Olinthus Gregory
Encyclopedia
Olinthus Gilbert Gregory (29 January 1774 – 2 February 1841) was an English
mathematician
, author and editor.
He was born on 29 January 1774 at Yaxley
in Huntingdonshire
. Having been educated by Richard Weston
, a Leicester
botanist, in 1793 he published a treatise, Lessons Astronomical and Philosophical. Having settled at Cambridge
in 1796, Gregory first acted as sub-editor on the Cambridge Intelligencer, and then opened a booksellers shop. In 1802 he obtained an appointment as mathematical master at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich through the influence of Charles Hutton
, to whose notice he had been brought by a manuscript on the Use of the Sliding Rule; and when Hutton resigned in 1807 Gregory succeeded him in the professorship. Failing health obliged him to retire in 1838, and he died at Woolwich
on 2 February 1841.
Gregory's books included Hints for the Use of Teachers of Elementary Mathematics (1840, new edition 1853), and Mathematics for Practical Men (1825), which was revised and enlarged by Henry Law in 1848, and again by J. R. Young in 1862. His Letters on the Evidences of Christianity (1815) have been several times reprinted, and an abridgment was published by the Religious Tract Society
in 1853. He will probably be longest remembered for his Biography of Robert Hall
, which first appeared in the collected edition of Hall's works, was published separately in 1833, and has since passed through several editions. The minor importance of his Memoir of John Mason Good
(1828) is due to the narrower fame of the subject.
He was one of the founders of the Royal Astronomical Society
. In 1802 he was appointed editor of the Gentlemen's Diary, and in 1818 editor of the Lady's Diary and superintendent of the almanacs of the Stationers Company. Gregory was a co-editor of Pantologia
, 1813.
Gregory's son was Charles Hutton Gregory
, who later became president of the Institution of Civil Engineers
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, author and editor.
He was born on 29 January 1774 at Yaxley
Yaxley, Cambridgeshire
Yaxley is a village in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. Historically in Huntingdonshire, it is due south of the city of Peterborough, and is skirted to its west by the A15 road...
in Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
. Having been educated by Richard Weston
Richard Weston
Richard Weston was an English botanist.Weston was originally a thread-hosier of Leicester, but in some of his anonymous works describes himself as "a country gentleman". In 1773 he was living at Kensington Gore, but later was living at Leicester where he was secretary of the local agricultural...
, a Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
botanist, in 1793 he published a treatise, Lessons Astronomical and Philosophical. Having settled at Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
in 1796, Gregory first acted as sub-editor on the Cambridge Intelligencer, and then opened a booksellers shop. In 1802 he obtained an appointment as mathematical master at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich through the influence of Charles Hutton
Charles Hutton
Charles Hutton was an English mathematician.Hutton was born at Newcastle-on-Tyne. He was educated in a school at Jesmond, kept by Mr Ivison, a clergyman of the Church of England...
, to whose notice he had been brought by a manuscript on the Use of the Sliding Rule; and when Hutton resigned in 1807 Gregory succeeded him in the professorship. Failing health obliged him to retire in 1838, and he died at Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
on 2 February 1841.
Gregory's books included Hints for the Use of Teachers of Elementary Mathematics (1840, new edition 1853), and Mathematics for Practical Men (1825), which was revised and enlarged by Henry Law in 1848, and again by J. R. Young in 1862. His Letters on the Evidences of Christianity (1815) have been several times reprinted, and an abridgment was published by the Religious Tract Society
Religious Tract Society
The Religious Tract Society, founded 1799, 56 Paternoster Row and 65 St. Paul's Chuchyard, was the original name of a major British publisher of Christian literature intended initially for evangelism, and including literature aimed at children, women, and the poor.The RTS is also notable for being...
in 1853. He will probably be longest remembered for his Biography of Robert Hall
Robert Hall
The Rev. Robert Hall was an English Baptist minister.He was born at Arnesby near Leicester, where his father, Robert Hall was pastor of a Baptist congregation. Robert was the youngest of a family of fourteen...
, which first appeared in the collected edition of Hall's works, was published separately in 1833, and has since passed through several editions. The minor importance of his Memoir of John Mason Good
John Mason Good
John Mason Good , English writer on medical, religious and classical subjects, was born at Epping, Essex.John Good's parents were the Nonconformist minister Revd Peter Good and Sarah Good, the daughter of another Nonconformist minister, Revd Henry Peyto of Great Coggeshall...
(1828) is due to the narrower fame of the subject.
He was one of the founders of the Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
. In 1802 he was appointed editor of the Gentlemen's Diary, and in 1818 editor of the Lady's Diary and superintendent of the almanacs of the Stationers Company. Gregory was a co-editor of Pantologia
Pantologia
Pantologia was an English encyclopedia, published in 12 volumes, 8vo in 1813, with 370 plates . Its full title page was A New Cyclopedia, comprehending a complete series of Essays, Treatises and Systems, alphabetically arranged, with a general dictionary of Arts, Sciences and Words: the whole...
, 1813.
Gregory's son was Charles Hutton Gregory
Charles Hutton Gregory
Sir Charles Hutton Gregory KCMG was a British civil engineer. He was president of the Institution of Civil Engineers between December 1867 and December 1869....
, who later became president of the Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
.