Abstract
Most authors of papers or articles devoted to biographical comments on Thomas Bayes preface their remarks with an Apologia for the paucity of pertinent particulars. In 1860 we find de Morgan publishing a request in Notes and Queries for more information on Bayes, listing, in no more than a few paragraphs, all that he knows. In 1974 Maistrov, in what was probably to that date the most complete and authoritative1 history of probability theory since Todhunter’s classic of 1865, bemoaned the fact that
biographical data concerning Bayes is scarce and often misleading... Even in the “Great Soviet Encyclopedia” (BSE) there is no mention of his birthdate and the date of his death is given incorrectly as 1763. [pp. 87–88]
If those whose names we rescue from oblivion sould ve consulted they might tell us they would prefer to remain unknown. Matthew Whiteford
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References
This description is from Hacking’s introduction to the English translation of Maistrov [1974, p. vii].
Forsaking, in this respect, what is described in the 14th edition [1939] of the Encyclopædia Britannica as its “career of plain usefulness” [vol. 3, p. 596]. However a supplementary volume, The Dictionary of National Biography: Missing Persons of 1993, does contain a note, by A.W.F. Edwards, on Thomas Bayes.
See Barnard [1958, p. 293].
Hacking [1970] and the 15th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica [1980], (vol. I of the Micropædia).
Holland [1962, p. 451].
Barnard [1964], Hacking [1970].
See Dale [1990].
Holland [1962, p. 453]. See also James [1867].
James [1867].
Holland [1962, p. 455].
For further details see Pearson [1978, p. 360].
Quoted in Holland [1962, p. 459].
Reprinted in Pearson [1978, p. 357]: for details of the signatories see pp. 357–358, op. cit.
See Clay [1895] and Leader [1897].
See Pearson [1978, p. 355] and Stephen [1885].
Wilson [1814, p. 396].
Calamy [1830].
Joshua succeeded Mr Edmund Batson (Wilson [1814, p. 312]).
Stephen [1885]. Sheffield died in 1726 (Calamy [1830, vol. II, p. 487]).
On early English presbyterianism see Anderson [1941, p. 160].
Pearson [1978, p. 355] and Stephen [1885]. For details of the other ministers involved in this work see Bogue and Bennett [vol. II, 1809, p. 297].
James [1867], Stephen [1885] and Wilson [1814].
James [1867].
Pearson [1978, p. 355], Stephen [1885] and Wilson [1814].
Wilson [1814].
Anderson [1941, pp. 160-161] and Wilson [1814, p. 401].
Barnard [1958, p. 294].
Pearson [1978] and Whiston [1753, pp. 325–326].
Pearson [1978, pp. 349-350].
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Dale, A.I. (1999). Thomas Bayes: A biographical sketch. In: A History of Inverse Probability. Sources and Studies in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8652-8_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8652-8_2
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