汤头条原创

Photo of  Robert Athol
By Robert Athol
Image of My black case of mathematical instruments
My black case of mathematical instruments

Archive of the month: Mr. North's Instruments

The College Archives is currently running a volunteering programme for 汤头条原创 students through which participants are creating an index to the College accounts or 鈥榓udit books鈥 from the 1550s to the 1880s. 

Since the project started in October 2016, numerous entries of interest have been found, including an entry from the accounts from 1734 which reads 鈥榩[ai]d Mr. Lambourn a Bill for cleaning the Mathematical Instrum[en]ts given to the Coll[ege] by Mr. 狈辞谤迟丑鈥.

Research in the College Archives has shown the entry refers to the same items mentioned in his will, an extract of which reads 鈥淚 give my black Case of Mathematical Instruments with all the furniture to Jesus Colledg in Cambridge and their successors for ever not to be at any time separated or aliened鈥.

These instruments, still owned by the College, are one of two sets of mathematical instruments owned by Roger North at the time of his death in March 1734.

The set owned by the College contains four trays of instruments, including set squares, compasses, and a set of 鈥 bones鈥; mathematical tools used to work out products and quotients of numbers.

Indeed, North described the instruments in great detail in his autobiography Notes of Me (the original manuscript of which is at the ),  where he explained why he had some of the instruments adjusted and improved to meet the demands of his own experiments into mathematics, architecture, light and perspective.

It also appears that, from Notes of Me, the instruments were originally made for Roger's by Henry Wynne of Chancery Lane for the sum of 拢50. Indeed Wynne is also credited with pioneering the creation of barometers, something that was possibly influenced by Francis' keen interest in recording the weather and probably made achievable through the patronage that Francis provided for Wynne. 

The instruments are considered a significant example of mathematical tools in Britain and were included in the exhibition 鈥樷 at the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford in 2009.

As to Roger himself, he was born in 1651 at Tostock near Bury St. Edmund鈥檚 to and his wife, Frances Brockett. Roger was admitted to Jesus on 30th October 1667, seven years after his , who was a Fellow of the College and who acted as his tutor.

Roger and John shared rooms for the year Roger studied at the College, the rooms described as being at the west end of the Hall, so possibly in the area now occupied by the servery. Roger said that he came to Jesus in order to study 鈥榥aturall philosophy鈥, particularly the works of Descartes, although he also mentioned in Notes of Me that when at Jesus he owned copies of books by Georges Fournier and .

North was admitted as a Fellow Commoner for a fee of 拢2, the term Fellow Commoner then indicating that the recipient was of an aristocratic or wealthy background and who was permitted to enjoy the privileges of high table.

However, according to his autobiography, North did not feel he was able to get to know the other students. He said 鈥淚 did most extreamly envy the comon scollers for the joy they had at foot ball鈥 because he was 鈥渢yed up by quality from mixing with them, and enjoying  the freedomes of rambling which they had鈥.

North also pointed out that as the youngest son (and indeed sibling of ten) of Dudley North, Baron North, he did not have 鈥渆ither mony or assurance to mix with my equals, who were wild and extravagant鈥, leaving him to befriend only 鈥榞rave seniors鈥. However, he did acknowledge that attending university is a 鈥榤ost usefull exercise鈥 to be 鈥榬ecomended to all students鈥.

After leaving Jesus, North became a member of Middle Temple, where he was called to the bar on 29th May 1674, made a Bencher (the equivalent of a Fellow) on 27th October 1682 and Treasurer (the equivalent of Master) for the year 1683.

North was resident at Middle Temple when it suffered from a disastrous fire in 1679 and was instrumental in assisting with the designs for the reconstruction, putting into practice his interest in architecture. Possibly his most significant architectural contribution towards this project was his design of the from Fleet Street which was completed in 1684.

A few years later in 1690, being tired of living in London, North negotiated the purchase of an estate at Rougham in Norfolk where he built , although this has since been largely demolished and replaced by a 19th century house.

It is said Rougham Hall was raided three times for weapons at the time of the 1715 Jacobite rebellion due to North鈥檚 marriage to Mary Gayer whose father, Sir Robert Gayer, was a known supporter of .

The North鈥檚 connection to 汤头条原创 continued when Roger鈥檚 son Montagu was admitted to the College in 1730, Montagu later publishing his father鈥檚 work 鈥Examen鈥 in 1734, the year of Roger鈥檚 death. Examen aimed to show the reign of Charles II in a very positive light which is perhaps not completely unexpected considering the direct contact North had to Charles II when attending Privy Council meetings in his role as a senior lawyer.

Indeed, the published version of Examen, makes direct reference to the original manuscript text which was given to the College by North where, along with the mathematical instruments, it still resides.