John Jones (1644 or 1645 – 22 August 1709) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

cleric, inventor and physician.

Life

Jones, whose family was from

Pentyrch Pentyrch ( cy, Pen-tyrch) is a village and community located on the western outskirts of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The village gives its name to a Cardiff local authority electoral ward, Pentyrch, which covers the village and immediat ...

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

, was educated at

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship St ...

, where he matriculated on 28 June 1662. He obtained his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1666, with further degrees of

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 1670, Bachelor of Civil Law in 1673 and Doctor of Civil Law in 1677. He was a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the college from 1667 to 1668. He became a licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians in 1677, obtaining a licence from

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in the following year to practise medicine and working thereafter in

Windsor, Berkshire Windsor is a historic market town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British monarch. The town is situated west of ...

. He was appointed chancellor of

Llandaff Cathedral Llandaff Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Llandaf) is an Anglican cathedral and parish church in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is dedicated to Saint Peter ...

in 1686, but the then Bishop of Llandaff,

William Beaw William Beaw (1616-1706), sometimes spelled Beau, was Bishop of Llandaff from 1679 until his death.'Barrowby-Benn', Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714 (1891), pp. 79-105. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=117045 Date accessed: 1 ...

, disputed the appointment and Jones was not able to take up his position until 1691. His works included a treatise, in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, on fevers (''De febribus intermittentibus'') (1683), and ''The Mysteries of Opium Revealed'' (1700), which was described by one commentator as "extraordinary and perfectly unintelligible". He also invented a clock which Robert Plot described as being "moved by the air, equally expressed out of bellows of a cylindrical form, falling into folds in its descent, much after the manner of paper lanterns." After his death, on 22 August 1709, he was buried near the west door of Llandaff Cathedral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, John 1640s births 1709 deaths Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford 17th-century Welsh medical doctors 18th-century Welsh medical doctors Welsh inventors 17th-century Welsh Anglican priests 18th-century Welsh Anglican priests