Who Preceded The Lunar Men -- British Figures Born 1600 - 1740 -- July 1, 2025

This page (and question) was the result of reading The Lunar Men by Jenny Uglow. 

There's a huge change in western civilization between death of Shakespeare (somewhat medieval) and the death of King George III, 1820, entering the "modern world.

Shakespeare died in 1616.

James I reigned: 1603 - 1625.  

Smack dab in the middle of the reign of James 1, Shakespeare died. He had retired some years later, and perhaps his best works were upwards of ten years old when he died.

1616: Elizabethan  period--> James 1 (the King James version, Bible).

Essentially moving from the Elizabethan Age (somewhat medieval age) to the more modern age.

James 1 died in 1625, still somewhat medieval. There followed a succession of kings and queens (several) until we reach King George I, taking the throne in 1714; then George II, 1727, and ending with King George III, reigning 1760 - 1820. King George reigned during the American revolution.

The first industrial revolution is said to have begun in 1760, the exact year King George III became king.

There's a huge change in western civilization between death of Shakespeare (somewhat medieval) and the death of King George III, 1820, entering the "modern world.

The obvious question to ask ChatGPT:

In Britain, 1600 - 1740, who were the major figures born during that time period who would eventually effect the mid- to late-18th century: philosophers, scientists, statesmen, writers, etc. Mid- to late-18th century, let''s say 1760, the beginning of the first industrial revoution.

The answer:

Excellent question. The period from 1600 to 1740 would have set in motion the ideas that affected the movers and shakers in the period from 1760 to 1820, i.e., the first industrial revolution.

The period from 1600 to 1740 in Britain was an extraordinarily fertile time for the birth of individuals who would shape the mid- to late-18th century intellectually, politically, and culturally. Here’s a list of some of the most influential figures born within that window whose work or legacy profoundly affected Britain and, often, the world in the decades that followed.

The 1600–1740 birth cohort produced the foundational thinkers, scientists, and writers whose work set the intellectual stage for the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, the rise of modern parliamentary government, and the eventual colonial and economic expansions of Britain. It's interesting that none of the "Lunar men" are mentioned below even though they would have been active by 1760, and thus born by 1740.

Philosophers and thinkers:

• Thomas Hobbes, 1588 - 1679
  
• John Locke, 1632 - 1704
• George Berkeley, 1685 - 1753
• David Hume, 1711 - 1776
  

Scientists and mathematicians:

• Isaac Newton, 1643 - 1727
• Edmond Halley, 1656 - 1742
• Robert Hooke,1636 - 1703

Writers and poets:

• John Milton, 1608 - 1674
• Daniel Defoe, 660 - 1731
• Jonathan Swift, 1667- 1745
• Alexander Pope, 1688-1744

Statesmen and political figures:

• Robert Walpole, 1676 - 1745
  
• William Pitt the Elder, 1708 - 1778

Other influential figures:

• Samuel Johnson, 1709 - 1784
• Adam Smith, 1723 - 1790  

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A Reminder: The Lunar Men

Erasmus Darwin
Matthew Boulton
Josiah Wedgwood
James Watt

John Baskerville
Samuel Garbett
John Roebuck
Joseph Priestley
Small

Others
John Whitehurst
William Murdoch
Joseph Black
John Hutton

Benjamin Franklin

Minor:
Benjamin Huntsman