Author: Horner, William George
Biography:
HORNER, William George (1786-1837: ODNB)
He was born in Bristol, the son of William Horner (1746-1826), an itinerant Wesleyan preacher who had come to England from Ireland. The name of his mother is not known and no baptismal record has been located. A gifted mathematician, he was first a pupil then (from the age of 14) an assistant master at Wesley’s school at Kingswood, Gloucestershire, near Bristol. In 1805 he became headmaster, but in 1809 he left Kingswood to establish his own school, the Seminary, at 27 Grosvenor Place, Bath. On 29 Dec. 1809 he married Sarah Pritchard (d 1864) at St. Paul, Portland Square, Bath; they are reported to have had six daughters and two sons, at least one of whom, their son William, also taught at the school. Baptismal records have not been traced. Horner contributed many papers on topics in mathematics and optics to scientific journals, especially Annals of Philosophy and the Philosophical Magazine, and is best known for “Horner’s Method,” a system for solving equations, which was published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in 1819. His writings in verse were rare but they include, besides the tribute to Princess Charlotte and the collected volume listed here, a poem addressed to his friend Thomas Fussell on the occasion of the death of Fussell’s wife in 1820. Horner died at the school on 22 Sept. 1837 and was buried on 29 Sept. at Holy Trinity, Kingswood. (ODNB 16 Nov. 2022; Wikipedia 16 Nov. 2022; findmypast.com 16 Nov. 2022; ancestry.com 16 Nov. 2022) HJ
Other Names:
- W. G. Horner