A Treatise on Infinitesimal Calculus, published in four volumes between 1852 and 1860, remains the primary mathematical contribution of Bartholomew Price. This extensive work covered differential and integral calculus, the calculus of variations, the theory of attractions, and analytical mechanics, establishing his reputation as a significant educator and academic figure within the nineteenth-century British mathematical community.
Academic Career at Oxford
Born on 14 May 1818 in Coln St. Dennis, Gloucestershire, Price attended Pembroke College, Oxford. He achieved first-class honors in the Final Honours School of Mathematics in 1840 and secured a university mathematical scholarship in 1842. Following his ordination in 1844, he accepted an appointment as a Fellow and Tutor in Mathematics at Pembroke College. In 1853, he assumed the role of Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy, a position he retained for 45 years until June 1898. He eventually served as Master of Pembroke College from 1892 until his death.
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Beyond his teaching duties, Price managed several administrative roles within the University of Oxford. He served as a curator of the Bodleian Library and secretary of the Clarendon Press for many years. His broader service included roles as a governor of Winchester College, a visitor of the Greenwich Observatory, and an honorary fellow of The Queen's College. Additionally, he was a member of the governing body of Abingdon School starting around 1887 and held a canonry of Gloucester Cathedral.
Professional and Personal Context
Price maintained diverse interests, including involvement in industrial commerce as a shareholder in a Silvertown rubber factory. During the 1890 shareholders meeting, he publicly supported the management following a labor strike. On 20 August 1857, he married Amy Eliza Cole at Littleham, near Exmouth, and the couple raised seven children. Price died on 29 December 1898 in Oxford and was buried in Holywell Cemetery.
Mathematical Legacy
As a Fellow of the Royal Society, Price focused his efforts on advanced mathematical analysis. His publications include an essay on mathematical sciences from 1849 and his comprehensive treatises on calculus. Beyond his academic texts, he is recognized for his role as a teacher of Lewis Carroll. A clock designed by Henry Wilson was later installed in Gloucester Cathedral as a memorial to his life and career.
Fast facts
- Born: 14 May 1818, Coln St. Dennis, Gloucestershire
- Died: 29 December 1898, Oxford
- Occupation: Mathematician, Christian minister, university teacher
- Education: Pembroke College, Oxford
- Major Position: Sedleian Professor of Natural Philosophy (1853-1898)
- Master of Pembroke College: 1892-1898
- Notable Membership: Fellow of the Royal Society
- Field of Study: Algebra, mathematical analysis, calculus
Questions readers ask
What were the primary subjects covered in his four-volume treatise?
The volumes encompassed differential and integral calculus, the calculus of variations, the theory of attractions, and analytical mechanics.
What is the connection between Bartholomew Price and Lewis Carroll?
Price was one of Carroll's teachers at Oxford; the nickname 'the bat' is often linked to the line 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat' in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Achievements
- Fellow of the Royal Society
- Fields: mathematics, algebra and mathematical analysis
