Seth Ward (bishop of Salisbury) facts for kids
Seth Ward (born in 1617, died on January 6, 1689) was an important English person. He was a brilliant mathematician and astronomer. He also became a bishop, which is a high-ranking leader in the Christian church.
Seth Ward's Early Life and Education
Seth Ward was born in a place called Hertfordshire, England. He went to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge for his education. He earned his first degree (B.A.) in 1636 and a master's degree (M.A.) in 1640. In the same year, he became a "Fellow" at the college. This meant he was a senior member of the college, often involved in teaching and research.
In 1643, he was chosen to teach mathematics at the university. However, he lost his position the very next year. This happened because he disagreed with something called the Solemn League and Covenant. This was an agreement made during a time of political and religious conflict in England.
Becoming a Savilian Professor
In the 1640s, Seth Ward learned a lot about mathematics from a famous teacher named William Oughtred.
In 1649, Seth Ward became the Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford University. This was a very important job. He became well-known for his ideas about how planets move. He wrote books like In Ismaelis Bullialdi astronomiae philolaicae fundamenta inquisitio brevis (1653) and Astronomia geometrica (1656). In these books, he discussed and improved upon the ideas of astronomers like Johannes Kepler.
Around this time, he also had a long debate with a famous thinker named Thomas Hobbes. Seth Ward and another professor, John Wallis, felt that some of Hobbes's ideas, especially from his book Leviathan, were wrong or offensive.
Seth Ward was also one of the first members of the Royal Society of London. This is a very old and respected group of scientists. In 1659, he was made President of Trinity College, Oxford. However, he didn't have all the necessary qualifications, so he stepped down in 1660.
Seth Ward's Church Career
In 1661, King Charles II gave Seth Ward important roles in the church. He became the leader of churches in St Lawrence Jewry in London and Uplowman in Devonshire.
He also became the dean of Exeter Cathedral in 1661 and a rector in St Breock, Cornwall, in 1662. A dean is a senior priest in a cathedral, and a rector is a priest in charge of a parish.
In 1662, he was made the Bishop of Exeter. Later, in 1667, he became the Bishop of Salisbury. In 1671, he was given another important title: Chancellor of the Order of the Garter. This is a very old and respected order of knighthood in England.
As a bishop, he was very strict with people who were not part of the official Church of England, known as nonconformists. He strongly enforced a law that stopped unofficial religious meetings. He also spent a lot of money helping to repair and restore the cathedrals of Worcester and Salisbury.
Seth Ward passed away in Knightsbridge on January 6, 1689. In 2017, a school called Bishop Wordsworth's Grammar School named one of its houses "Ward House" after him.
