Samuel Hartlib, in 1656. Hartlib, writing to Robert Boyle
in 1658, said of Beale: "There is not the like man in the whole island". He became rector of Yeovil
, Somerset, in 1660.
In January, 1663 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
John Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
's Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber
Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber
Sylva, or A Discourse on Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber in His Majesty's Dominions by the English writer John Evelyn was first published in 1662 as a paper to the Royal Society...
, and was an influential author on orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s and cider
Cider
Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
. He was also a member of the Hartlib Circle
Hartlib Circle
The Hartlib Circle refers primarily to the correspondence network set up in Western and Central Europe by Samuel Hartlib, an intelligencer based in London, and his associates, in the period 1630 to 1660.-Structure:J. T. Young writes:...
.
Life
He was born in YardleyYardley
-Sportspeople:* Bruce Yardley, a former Australian cricketer* George Yardley, a former NBA player* George Yardley , Scottish footballer* Jim Yardley , English cricketer* Norman Yardley, an English cricketer...
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, a nephew of Sir William Pye, attorney in the court of wards. He was educated at King’s College, Worcester
The King's School, Worcester
The King's School, Worcester is an English independent school refounded by Henry VIII in 1541. It occupies a site adjacent to Worcester Cathedral on the banks of the River Severn in the centre of the city of Worcester...
by Henry Bright
Henry Bright (teacher)
Henry Bright was an Usher, and then Headmaster, at King's College, Worcester. He is mentioned in Worthies of England, by Thomas Fuller as an exceptional teacher...
, who is thought to have nurtured his early study of Erasmus, and then at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, before going to King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
in 1629. In his own account he had a photographic memory, and had early read in Melanchthon, Johannes Magirus
Johannes Magirus
-Life:He was born at Fritzlar about 1560; his background was Lutheran. He studied at the University of Padua, and took a medical degree at the University of Marburg in 1585.-Works:...
and Zacharias Ursinus
Zacharias Ursinus
Zacharias Ursinus was a sixteenth century German Reformed theologian, born Zacharias Baer in Breslau . He became the leading theologian of the Reformed Protestant movement of the Palatinate, serving both at the University of Heidelberg and the College of Wisdom...
; he read philosophy to the King's students for two years. Thomas Birch
Thomas Birch
Thomas Birch was an English historian.-Life:He was the son of Joseph Birch, a coffee-mill maker, and was born at Clerkenwell....
identifies this period as the time when Ramism
Ramism
Ramism was a collection of theories on rhetoric, logic and pedagogy based on the teachings of Petrus Ramus, a French academic, philosopher and Huguenot convert who was murdered in 1572.According to Jonathan Israel, Ramism-Development:...
and Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
fell out of fashion there. He graduated B.A. in 1633, M.A. in 1636, and was Fellow from 1632 to 1640. He travelled on the continent in the late 1630s, and was rector of Sock Dennis, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
from 1638.
Beale proposed an art of memory
Art of memory
The Art of Memory or Ars Memorativa is a general term used to designate a loosely associated group of mnemonic principles and techniques used to organize memory impressions, improve recall, and assist in the combination and 'invention' of ideas. It is sometimes referred to as mnemotechnics...
to Samuel Hartlib, in 1656. Hartlib, writing to Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle FRS was a 17th century natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor, also noted for his writings in theology. He has been variously described as English, Irish, or Anglo-Irish, his father having come to Ireland from England during the time of the English plantations of...
in 1658, said of Beale: "There is not the like man in the whole island". He became rector of Yeovil
Yeovil
Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...
, Somerset, in 1660.
In January, 1663 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Works
His works are:- Aphorisms concerning Cider, printed in John Evelvn's Sylva 1644, and entitled in the later editions of that work, General Advertisements concerning Cider.
- Herefordshire Orchards, a Pattern for all England, written in an Epistolary Address to Samuel Hartlib, Esq. By I. B., Lond. 1656; reprinted in Richard BradleyRichard Bradley (botanist)Richard Bradley was an English botanist. His early life is obscure and even his date of birth is uncertain, possibly it was 1688....
's New Improvements of Planting and Gardening, 1724 and 1739. - Papers in the Philosophical Transactions.
- Letters to Robert Boyle, printed in the 5th volume of Boyle's works.
Further reading
- Douglas Chambers. "Wild pastorall encounter": John Evelyn, John Beale and the renegotiation of pastoral in the mid-seventeenth century. In Leslie, Michael; Raylor, Timothy (ed.), Culture and Cultivation in Early Modern England: Writing and the Land (Leicester, 1992), 173-94.
- Michael Leslie, The Spiritual Husbandry of John Beale, in Culture and Cultivation in Early Modern England: Writing and the Land (1992).