Walter Pope (''c.'' 1627 – 1714) was an English

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

and poet. He was the son of Francis Pope and Jane Dod, daughter of the Puritan minister

John Dod John Dod (c. 1549 – 1645), known as "Decalogue Dod", was a non-conforming English clergyman, taking his nickname for his emphasis on the Ten Commandments. He is known for his widely circulated writings. Although he lost one means of livelihood ...

. He was born in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

and was the half brother of

John Wilkins John Wilkins (14 February 1614 – 19 November 1672) was an English Anglican ministry, Anglican clergyman, Natural philosophy, natural philosopher, and author, and was one of the founders of the Royal Society. He was Bishop of Chester from 1 ...

, who would become bishop of Chester and one of the founders of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

. He was educated at

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street, Oxford, Broad Street and Parks Road ...

, with a BA in 1649, MA in 1651. Until the Restoration, he worked in Wadham College. In 1660, he became the professor of astronomy at

Gresham College Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in Central London, England that does not accept students or award degrees. It was founded in 1597 under the Will (law), will of Sir Thomas Gresham, ...

in London, taking over for Sir

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was ac ...

, and he was also appointed

Dean of Wadham College This is a list of Wadham College, Oxford people, including alumni, Fellows, Deans and Wardens of the College. An alphabetical list of alumni of Wadham college can be found :Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford, here. Alumni Academics * Martin Ait ...

. He became one of the earliest members of the

, and he was also made the registrar of the diocese of Chester. During the 1660s, he was active in the Royal Society, with two letters published in ''Philosophical Transactions'' in 1665 and 1666. He traveled to France and Italy and reported for the Royal Society from Italy. In 1686, he developed a severe eye infection, and he resigned his teaching post in 1687. In 1693, his collection of books burned. Anthony à Wood wrote of Pope as a libertine, and he published collections of poetry and translations in

1698 Events January–March * January 1 – The Abenaki tribe and Massachusetts colonists sign a treaty, ending the conflict in New England. * January 4 – The Palace of Whitehall in London, England is destroyed by fire. * January 23 – ...

, but others regarded him as pious and devout. He died in 1714 and left his money and belongings to a woman named Anne Shargold, who had cared for him in his illness. He was buried in St. Giles, Cripplegate.

References

*Clerke, A. M. and

Anita McConnell Anita McConnell (1936–2016) was a British writer on the history of science and a curator of oceanography and geophysics at the Science Museum, London. She is most widely known for her Shire Books, Shire book on barometers but also wrote many bo ...

. "Walter Pope" in Matthew, H.C.G. and Brian Harrison, eds. ''

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography ''The'' is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the ...

.'' vol. 44, p 885. London:

OUP Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2004. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pope, Walter 1714 deaths 17th-century English astronomers 1620s births Original fellows of the Royal Society English male poets Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford