Timothie Bright facts for kids

Timothie Bright (born around 1551, died 1615) was an English doctor and a church leader. He is famous for inventing a type of modern shorthand, which is a fast way of writing.

Early Life and Studies

Timothie Bright was born around 1551, probably near a city called Sheffield in England. When he was about 11 years old, in 1561, he started studying at Trinity College, Cambridge. He earned his first degree there in 1567 or 1568.

In 1572, Bright was in Paris, France, likely studying medicine. During his time there, he was very lucky to escape the St Bartholomew's Day massacre. This was a terrible event where many people were killed. Bright found safety in the home of Francis Walsingham, an important English official.

A Career in Medicine

Bright continued his medical studies and became a doctor. He earned his medical degree from Cambridge in 1579. For some years, he lived in Cambridge, but by 1584, he was living in Ipswich.

He also worked at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London as a doctor around 1586. He stayed in this role until 1590. Bright wrote a book called A Treatise of Melancholie and dedicated it to a man named Peter Osborne. In his dedication, he showed how much he valued learning and those who supported it.

Becoming a Clergyman

After working as a doctor, Timothie Bright decided to change his career. He became a clergyman, which means he took on duties in the church.

In 1588, he wrote a book about his new writing system, Characterie, and dedicated it to Queen Elizabeth I. The Queen recognized his talent. In 1591, she appointed him to lead the church in Methley, Yorkshire. A few years later, in 1594, she also appointed him to lead the church in Barwick-in-Elmet, in the same area. He held both these positions until he passed away.

Bright made his will in Barwick-in-Elmet in 1615, and he died later that year. He left behind his wife, Margaret, and their two sons, Timothy and Titus. His son Titus also became a doctor. Bright also had a daughter named Elizabeth.

Inventing Shorthand

Timothie Bright's most famous invention is his system of shorthand, which he called Characterie. Only a few copies of his 1588 book still exist today. One of these rare copies is kept at the Bodleian Library.

In his book, Bright explained his invention to Queen Elizabeth. He mentioned that a famous Roman, Cicero, had also tried to invent a fast way of writing. Bright said his own invention was "meere English, without precept or imitation of any." This meant it was his own original idea.

Bright explained that his system used "fewe Characters, short and easie, euery Character answering a word." This meant that each symbol stood for a whole word, making it very quick to write. He highlighted that it could be used to write down speeches word-for-word, and it was also secret because not many people could read it. He even suggested that people who spoke different languages could use it to write messages to each other.

Queen Elizabeth was impressed. In 1588, she gave Bright a special permission for 15 years. This permission meant only he could teach his shorthand system and print books using it.

Bright's system was based on the alphabet, but the symbols for letters were not easy to join together. This made it a bit tricky to use for every word. About 14 years later, another person named John Willis created a different shorthand system that was easier to use. Willis's system became the basis for many later shorthand methods.

Bright's Other Books

Besides his shorthand book, Timothie Bright wrote several other important works, mostly about medicine and health.

• An Abridgment of John Foxe's "Booke of Acts and Monumentes of the Church" (1581): This was a shorter version of a famous book about church history.
• Hygieina, id est De Sanitate tuenda, Medicinæ pars prima (1581): This book was about how to stay healthy.
• Therapeutica; hoc est de Sanitate restituenda, Medicinæ pars altera (1583): This book was about how to get healthy again if you were sick.
• A Treatise of Melancholie (1586): This book discussed the causes of melancholy (a type of sadness or depression) and how to treat it. It also talked about how the mind works. Some people believe this book inspired another famous work called Anatomy of Melancholy.

Bright's medical books showed his deep knowledge of health and the human body. He even discussed how the soul performs many actions, comparing it to how a watch works from one simple movement.