Sir John Ellys or Ellis (1634?–1716) was an English academic, Master of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge from 1703.

Early life

He was born at Huntingfield, into a well-known

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

n family; the Ellyses of

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...

, his relations, are mentioned for example in the ''Journal'' of Rowland Davies, and

Anthony Ellys Anthony Ellys (1690–1761) was an English churchman who became bishop of St David's in 1752. Life Born at Yarmouth in Norfolk, he was baptised on 8 June 1690. His father and grandfather were merchants there, and mayors of the borough. He was e ...

was a great-nephew, son of Anthony Ellys who was mayor there. His father was John Ellis or Ellys, of Raveningham or Frostenden, with two brothers, Anthony and Thomas. ''The Perlustration of Great Yarmouth'' by

Charles John Palmer Charles John Palmer, FSA (1 January 1805 – 1882) was an English lawyer, known as a historian of Great Yarmouth. Biography He was the only son of John Danby Palmer, by Anne, daughter of Charles Beart, of Gorleston, Suffolk, and was born at Yarmo ...

gives his mother as Mary Barre of

Syleham Syleham is a small parish, next to the River Waveney The River Waveney is a river which forms the boundary between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads. The "ey" part of the name means "river" thus the name ...

Fellow and associate of Newton

After studying in a number of Suffolk schools, Ellys matriculated at Caius in 1648, aged 14. He graduated B.A. in 1652, and M.A. in 1655. He was then a Fellow of Caius from 1659 and in 1703 (N.S.) became Master, succeeding James Halman, who had died. Ellys was a personal friend of Isaac Newton. He helped Newton with astronomical observations, and was one of the few who knew Newton at Cambridge who visited his rooms. Ellys was also noted as a leading tutor across the university, popular and distinguished; and was not ordained, but held the degree of M.D. A tutorial pupil, Henry Wharton, was taught by Newton, and is thought to have been the only undergraduate student to have seen Newton's mathematical papers. Another tutorial pupil was Samuel Clarke, and Ellys had him translate the ''Traité'' of Jacques Rohault (from French to Latin, creating a textbook). It has been argued that Ellys was introducing his pupils to Newtonian thought by the 1690s. William Whiston also claimed credit for the Newtonian edge to Clarke's Rohault translation (which however went to several editions); and

Richard Laughton Richard Laughton (1670?–1723) was an English churchman and academic, now known as a natural philosopher and populariser of the ideas of Isaac Newton. Early life Originally from London, he was educated at Clare College, Cambridge, where he was a ...

was thought by

W. W. Rouse Ball Walter William Rouse Ball (14 August 1850 – 4 April 1925), known as W. W. Rouse Ball, was a British mathematician, lawyer, and fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1878 to 1905. He was also a keen amateur magician, and the founding ...

to have been another Newtonian influence on Clarke. Ellys, however, is now considered a more likely source. After Thomas Plume died in 1704, Ellys, Newton and John Flamsteed were asked to set up the

Plumian Chair The Plumian chair of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy is one of the major professorships in Astronomy at Cambridge University, alongside the Lowndean Professorship (which is now mainly held by mathematicians). The chair is currently held at t ...

. Ellys pushed for the initial appointment of Roger Cotes. He then had to pacify Flamsteed and another trustee over the arrangements made for Cotes in Trinity College. Ellys was Vice-Chancellor of the university at the time of Queen Anne's visit in 1705, and was knighted by her with Newton and James Montagu. These honours were intended to help the Whig political cause, and were engineered by Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, brother of James Montagu. Ellys, however, is considered non-political. Apart from his interest in the new

Cartesian Cartesian means of or relating to the French philosopher René Descartes—from his Latinized name ''Cartesius''. It may refer to: Mathematics *Cartesian closed category, a closed category in category theory *Cartesian coordinate system, modern ...

and Newtonian scientific advances, there is little to indicate Ellys's views: it has been suggested that he was a Tory, and not concerned with Newton's theology. He took no part in the poll in the general election of 1710. When Whiston was deprived of the

Lucasian Chair The Lucasian Chair of Mathematics () is a mathematics professorship in the University of Cambridge, England; its holder is known as the Lucasian Professor. The post was founded in 1663 by Henry Lucas, who was Cambridge University's Member of Pa ...

, Ellys lined up with

Richard Bentley Richard Bentley FRS (; 27 January 1662 – 14 July 1742) was an English classical scholar, critic, and theologian. Considered the "founder of historical philology", Bentley is widely credited with establishing the English school of Hellen ...

in trying to make Christopher Hussey his successor in 1711. Newton remained above the fray, and the outsider Nicholas Saunderson was narrowly elected.

Later life

As Master of Caius Ellys tried, from 1709, to exercise a veto in college business, causing the Visitor to intervene in 1714. His ongoing conflicts in old age with the Fellows earned him the nickname "Devil of Caius". He was quite isolated, his only ally in the college being his nephew John Ellys. Ellys was buried in the

Church of St Cyriac and St Julitta, Swaffham Prior The Church of St Cyriac and St Julitta is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is u ...

. A memorial inscription recorded by Francis Blomefield states he was in his 86th year. He had contributed for the purchase of the rectory of Broadwey in Dorset for the college in his lifetime, but left nothing further in his will. His successor Thomas Gooch was a former tutorial pupil of his.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellys, John 1634 births 1716 deaths Masters of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Vice-Chancellors of the University of Cambridge Fellows of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge 17th-century English educators 18th-century English educators French–Latin translators