William Temple (logician) facts for kids

Sir William Temple (1555–1627) was an important English thinker and teacher. He was known for his work in logic, which is the study of how to reason correctly. He also served as the fourth leader, or Provost, of Trinity College Dublin, a famous university in Ireland.

Early Life and Education

William Temple was born in England, in a place called Leicestershire. His family name, Temple, was said to come from the Knights Templar, a very old and powerful group of knights from the time of the Crusades.

William went to Eton College, a well-known school. After that, he earned a scholarship to King's College, Cambridge, in 1573. He studied hard and became a fellow (a kind of academic staff member) at King's College in 1576. He earned his first degree in 1577–78 and a master's degree in philosophy in 1581.

That same year, he became the head teacher, or Master, of Lincoln Grammar School. Even though he was originally planning to study law, he became a tutor in logic at his college. One of his students, Anthony Wotton, said that Temple taught logic in a way that helped students use it in real life, not just for complicated ideas.

Temple really liked the ideas of a thinker named Petrus Ramus. Ramus had new ways of thinking about logic. William Temple became one of the strongest supporters of Ramus's ideas in England.

Working for Important People

William Temple's writings caught the eye of Sir Philip Sidney, a famous poet and soldier. Sidney invited Temple to be his secretary in November 1585. A secretary in those days was like a personal assistant and advisor. Temple was with Sidney when he was badly hurt and died in 1586. Sidney even left Temple some money in his will.

After Sidney, Temple worked for other important people, including William Davison, who was the queen's secretary, and Sir Thomas Smith. Around 1594, he joined the household of Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex. He worked as a secretary for the Earl for many years.

In 1597, because of the Earl of Essex's influence, Temple was chosen to be a member of Parliament for Tamworth.

Journey to Ireland

William Temple first arrived in Ireland in April 1599. He went there to be the secretary for the new lord lieutenant, Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex. This was a challenging time because their first big job was to stop a major rebellion by Irish tribes.

While the Earl of Essex traveled around the country, Temple stayed in Dublin. He sent updates about the military actions to the Royal Court in England. The Earl of Essex, who was once a close advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, started to fall out of favor with the queen. Both he and William Temple were called back to London that autumn.

When the Earl of Essex was planning a rebellion in London, Temple was still working for him. However, Temple later wrote a letter saying he didn't know anything about the plot. After the Earl of Essex was arrested, Temple's career suffered.

Because of these difficulties, Temple went back to his studies and writing. In 1605, he published a book called A Logicall Analysis of Twentye Select Psalmes.

Leading Trinity College Dublin

On November 14, 1609, William Temple was made Provost of Trinity College Dublin. This meant he was the head of the university. Even though Robert Cecil, a powerful official, didn't think highly of Temple, he agreed to the appointment because James Ussher, a future Archbishop, asked him to.

Temple also became a master in chancery in Dublin in 1610. He was elected to the Irish House of Commons as a member for Dublin University in 1613 and stayed in that role until he died.

Temple was a good leader for Trinity College. He worked to make the college similar to the University of Cambridge in England. Many of his changes became lasting parts of how Trinity College was organized. He managed the college's money carefully and increased the number of fellows (teachers and researchers) from four to sixteen. He also increased the number of scholars (students with scholarships) from twenty-eight to seventy.

He was the first to divide the fellows into two groups: seven senior fellows and nine junior fellows. He gave the senior fellows the responsibility of running the college. He also created many new administrative jobs, each with clear duties. His system for college offices stayed the same for many years.

Temple wrote new rules for both the college and the university. He tried to get King James I to grant a new charter, which would give the college more privileges than Queen Elizabeth I had given in 1595. He went to London for a year to try and convince the government, but his efforts were not successful.

His time as Provost wasn't always easy. He disagreed with Archbishop George Abbot about wearing special robes called surplices in the chapel. Temple, being a layman (someone not ordained in the church), felt he didn't need to wear them. He also sometimes had money problems and tried to solve them by selling college lands to his wife and family.

William Temple was knighted by the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir Oliver St. John, in 1622. He passed away at Trinity College Dublin on January 15, 1627, and was buried in the old college chapel.

Family Life

William Temple's wife was Martha, whose family was from Derbyshire. They had two sons, Sir John Temple and Thomas, and three daughters: Catharine, Mary, and Martha.

His son, Thomas, also became a fellow at Trinity College Dublin. He later became a well-known Puritan preacher in London. He preached before the Long Parliament and was part of the Westminster Assembly, an important group of religious leaders.

Sir William Temple's Legacy

Many of the rules and structures William Temple created for Trinity College Dublin lasted well into the 1800s. However, he didn't fully succeed in one of the college's main goals: to train Protestant clergy who could connect with the Irish people.

Temple did not encourage the Irish language at Trinity. He believed that getting rid of the Irish language and culture was necessary to change the Irish way of life. This meant that the new Protestant clergy trained at Trinity were not prepared to work with people in Gaelic Ireland. This made it difficult for King James's plan to replace Catholicism with Protestantism in Ireland to truly succeed.

On a personal level, William Temple's family became very successful after his death, especially during the time of Oliver Cromwell. His descendants included important government officials like First Lords of the Admiralty, Secretaries of State, and even a prime minister, Lord Palmerston. Lord Palmerston's name came from a family estate that is now a village in Dublin. Temple's son and grandson lived in a city house that is now part of the famous Temple Bar area in Dublin.