Elizabeth Johnson, ''née'' Reynolds (8 July 1721 – 14 May 1800), was an English pamphleteer who attempted to win one of the

rewards Reward may refer to: Places * Reward (Shelltown, Maryland), a historic home in Shelltown Maryland * Reward, California (disambiguation) * Reward-Tilden's Farm, a historic home in Chestertown Maryland Arts, entertainment, and media * "Reward" ...

offered by the 1714

Longitude Act The Longitude Act 1714 was an Act of Parliament of Great Britain passed in July 1714 at the end of the reign of Queen Anne. It established the Board of Longitude and offered monetary rewards (Longitude rewards) for anyone who could find a simple ...

passed, which offered monetary rewards for anyone who could find a simple and practical method for the precise determination of a ship's longitude. Johnson and Jane Squire are the only two women known to have made such an attempt as it was not considered an appropriate subject for early modern women especially given its financial, maritime, and government dimensions.

Early background

She was born to the Rev. Samuel Reynolds and his wife Theophilia in Plympton, Devon. Among her siblings was the acclaimed artist

Sir Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter, specialising in portraits. John Russell said he was one of the major European painters of the 18th century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depend ...

, who used her as a model for works which were widely copied in mezzotint. The two would later quarrel over Joshua's lack of piety and over her husband's precarious financial situation and eventual bankruptcy. Other siblings included the author

Mary Palmer Mary Palmer (née Reynolds; 9 February 1716 – 27 May 1794) was a British author from Devon who wrote ''Devonshire Dialogue'', once considered the "best piece of literature in the vernacular of Devon." She was the mother of painter Theophil ...

and painter

Frances Reynolds Frances Reynolds (6 June 1729 – 1 November 1807 London) was a British artist, and the youngest sister of Sir Joshua Reynolds. Life She was born in 1729 and later kept Sir Joshua's house for many years after he came to London, and employe ...

Married life

On 7 January 1753, Elizabeth Reynolds married William Johnson at St. Michael and All Angels in

Great Torrington Great Torrington (often abbreviated to Torrington, though the villages of Little Torrington and Black Torrington are situated in the same region) is a market town in Devon, England. Parts of it are sited on high ground with steep drops down to ...

, Devon. The marriage produced seven children before her spouse abandoned the family, leaving Elizabeth at least in part dependent on her literary endeavors.

Publications

Johnson's religious pamphlets, beginning with ''The Explication of the Vision to Ezekiel'' in 1781, were written anonymously – likely to evade any criticism of women publishing or expressing religious ideas. One critic sarcastically commented on her earlier works in 1783: "As the intentions of this writer are pious, his facilities evidently disordered, and his lucubrations absolutely unintelligible, these three pamphlets must be exempted from criticism."

William Johnson Cory William Johnson Cory (9 January 1823 – 11 June 1892), born William Johnson, was an English educator and poet. He was dismissed from his post at Eton for encouraging a culture of intimacy, possibly non-sexual, between teachers and pupils. He is ...

later revealed the true identity of the pamphlets' author in a handwritten inscription on one of the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

's copies of the ''Ezekiel'' pamphlet: "This strange book was written by my great-grandmother Mrs. Johnson, sister of Sir Joshua Reynolds. When extremely poor she posted up to Oxford to get it published, being a real enthusiast."

Longitude

''The Astronomy and Geography of the Created World'', her fourth pamphlet published in 1785, included a short reference to longitude. The pamphlet ended with the claim "that if the palm for finding the longitude, is not given to the author of the ''Explanation of the Vision to Ezikiel'' it will never be given to another". The modern attribution of the Ezekiel pamphlet to Johnson has only recently revealed that the author of the 1785 work was a rare female longitude-seeker, as she even remained anonymous when sending it to the

Board of Longitude The Commissioners for the Discovery of the Longitude at Sea, or more popularly Board of Longitude, was a British government body formed in 1714 to administer a scheme of prizes intended to encourage innovators to solve the problem of finding lon ...

in 1786 in the hope of a reward. She was unsuccessful, and the pamphlet and letter were later catalogued by the Astronomer Royal

George Airy Sir George Biddell Airy (; 27 July 18012 January 1892) was an English mathematician and astronomer, and the seventh Astronomer Royal from 1835 to 1881. His many achievements include work on planetary orbits, measuring the mean density of the E ...

in a volume of Board of Longitude correspondence which he entitled '' Irrational Astronomical Theories'' in 1858. However, it was not the only early modern pamphlet to address both religion and longitude. Elizabeth Johnson died in

, Devon in 1800.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Elizabeth Reynolds 1721 births 1800 deaths 18th-century British astronomers Women astronomers People from Plympton English pamphleteers