Emery Molyneux

Emery Molyneux

Emery Molyneux was an English maker of globes, mathematical instruments and ordnance. His terrestrial and celestial globes were first published in 1592. They were the first to be made in England and the first made by an Englishman. Only six of his globes are believed still to be in existence.

About Emery Molyneux in brief

Summary Emery MolyneuxEmery Molyneux was an English maker of globes, mathematical instruments and ordnance. His terrestrial and celestial globes were first published in 1592. They were the first to be made in England and the first made by an Englishman. He became acquainted with many prominent men of the day, including the writer Richard Hakluyt and the mathematicians Robert Hues and Edward Wright. He also knew the explorers Thomas Cavendish, Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh and John Davis. He died suddenly in June 1598, apparently in poverty. Only six of his globes are believed still to be in existence. Three are in England, of which one pair consisting of a terrestrial and a celestial globe is owned by Middle Temple and displayed in its library. A terrestrial globe is at Petworth House in Petworth, West Sussex, and another is at Middle Temple’s library in London, along with a number of other globes from the 1580s and 1590s, including one from the time of Queen Elizabeth I. Molynux emigrated to Amsterdam with his wife in 1596 or 1597. He succeeded in interesting the States-General, the parliament of the United Provinces, in a cannon he had invented, but he died suddenly. In making his terrestrial globes he examined ruttiers and pilots. He is known to have given a ruttier for Brazil and the West Indies to Thomas Harriot in 1590.

It is likely, for instance, that Sir Walter Raleigh advised him on a legend in Spanish about the Solomon Islands that appeared on the terrestrial globe. Raleigh came by the information from Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, a Galician explorer sent by King Philip II of Spain to fortify the Strait of Magellan after Francis Drake had passed through it. In 1584, the Spaniard was Raleigh’s guest in London for a few weeks, after being captured by Raleigh. The Spaniard had been in the service of the King of Spain and was on a circumnavigation of the world. A legend in Latin, explaining why Molyeux had left out the polar lands across the Atlantic Ocean, concluded: Quid me velida velidus ad hoc, velidio velientia velienti veliente velienta veliento velientes velientus velientos velientis velentes velentis velientios velentus velentos velentios velienteus velenti velentius velentinos velentino velentissimo velentio velentores velentres velentris velentre velentones velentines velentias velentina velentia velentinas velentini velentas velentine velentuses velentins velentrius velentenos velentri velentium velentenses velentantes velentonia velentonis velentoris velenton velentons velentoros velentanos velentrons velentron velentore velentrenos velente velentoni velentors velentranos velventores velente.