Robert Leslie Ellis
Encyclopedia
Robert Leslie Ellis was an English
polymath, remembered principally as a mathematician and editor of the works of Francis Bacon
.
Ellis was the youngest of six children of Francis Ellis (1772–1842) of Bath. Educated privately, he entered Trinity College, Cambridge
in 1836, graduating as Senior Wrangler in 1840 and elected Fellow of Trinity shortly afterwards. Although he had also entered the Inner Temple
in 1838, was called to the bar in 1840, and later helped William Whewell
with jurisprudence, Ellis never practised law. He hoped unsuccessfully for the Cambridge chair of civil law
.
Inheriting substantial Irish
estates when his father died, Ellis contemplated entering Parliament as a Whig under Sir William Napier
's patronage. Yet his courtship of one of Napier's daughters ended in some confusion: Ellis never married, and never stood for Parliament.
As a mathematician, Ellis founded the Cambridge Mathematical Journal with D. F. Gregory
in 1837. His own major mathematical contributions were on functional and differential equations, and the theory of probability ('On the foundations of the theory of probabilities', 1849). Philosophically, Ellis (like George Boole
and later John Venn
) defended an objective rather than subjective theory of probability. He corresponded with Augustus De Morgan
on the conjectured four color theorem
.
Ellis took on the editing of Francis Bacon
's works with two other Trinity fellows, Douglas Denon Heath and James Spedding
. Dramatic deterioration of Ellis's health from 1847 left his work on the general prefaces to Bacon's philosophy unfinished. Spedding and Heath completed the Works in seven volumes, published 1857-1859.
Continental travel failed to restore Ellis' health. An attack of rheumatic fever at Sanremo
in 1849 left him an invalid, and he returned to Cambridge, living at Anstey Hall, Trumpington
, next to his friend John Grote
, vicar of Trumpington. From his sickbed he kept up contact with the young Trinity mathematician William Walton, and dictated his thoughts on a wide range of topics, including etymology, bees' cells, Roman money, the principles of a projected Chinese dictionary, and Boole's The Laws of Thought
(1854). He translated Dante
, Roman law
texts and Danish ballads; a gentle melancholia suffuses the lines of his own poetry which he left in manuscript.
William Walton edited a posthumous collection of both published and unpublished writings, in The mathematical and other writings of R. L. Ellis (1863): this was prefaced by a biographical memoir by Harvey Goodwin
. Correspondence and notebooks of Ellis are amongst the Mayor Papers and Whewell Papers at Trinity College, Cambridge
.
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...
polymath, remembered principally as a mathematician and editor of the works of Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
.
Ellis was the youngest of six children of Francis Ellis (1772–1842) of Bath. Educated privately, he entered Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
in 1836, graduating as Senior Wrangler in 1840 and elected Fellow of Trinity shortly afterwards. Although he had also entered the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1838, was called to the bar in 1840, and later helped William Whewell
William Whewell
William Whewell was an English polymath, scientist, Anglican priest, philosopher, theologian, and historian of science. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.-Life and career:Whewell was born in Lancaster...
with jurisprudence, Ellis never practised law. He hoped unsuccessfully for the Cambridge chair of civil law
Regius Professor of Civil Law (Cambridge)
The Regius Professorship of Civil Law is one of the oldest and most prestigious of the professorships at the University of Cambridge.The chair was founded by Henry VIII in 1540 with a stipend of £40 per year, and the holder is still chosen by The Crown....
.
Inheriting substantial Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
estates when his father died, Ellis contemplated entering Parliament as a Whig under Sir William Napier
William Francis Patrick Napier
General Sir William Francis Patrick Napier KCB , Irish soldier in the British Army and military historian, third son of Colonel George Napier was born at Celbridge, near Dublin.-Military service:...
's patronage. Yet his courtship of one of Napier's daughters ended in some confusion: Ellis never married, and never stood for Parliament.
