The Humble Grave of Henry Briggs

 

Grave of Henry Briggs (Henricus Briggius) in the chapel of Merton College, Oxford.

Today's post honors mathematician Henry Briggs who died on this date, January 16, in the year 1630. He was a man who held two prominent professorships and who contributed tremendously to the development and speedy adoption of logarithms - an invention that revolutionized calculation so dramatically that they were said to have "doubled the life of the astronomer."

Despite his prominence, Briggs was modest, humble, uninterested in wealth, and content with a quiet life of study. Fittingly, his tombstone in the chapel floor of Merton College bears only his name: no dates, no titles, no heraldic sheild, no list of achievements. Just the Latin form of his name: Henricus Briggius. Compare this with the memorial - also in Merton Chapel - of his contemporary and patron Henry Savile - heraldic sheild around his head, bust situated atop the world and flanked by Chrysostom, Ptolemy, Euclid, and Tacitus, and above it all, an angel playing a trumpet.

Memorial to Henry Savile (1549-1622) - Merton College, Oxford

Prior to teaching in Oxford, Briggs was the first professor at Gresham College, London, from which later arose the Royal Society. It was during his time at Gresham that he made the arduous journey to Edinburgh to meet the inventor of logarithms, John Napier; the journey today is about 4 hours by train; back then it was a formidable 4-day-long journey by horse and coach.

Gresham College, London today

Lion atop the gates to Napier's castle of Merchiston (Edinburgh)

Napier's Home, Merchiston Castle, from above

Briggs first visited and collaborated with Napier in the summer of 1615 and then went back in the summer of 1616 - each time staying for a month. He had plans to return in the summer of 1617, but Napier died in April. Briggs picked up the baton, constructing tables of base-10 logarithms, and promoting them in the scientific community, leading to their wide adoption.

Merton College, Oxford

A few years after these visits with Napier, Briggs moved from Gresham College, London to Merton College, Oxford, when he was appointed first Savilian Professor of Geometry at Oxford by Henry Savile himself. When I visit here, I feel I've traveled back in time - all the way back to the time of Briggs himself.

Merton College, Oxford

Merton College, Oxford

Chapel Tower, Merton College, Oxford

Chapel Door (left), Merton College, Oxford

Merton College, Oxford

The magnificence of the organ in Merton College Chapel never fails to take my breath away, but this organ, of course, was not there in Briggs's time (was installed only about a decade ago).

Merton College, Oxford

Merton College, Oxford

Merton College, Oxford

Barely visible on the left and right of the pillars on either side of the organ are the elaborate memorials to Henry Savile, pictured earlier in this post, and of Thomas Bodley, he of the Bodleian Library. About 15 feet to the left of where I'm standing to take this picture is the simple stone of the humble, yet brilliant man, Henry Briggs, and it is from my vigil at his stone that I take my leave of you today.

Tomb of Henry Briggs, Merton College, Oxford