Thomas Allen (mathematician) facts for kids
Thomas Allen (born December 21, 1542 – died September 30, 1632) was a very smart English mathematician and astrologer. During his life, he was highly respected, even though he didn't publish many books himself. He was a popular private teacher of mathematics and knew many important thinkers of his time.
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Early Life and Learning
Thomas Allen was born in a town called Uttoxeter in England. He went to Trinity College, Oxford, in 1561 and finished his master's degree in 1567. In 1571, he left his college and moved to Gloucester Hall. He became very well-known for his deep knowledge of old history, philosophy, and mathematics.
Teaching at Gloucester Hall
Gloucester Hall was a good place for Allen because it was a welcoming spot for scholars who loved to learn. He joined friends like Edmund Reynolds and George Napper there.
Allen encouraged many other smart students to come to Gloucester Hall. He had a wide range of students and followers, including famous people like Kenelm Digby and Thomas Harriot, who studied natural philosophy and mathematics with him. He also taught Robert Fludd and Sir Thomas Aylesbury.
Allen was also known for his knowledge of mathematical geography, which was an important subject back then. He might have even taught the famous geographer Richard Hakluyt. When a new history teaching position was being created at Oxford, Allen helped his friend Degory Wheare get the job.
Thomas Allen lived and died at Gloucester Hall.
Friends and Connections
Allen was friends with many important people. He often wrote letters to Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, a powerful nobleman. He also spent time with the Earl's group of scholars, where he met other mathematicians like Thomas Harriot and John Dee.
He was also good friends with Robert Bruce Cotton, who collected old books, and William Camden, a famous historian. Allen helped Camden by pointing out important historical writings.
Working as an Astrologer
Thomas Allen was known for being an astrologer, someone who studies the stars and planets to understand events or predict the future. He was the astrologer for Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, a very important person in Queen Elizabeth I's court.
He created a detailed horoscope (a chart of the stars at a specific time) for a young Philip Sidney when Sidney was studying at Oxford. Allen also made horoscopes for other important figures like Robert Pierrepont and William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke.
His Reputation
Because Thomas Allen was so skilled in mathematics and astrology, some people thought he was a "magician." There's a famous story about him visiting a place called Holme Lacy. His servants found his ticking watch and, not understanding what it was, thought it was something magical or even evil. They threw it into the moat (a ditch filled with water) around the house!
Allen was offered a high position in the church, a bishopric, but he turned it down. He preferred to focus on his studies and research rather than being a church leader.
His Writings
Even though he didn't publish much, Thomas Allen wrote a Latin commentary on some books by Claudius Ptolemy, an ancient Greek scholar. These books were about understanding the stars. He also wrote notes on a book by John Bale about famous British writers.
His Amazing Library
Allen collected a huge number of old manuscripts (handwritten books) about history, ancient times, astronomy, astrology, philosophy, and mathematics. Over 250 items from his library can still be found today! He even got some manuscripts from old monasteries that had been closed down.
A large part of Allen's collection was given to the Bodleian Library at Oxford by his former student, Sir Kenelm Digby. This gift included over 200 manuscripts, many of which were works by early English scientists. Allen was a big supporter of Sir Thomas Bodley's efforts to create the Bodleian Library and gave it many valuable books himself. Some of his books also ended up in the Cottonian Library, another famous collection.
