Now! Then! An encounter with John Oates of Halifax, autodidact optician

Excerpt

Full content pending custom excerpt:

Tuesday 19 August [Halifax]
John Oates of the Stump came between 7 & 8, & stayed till near 10. His errand was about a pair of spectacles for my aunt. I was surprised to find him so good a workman & optician — entirely self-taught. Tho’ the wonder is lessened by the discovery of his having had so liberal an education. He learnt Latin & a little Greek at Hipperholme school & afterwards became a good arithmetician & algebraist as well as pretty well versed in Euclid under the tuition of Mr Ogden, then of the charity school at Boothtown. What a pity that such a man should [have] been put apprentice to a cardmaker, then, this not answering, have turned tanner & should now be bankman at a coalpit. The pit, to be sure, is his own. At least, he & John Green of Mytholm have jointly taken it off my Uncle Lister … John Oates only took up the study of optics & mathematical instrument-making about a dozen years ago. He was then a tanner & had little time to spare — frequently kept at his work till 12 at night &, even then, got up at 3 in the morning to pursue his favourite occupation. He has made several telescopes, electrifying machines, etc. His family have been tenants to our family for several generations. He now lives in a neat house that he built some years ago at the Stump & is comfortable in his circumstances owing to the frugality of his parents who saved their money at the Mytholm public house & by his own prudence in keeping what he had. He has taught himself optics chiefly from Martin’s works.

Order the book

Subscribe to the free daily email

To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations

Comment

Something to say? Get in touch

Original

Tuesday 19 August [Halifax]
John Oates of the Stump came between 7 & 8, & stayed till near 10. His errand was about a pair of spectacles for my aunt. I was surprised to find him so good a workman & optician — entirely self-taught. Tho’ the wonder is lessened by the discovery of his having had so liberal an education. He learnt Latin & a little Greek at Hipperholme school & afterwards became a good arithmetician & algebraist as well as pretty well versed in Euclid under the tuition of Mr Ogden, then of the charity school at Boothtown. What a pity that such a man should [have] been put apprentice to a cardmaker, then, this not answering, have turned tanner & should now be bankman at a coalpit. The pit, to be sure, is his own. At least, he & John Green of Mytholm have jointly taken it off my Uncle Lister … John Oates only took up the study of optics & mathematical instrument-making about a dozen years ago. He was then a tanner & had little time to spare — frequently kept at his work till 12 at night &, even then, got up at 3 in the morning to pursue his favourite occupation. He has made several telescopes, electrifying machines, etc. His family have been tenants to our family for several generations. He now lives in a neat house that he built some years ago at the Stump & is comfortable in his circumstances owing to the frugality of his parents who saved their money at the Mytholm public house & by his own prudence in keeping what he had. He has taught himself optics chiefly from Martin’s works.

266 words.