c. 1292-1336

The son of a blacksmith, he eventually became the abbot of St. Albans in Britain. He studied at Oxford, became a Benedictine monk, and later studied theology and philosophy. He wrote on trigonometry, and on the theory, construction, and use of an instrument called the Albion (allby-one) which could help calculate planetary positions. He also built and wrote about an astronomical clock, which is the earliest clock for which we have detailed descriptions.