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Charles Babbage - Life

Charles Babbage - Life: Encyclopedia II - Charles Babbage - Life

Charles Babbage was born in England most likely at 44 Crosby Row, Walworth Road, London. There is quite a discrepancy over the date of Babbage's birth. It was first published in The Times obituary as December 26, 1792. However, days later a nephew of Babbage wrote to say that Babbage was born precisely one year earlier, in 1791. Later evidence, from St. Mary's Newington, London, proved that Babbage was born on January 6, 1792. The reliabi ...

Charles Babbage: Encyclopedia II - Charles Babbage - Life

Charles Babbage - Life

Charles Babbage was born in England most likely at 44 Crosby Row, Walworth Road, London. There is quite a discrepancy over the date of Babbage's birth. It was first published in The Times obituary as December 26, 1792. However, days later a nephew of Babbage wrote to say that Babbage was born precisely one year earlier, in 1791. Later evidence, from St. Mary's Newington, London, proved that Babbage was born on January 6, 1792. The reliability of all three sources is questioned.

Babbage's father, Benjamin Babbage, was a banking partner of the Praeds who owned the Bitton Estate in Teignmouth. His mother was Betsy Plumleigh Babbage. In 1808 the Babbage family moved into the old Rowdens house in East Teignmouth, and Benjamin Babbage became a warden of the nearby St. Michael’s Church.

Charles Babbage - Education

His father's money allowed Charles to receive instruction from several schools and tutors during the course of his elementary education. Around age eight he was sent to a country school to recover from a life-threatening fever. His parents ordered that his "brain was not to be taxed too much" and Babbage felt that "this great idleness may have led to some of my childish reasonings." He was sent to King Edward VI Grammar School in Totnes, South Devon, a thriving comprehensive school still extant today, but his health forced him back to private tutors for a time. He then joined a 30-student academy under Reverend Stephen Freeman. The academy had a well-stocked library that prompted Babbage's love of mathematics. He studied with two more private tutors after leaving the academy. Of the first, a clergyman near Cambridge, Babbage said, "I fear I did not derive from it all the advantages that I might have done." The second was an Oxford tutor from whom Babbage learned enough of the Classics to be accepted to Cambridge.

Babbage arrived at Trinity College, Cambridge in October 1810. He had read extensively in Leibniz, Lagrange, Simpson, and Lacroix and was seriously disappointed in the mathematical instruction available at Cambridge. In response, he, John Herschel, George Peacock, and several other friends formed the Analytical Society.

In 1812 Babbage transferred to Peterhouse, Cambridge. He was the top mathematician at Peterhouse, but failed to graduate with honours. He instead received an honorary degree without examination in 1814.

Charles Babbage - Marriage

On July 25, 1814, Babbage married Georgiana Whitmore at St. Michael's Church in Teignmouth, Devon. His father did not approve of the marriage. The couple lived happily at 5 Devonshire Street, Portland Place, London. They had eight children, but only three lived to adulthood. Charles' father, his wife Georgiana Babbage, and one son all died in 1827.