William Barlow (archdeacon of Salisbury) facts for kids

William Barlow (who died in 1625) was a smart Welsh churchman and scientist. He was known for his important work on magnets and how they behave.

His Life Story

William Barlow was born in a place called St David's in Wales. His father, also named William Barlow, was a bishop there. William went to Balliol College, Oxford for his education. He finished his first degree in 1564.

Around 1573, he became a priest. He then got important jobs in the church, like being a prebendary (a type of church official) in Winchester in 1581. He also became the rector (head priest) of a church in Easton.

Later, in 1588, while still working in Winchester, Barlow also started working at Lichfield Cathedral. He became a treasurer there. He also served as a chaplain (a special priest) to Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, who was the son of King James I. In 1615, he became an archdeacon in Salisbury.

Barlow passed away on May 25, 1625. He was buried in the church at Easton. His will (a legal document about his wishes after death) from 1617 mentions his wife, Julyan, and their children: William, Thomas, Barnaby, Anne, Mary, and Katherine.

What He Wrote and Studied

William Barlow was very interested in the practical side of magnetism. This is the science of how magnets work. He wrote several books about his discoveries:

• The Navigator's Supply (published in London, 1597)
• Magnetical Advertisements concerning the nature and property of the Loadstone (published in London, 1618)
• A Brief Discovery of the Idle Animadversions of Mark Ridley, M.D. (published in London, 1618)

Barlow worked on making compasses better for sailors to use at sea. He also studied the differences between iron and steel when it came to magnets. He found better ways to make magnetic needles work and how to prepare lodestones (natural magnets).

He also wrote letters with another famous scientist named William Gilbert, who also studied magnetism.

Barlow had a disagreement with another scientist, Mark Ridley. Ridley said that Barlow had copied ideas from Gilbert's book De Magnete (from 1600) and even from Ridley's own book, Magnetical Bodies and Motions (from 1613). Barlow strongly disagreed and wrote a sharp reply. Barlow's own work actually started from notes he made in 1609 for Sir Thomas Chaloner. Chaloner might have even helped Barlow get his job as chaplain to Prince Henry.