John Field The forgotten Yorkshire Astronomer
John Field 1527-1587 was born in Ardsley in the West Riding, an
astronomer who seems to be missed of many people’s radar. His
describes himself as being a farmer, and sometimes student in ‘the
mathematic sciences,. Yet this farmer would become a trail blazer
and was the first person to publish an ephemeris or movements of the
stars and planets in England that was based on the Copernican theory.
John Field was known as the proto Copernican of England.
He
became astronomer/astrologer of the young Princess Elizabeth Tudor;
an associate and friend of John Dee who was astronomer/astrologer of
Queen Mary Tudor.
In
1554 Following the failure of Wyatt's rebellion, a popular uprising
in England over the concern of Queen Mary to marry Philip of Spain,
Queen Mary imprisoned Princess Elizabeth in the Tower of London and
later moved her to Woodstock under house arrest. In 1555 the Privy
Council also ordered the arrest of astrologers John Field and John
Dee over charges of "endeavouring by enchantments to destroy
Queen Mary" in the matter of her failure to produce an heir; and
bewitching children; etc. They were jailed, and it was Christmas 1556
before Dee and Field were released, it was probably during their
imprisonment as they had little else to do that the two friends had
worked on their recognition and ideas of the Sun-centric planetary
system as propounded by Nicholas Copernicus. The following year 1557
John Field published his work based on the Copernican system, with a
preface by John Dee.
It
is worth noting that at this time astrologers were often mathematical
astronomers and the two subjects were very similar to each other.
However at this period in time astrologers would produce almanacs
with very little science value while astronomers would produce a more
scientific version. However this story does show that it could be
dangerous to be an astrologer in the 1550s.
Between
1543 when Copernicus wrote his book ‘De Revolutionibus’, and
1600 there were less than a dozen astronomers or scientists all with
very well-known names including Thomas Digges and Thomas Hariot in
England; Giordano Bruno and Galileo Galilei in Italy; and Johannes
Kepler in Germany who supported these new ideas, and yet there is not
a mention of John Field. He not only agreed with Copernicus he was
the first person to write about those ideas in England so should be
included on any distinguished list of astronomers who supported the
Copernican view of the solar system.
There
is even a plaque dedicated to John Field on the wall of the porch
entrance of the church of St Michael's with St Gabriel's in East
Ardsley near Wakefield where he is buried. The plaque reads ‘Beneath
this porch lies John Field 1520-1587 he was the first astronomer in
this country to make known the discoveries of Copernicus’ I assume
this was placed there in the nineteenth century because there is a
small metal plate at the bottom which says that This plaque is made
from original Victory oak & copper bolt, presented by commander
in chief, Portsmouth.
John
Field died on May 3rd 1587.
St Michaels with St Gabriels East Ardsley |
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