GELLIBRAND (Henry)
, professor of astronomy at Gresham-college, was born in London the 27th of Nov. 1597. He was sent to Trinity-college, Oxford, in 1615, and took his degree in arts 1619. He then entered into orders, and became curate of Chiddingstone in Kent. Afterwards, taking a great fancy to mathematics, by happening to hear one of Sir Henry Saville's lectures in that science, he immediately set himself to the close study of that noble science, and relinquished his fair prospects in the church. Contenting himself there-| fore with his private patrimony, which was now come into his hands by the death of his father, the same year he entered again a student at Oxford, making mathematics his sole employment. He made such proficiency in this science before he proceeded A. M., which was in 1623, that he drew the attention and intimate friendship of Mr. Henry Briggs, then lately removed from the geometry professorship in Gresham-college to that of Savilian professor of geometry at Oxford, by the founder Sir Henry Savile, and who, upon the death of Mr. Gunter, procured for our author the professorship of astronomy in Gresham-college, to which he was elected in the beginning of the year 1627. His friend Mr. Briggs dying in 1630, before he had finished the introduction to his Trigonometria Britannica, he recommended the completing and publishing of that work to our author. Gellibrand accordingly added a preface, and the application of the logarithms to plane and spherical trigonometry, &c, and the whole was printed at Gouda, under the care of Adrian Vlacq, in 1633.
While Mr. Gellibrand was preparing that work, he was brought into trouble in the high-commission court, by Dr. Laud, then bishop of London, on account of an almanac, published by William Beale, servant to Mr. Gellibrand, for the year 1631, with the approbation of his master. In this almanac, the popish saints, then usually put into calendars, were omitted, and the names of other saints and martyrs, mentioned in the Book of Martyrs, were placed in their stead, as they stand in Fox's calendars. This it seems gave offence to the bishop, and occasioned the prosecution. But when the cause came to be heard, it appeared that other almanacs of the same kind had formerly been printed; upon which, both master and man were acquitted by Abp. Abbot and the whole court, Laud only excepted; which was afterward made one of the articles against him on his own trial.
It seems Gellibrand was strongly attached to the old Ptolomaic system. For when he went over to Holland, about the printing of Briggs's book abovementioned, he had some discourse with Lansberg, an eminent brother astronomer in Zealand, who affirming that he was fully persuaded of the truth of the Copernican system; our author observes, “that this so styled a truth he should “receive as an hypothesis; and so be easily led on to “the consideration of the imbecility of man's appre“hension, as not able rightly to conceive of this ad“mirable opifice of God, or frame of the world, with“out falling foul of so great an absurdity:” so firmly was he fixed in his adherence to the Ptolomaic system. Gellibrand wrote several things after this, chiefly tending to the improvement of navigation, which would probably have been further advanced by him, had his life been continued longer; but he was untimely carried off by a fever, in 1636, at 39 years of age.
The character of Mr. Gellibrand is that of a plain, plodding, industrious, well-intentioned man, with little invention or genius. His writings are chiefly as below:
1. Trigonometria Britannica; or the Doctrine of Triangles, being the 2d part of Briggs's work abovementioned.
2. A small Tract concerning the longitude.
3. A Discourse on the Variation of the Magnetic Needle; annexed to Wright's Errors in Navigation detected.
4. Institution Trigonometrical, with its application to astronomy and navigation; 8vo, 1635.
5. Epitome of Navigation, with the necessary tables; 8vo.
6. Several manuscripts never published; as, The Doctrine of Eclipses.—A Treatise of Lunar Astronomy.—A Treatise of Ship-building, &c.