As a mathematician, Ellis founded the Cambridge Mathematical Journal with D. F. Gregory
Duncan Farquharson Gregory
Duncan Farquharson Gregory , a Scottish mathematician, was the youngest son of James Gregory and Isabella Macleod .-Education:...
in 1837. His own major mathematical contributions were on functional and differential equations, and the theory of probability ('On the foundations of the theory of probabilities', 1849). Philosophically, Ellis (like George Boole
George Boole
George Boole was an English mathematician and philosopher.As the inventor of Boolean logic—the basis of modern digital computer logic—Boole is regarded in hindsight as a founder of the field of computer science. Boole said,...
and later John Venn
John Venn
Donald A. Venn FRS , was a British logician and philosopher. He is famous for introducing the Venn diagram, which is used in many fields, including set theory, probability, logic, statistics, and computer science....
) defended an objective rather than subjective theory of probability. He corresponded with Augustus De Morgan
Augustus De Morgan
Augustus De Morgan was a British mathematician and logician. He formulated De Morgan's laws and introduced the term mathematical induction, making its idea rigorous. The crater De Morgan on the Moon is named after him....
on the conjectured four color theorem
Four color theorem
In mathematics, the four color theorem, or the four color map theorem states that, given any separation of a plane into contiguous regions, producing a figure called a map, no more than four colors are required to color the regions of the map so that no two adjacent regions have the same color...
.
Ellis took on the editing of Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
's works with two other Trinity fellows, Douglas Denon Heath and James Spedding
James Spedding
James Spedding was an English author, chiefly known as the editor of the works of Francis Bacon.-Life:He was born in Cumberland, the younger son of a country squire, and was educated at Bury St Edmunds and Trinity College, Cambridge; where he took a second class in the classical tripos, and was...
. Dramatic deterioration of Ellis's health from 1847 left his work on the general prefaces to Bacon's philosophy unfinished. Spedding and Heath completed the Works in seven volumes, published 1857-1859.
Continental travel failed to restore Ellis' health. An attack of rheumatic fever at Sanremo
Sanremo
Sanremo or San Remo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival...
in 1849 left him an invalid, and he returned to Cambridge, living at Anstey Hall, Trumpington
Trumpington
Trumpington may refer to:*Trumpington, Cambridgeshire, a suburb of the city of Cambridge, UK.*Trumpington, Maryland, a registered historic place in Maryland, U.S.*Jean Barker, Baroness Trumpington, a life peer of the United Kingdom...
, next to his friend John Grote
John Grote
John Grote was an English moral philosopher and Anglican clergyman.The son of a banker, Grote was younger brother to the historian, philosopher and reformer George Grote...
, vicar of Trumpington. From his sickbed he kept up contact with the young Trinity mathematician William Walton, and dictated his thoughts on a wide range of topics, including etymology, bees' cells, Roman money, the principles of a projected Chinese dictionary, and Boole's The Laws of Thought
The Laws of Thought
The Laws of Thought, more precisely, An Investigation of the Laws of Thought on Which are Founded the Mathematical Theories of Logic and Probabilities, is a very influential 19th century book on logic by George Boole, the second of his two monographs on algebraic logic...
(1854). He translated Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
, Roman law
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
texts and Danish ballads; a gentle melancholia suffuses the lines of his own poetry which he left in manuscript.
William Walton edited a posthumous collection of both published and unpublished writings, in The mathematical and other writings of R. L. Ellis (1863): this was prefaced by a biographical memoir by Harvey Goodwin
Harvey Goodwin
The Rt Rev Harvey Goodwin, MA was a Cambridge academic and clergyman, Bishop of Carlisle from 1869 until his death.-Life:...
. Correspondence and notebooks of Ellis are amongst the Mayor Papers and Whewell Papers at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
.
External links
- The Mathematical and Other Writings of Robert Leslie Ellis Edited by William Walton. With a biographical memoir by the Very Reverend Harvey Goodwin. (London: Deighton, Bell & Co., Bell and Daldy, 1863.)