Ann Baynard (sometimes spelled Anne) (1672 in

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston, Lancashire, City of Preston local government district. Preston ...

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– 12 June 1697,

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People *Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom * Barnes, London, England ** Barnes railway station **Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes High Stree ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

) was an English natural philosopher and model of piety. She sought discussions with atheists and non-Christians. Later, during her eulogy, Reverend Prude called her philosophical knowledge of this 20-year-old woman the same size as that of an "old bearded male philosopher"

Life

Like most young women of her class, Ann Baynard was tutored by her father,

Henry Gardiner Adams Henry Gardiner Adams (c. 1811 – 1881) was an English druggist and chemist, known as an author and anthologist. He wrote juvenile literature under the pseudonym Nemo. Life Adams acted as secretary to the Mechanics Institute at Chatham, Kent, Cha ...

, ''Cyclopaedia of Female Biography'', 1857Lindley Murray, The Power of Religion on the Mind, 1859 Edward Baynard (c. 1641–1717), physician and pseudonymous poet and a member of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

in London, in science, mathematics, philosophy, and classical languages and literature. Her education encompassed classical languages and philosophy as well as science and mathematics, preparing her for a scholarly life. Considered in her time an exemplar of piety and virtue, her erudition was directed to the elucidation of Protestant theology; she disdained secular learning for its own sake. Although she wrote a number of texts in Latin and English, none has survived, but she was distinguished in particular for her facility in Latin. Baynard declared that secular learning was worthless unless it led to knowledge of God. She was a diligent churchgoer, never missing daily services unless prevented by illness, and spent much of her time in solitary meditation and other pious exercises. Generous to the poor, she set aside a fixed portion of her income for charity. Baynard was active in her attempts to persuade others to lead a religious life. She urged all young people to study philosophy, and, especially, to read the Bible, with a particular appeal to her own sex to make an effort to educate themselves.Penelope Whitworth, "Ann Baynard," ''Project Continua'', 2013. http://www.projectcontinua.org/ann-baynard/ Her epitaph read:''The Environs of London: volume 1'' by Daniel Lysons on Barnes. :"Here lies that happy maiden, who often said, :That no man is happy until he is dead; :That the business of life is but playing the fool, :Which hath no relation to saving the soul: :For all the transaction that's under the sun, :Is doing of nothing—if that be not done, :All wisdom and knowledge does lie in this one." ::''Anne Baynard obiit June 12. An. ætat. suæ 25. Christi 1697.'' ::''O mortales! quotusquisque vestrum cogitet ex hoc momento pendet æternitas.''"

Quotation

:"I would wish that all young persons might be exhorted to read the great book of nature, wherein they may see the wisdom and power of the Creator, in the order of the universe, and in the production of all things." — Anne Baynard, 1697

Notes

References

The Astronomy Compendium
A collection of the people, places and events in the history of Astronomy and the related sciences. Baynard, Anne. Accessed February 2008
A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography: Consisting of Sketches of All Women
Entry on Baynard, Anne. By Henry Gardiner Adams,Published 1857, Groombridge publisher. Accessed February 2008
The Power of Religion on the Mind, in Retirement, Affliction, and at the Approach of Death
By Lindley Murray, Published 1859, Printed by order of the trustees of the residuary estate of Lindley Murray, S.S. & W . Wood. Accessed February 2008

Preached at the parish-church of Barnes in the county of Surry, June the 16th. 1697 by John Prude, A.M.. At North Carolina State University Libraries. Accessed February 2008
British history On-line
Entry on Barnes. ''The Environs of London: volume 1'' by Daniel Lysons, published 1792. epitaph transcribed. Accessed February 2008 * "Ann Baynard," ''Project Continua'', 2013. http://www.projectcontinua.org/ann-baynard/

External links

Project Continua: Biography of Ann Baynard
Project Continua is a web-based multimedia resource dedicated to the creation and preservation of women's intellectual history from the earliest surviving evidence into the 21st Century. {{DEFAULTSORT:Baynard, Ann 1672 births 1697 deaths 17th-century English women writers 17th-century English women scientists Natural philosophers 17th-century English philosophers English women philosophers