Further notes on Henry Oldenburg

Abstract

One of the best-known passages in Oldenburg’s biography came from the pen—in this case the kindly pen—of Anthony a Wood, writing of the University of Oxford in his own lifetime and Oldenburg’s arrival there in 1657: This Mr. Oldenburg died at Charlton near Greenwich in Kent in Aug. 1678 and was buried there, leaving then behind him issue (by his wife the dau. and only child of the learned John Dury a Scot, by whom he had an estate of 60 1. per an. in the marshes of Kent) a son named Rupert, godson to pr. Rupert, and a daughter called Sophia (1). Although the burden of Wood’s dirge is correct enough, the notes are not strictly accurate. If one consults that great work of eighteenth-century English local history, Edward Hasted’s History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent , one finds that the account of Charlton (today a part of London’s sprawl) includes a transcript of Wood’s words; but Oldenburg’s ashes in fact never lay there (2). Moreover, Wood post-dated Oldenburg’s death by some eleven months; as we have already shown, he died in early September 1677 and his wife a few days later (3).