Royal Mathematical School is a branch of

Christ's Hospital Christ's Hospital is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter, located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. T ...

, founded by Charles II. It is currently Christ's Hospital's Maths Department.

History

It was established so that potential sailors could learn navigation and mathematicians could train at the school.

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ...

was closely involved in the foundation, in 1673, with Jonas Moore. The School was integrated into Christ's Hospital, with boys who were pupils being selected aged 11 or 12 and prepared for a career in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. There was a short-lived new mathematical school within Christ's Hospital, backed by

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton () was an English polymath active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author. Newton was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment that followed ...

, and taught by

Humphry Ditton Humphry Ditton (29 May 1675 – 15 October 1715) was an English mathematician. He was the author of several influential works. Life Ditton was born on 29 May 1675 in Salisbury, the only son of Humphry Ditton, gentleman and ardent nonconformist ...

; it ran from 1706 to 1715, when Ditton died, but then was closed down. James Hodgson was master of the Royal Mathematical School from 1709 to 1755, with

John Robertson John, Jon, or Jonathan Robertson may refer to: Politicians United Kingdom politicians *J. M. Robertson (John Mackinnon Robertson, 1856–1933), British journalist and Liberal MP for Tyneside 1906–1918 *John Robertson (Bothwell MP) (1867–1926), ...

as assistant towards the end of his life. Other masters included James Dodson and William Wales. The master of the early 1760s, Daniel Harris, wrote with

John Bevis John Bevis (10 November 1695 – 6 November 1771) was an English medical doctor, electrical researcher and astronomer. He is best known for discovering the Crab Nebula in 1731. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, being awarded his ...

the manual "Hints for Running the Lines" used by

Charles Mason Charles Mason (25 April 1728 Jeremiah Dixon Jeremiah Dixon (27 July 1733 – 22 January 1779), British surveyor and astronomer, created the Mason–Dixon line with Charles Mason, from 1763 to 1767, which became significant during the American Civil War. Early life and education Dixon wa ...

for their survey of the

Mason–Dixon line The Mason–Dixon line, sometimes referred to as Mason and Dixon's Line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia. It was Surveying, surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason ...

.http://dspace.udel.edu:8080/dspace/bitstream/19716/4591/1/article2.pdf, p. 5.

References

*N. Plumley, ''The Royal Mathematical School within Christ's Hospital: The early years. — Its aims and achievements'', Vistas in Astronomy, Volume 20, Part 1, 1976, Pages 51–56.

Notes

{{Reflist, 2 Christ's Hospital

History

See also

References

Notes