Abraham de la Pryme facts for kids

Abraham de la Pryme (born January 15, 1671 – died June 12, 1704) was an English historian and scientist. He was very curious about the past and nature. He wrote a famous diary and studied many different things.

Life of Abraham de la Pryme

Abraham de la Pryme was born in 1671 in Hatfield. His parents, Matthias de la Pryme and Sarah Smague, were French Huguenots. Huguenots were French Protestants who often faced difficulties in France.

Education and Early Interests

His father wanted him to study at the University of Glasgow and become a minister. However, Abraham chose to go to the University of Cambridge. He started at St John's College in 1690. There, he spent a lot of time studying natural history, chemistry, and even magic. He earned his first university degree in 1693 or 1694.

Career and Research

After college, Abraham became a curate (a type of church minister) in Broughton. He left this job in 1696 because he wanted to write a history book about Hatfield. In 1698, he became a curate at Holy Trinity Church in Hull. Later, in 1701, the Duke of Devonshire appointed him as curate in Thorne.

Sadly, while visiting sick people in Thorne, Abraham himself became ill. He died in 1704 and was buried in Hatfield.

His Famous Diary and Writings

Abraham de la Pryme started writing a diary when he was just twelve years old. He called it Ephemeris Vitae: A Diary of My Own Life. He kept writing in it until he died. This diary was later published in 1870 by the Surtees Society.

While working on his history of Hatfield, he wrote letters to other important scholars. These included Sir Hans Sloane and the historian Thomas Gale. When he was in Hull, he collected lots of information for a history of that city. This two-volume work was not finished when he died, but it was finally published in 1986.

Royal Society Membership

In 1701, Abraham de la Pryme was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very old and respected group for scientists. He shared his findings with the Society on many different topics. These included archaeology (studying old things), natural history (studying plants and animals), and meteorology (studying weather).

Works and Contributions

Abraham de la Pryme wrote about many interesting subjects. His writings showed his wide range of interests.

• The Diary of Abraham de la Pryme, the Yorkshire Antiquary, edited by Charles Jackson. This important diary was published in 1870.
• A History of Kingston upon Hull. This book about the city of Hull was published in 1986.
• He also wrote several articles for the Philosophical Transactions. These articles covered topics like Roman old objects, shell-fish, and trees found underground. He also wrote about how plants grow and even about waterspouts he saw in Yorkshire.