Richard Napier (1559 – 1 April 1634) was a prominent English

astrologer Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

and medical practitioner.

Life

Also known as Dr Richard Sandy, he was the brother of Sir Robert Napier of

Luton Hoo Luton Hoo is an English country house and estate near Luton in Bedfordshire and Harpenden in Hertfordshire. Most of the estate lies within the civil parish of Hyde, Bedfordshire. The Saxon word Hoo means the spur of a hill, and is more comm ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

. He was a pupil of

Simon Forman Simon Forman (31 December 1552 – 5 or 12 September 1611) was an Elizabethan astrologer, occultist and herbalist active in London during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and James I of England. His reputation, however, was severely tarnishe ...

and inherited his manuscripts, including a copy of the

Picatrix ''Picatrix'' is the Latin name used today for a 400-page book of magic and astrology originally written in Arabic under the title ''Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm'' (), or ''Ghayat al-hakim wa-ahaqq al-natijatayn bi-altaqdim'' which most scholars assume was ...

(now in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

). He became rector of

Great Linford Great Linford is a historic village, district and wider civil parish in the north of Milton Keynes, England, between Wolverton and Newport Pagnell, and roughly north of Central Milton Keynes. Great Linford village Great Linford was one of the ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

''Burke's Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies'' (2nd edition, London: John Russell Smith, 1844

/ref> in 1589. Napier was appointed a curate to preach in his place while he practised astrology, which was intertwined with his devout

Anglicanism Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

and interest in

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

. He claimed to speak with the

archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the Catholic hierarchy of angels, based on and put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 5th or 6th century in his book ''De Coelesti Hierarchia'' (''On the Celestial Hierarchy'') ...

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

frequently, and occasionally with the archangel

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

. His clients included Emanuel Scrope, 1st Earl of Sunderland as well as the

Earl of Bolingbroke The title Earl of Bolingbroke has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Jacobite Peerage. Initial creation The creation in the Peerage of England occurred on 28 December 1624, when Oliver St John, 4th Baron St John of ...

and Lord Wentworth, who reputedly protected him from the actions of magistrates. His sister, Mary Napier married Sir Thomas Myddelton of Chirk Castle, the son of Sir Thomas Myddelton,

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

who was also one of his patients. It was said of him that he was so devout that his knees grew horny by much praying, and he reputedly died in that posture on 1 April 1634 and was buried on 15 April. His many papers came into the hands of

Elias Ashmole Elias Ashmole (23 May 1617 – 18 May 1692) was an English antiquary, politician, officer of arms, astrologer, freemason and student of alchemy. Ashmole supported the royalist side during the English Civil War, and at the restoration of Char ...

and are now in the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. His records have been digitised by a team led by Professor

Lauren Kassell Lauren Kassell (born 30 July 1970) is Professor of History of Science and Medicine at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge. Since September 2021, she is on leave from Cambridge to serve as the Professor in Histo ...

of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

References

External links

Page on Great Linford containing a short bio of Richard Napier

* Lauren Kassell, Michael Hawkins, Robert Ralley, and John Young
‘Richard Napier (1559–1634)’
A Critical Introduction to the Casebooks of Simon Forman and Richard Napier, 1596–1634. {{DEFAULTSORT:Napier, Richard 1559 births 1634 deaths English astrologers

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

16th-century astrologers 17th-century astrologers People from Luton 16th-century English Anglican priests 17th-century English Anglican priests 16th-century English medical doctors 17th-century English medical doctors