James Bradley

English astronomer; Astronomer Royal
Person human Q312278
James Bradley
After Thomas Hudson · Public Domain · Wikimedia
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James Bradley

Summary

James Bradley is a human[1]. He was born in Sherborne[2]. He was born on March 1693[3]. He passed away in Chalford[4]. He died on July 13, 1762[5]. He worked as an astronomer[6] and university teacher[7]. He ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (169 views/month, #7,245 of 1,000,298).[8]

Key Facts

  • James Bradley's place of birth was Sherborne[2].
  • James Bradley died in Chalford[4].
  • James Bradley was born on March 1693[3].
  • James Bradley died on July 13, 1762[5].
  • James Bradley died on March 13, 1762[9].
  • James Bradley is buried at Church of the Holy Trinity[10].
  • James Bradley held citizenship in Kingdom of Great Britain[11].
  • James Bradley is identified as part of the English people ethnic group[12].
  • James Bradley's professions included astronomer[6].
  • James Bradley worked as a university teacher[7].
  • James Bradley's field of work was astronomy[13].
  • James Bradley held the position of Astronomer Royal[14].
  • James Bradley held the position of Savilian Professor of Astronomy[15].
  • James Bradley was employed by University of Oxford[16].
  • Among James Bradley's employers was Church of England[17].
  • James Bradley's education included a stint at Balliol College[18].
  • James Bradley was educated at University of Oxford[19].
  • James Bradley's doctoral advisor was James Pound[20].
  • A notable student of James Bradley was Nevil Maskelyne[21].
  • A notable work attributed to James Bradley is optical aberration[22].
  • A notable work attributed to James Bradley is nutation[23].
  • James Bradley received the Copley Medal[24].
  • James Bradley received the Fellow of the Royal Society[25].
  • James Bradley was a member of Royal Society[26].
  • James Bradley was a member of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences[27].

Body

Origins and Family

James Bradley's place of birth was Sherborne[2]. He was born on March 1693[3]. He is identified as part of the English people ethnic group[12].

Education

Educated at Balliol College[18], a college of the University of Oxford[28], in United Kingdom[29], founded in 1263[30], headquartered in Oxford[31] and University of Oxford[19], a collegiate university[32], in United Kingdom[33], founded in 1096[34], headquartered in Oxford[35]. James Bradley's doctoral advisor was James Pound[20].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include astronomer[6] and university teacher[7]. James Bradley's field of work was astronomy[13]. Employers include University of Oxford[16], a collegiate university[36], in United Kingdom[37], founded in 1096[38], headquartered in Oxford[39] and Church of England[17], a state church[40], in United Kingdom[41], founded in 1534[42], headquartered in Church House[43]. Positions held include Astronomer Royal[14], a position[44], founded in 1675[45] and Savilian Professor of Astronomy[15], a chair[46]. A notable student of him was Nevil Maskelyne[21].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include optical aberration[22], a scientific theory[47] and nutation[23], a scientific theory[48]. Things named for James Bradley include Mons Bradley[49], a mons[50].

Recognition

Awards received include Copley Medal[24], a medallion[51], in United Kingdom[52], founded in 1731[53] and Fellow of the Royal Society[25], a fellowship award[54], in United Kingdom[55].

Personal Life

James Bradley's religion is recorded as Anglicanism[56].

Death and Burial

Recorded date of death include July 13, 1762[5] and March 13, 1762[9]. James Bradley died in Chalford[4]. Burial took place at Church of the Holy Trinity[10].

Why It Matters

James Bradley ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (169 views/month, #7,245 of 1,000,298).[8] He has Wikipedia articles in 24 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[57] He is known by 25 alternative names across languages and contexts.[58]

He is credited with the discovery of optical aberration[59], a scientific theory[60] and nutation[61], a scientific theory[62]. Entities named for him include Mons Bradley[49], a mons[50].

FAQs

Where was James Bradley born?

James Bradley was born in Sherborne[2].

Where did James Bradley die?

James Bradley passed away in Chalford[4].

What did James Bradley do for work?

James Bradley worked as astronomer[6] and university teacher[7].

Where did James Bradley go to school?

James Bradley was educated at Balliol College[18] and University of Oxford[19].

What awards did James Bradley receive?

Honors received include Copley Medal[24] and Fellow of the Royal Society[25].

What did James Bradley discover?

James Bradley is credited as discoverer of optical aberration[59] and nutation[61].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  3. [11] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  4. [14] ↑ . A Short History of Astronomy. wikidata.org.
  5. [15] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  6. [18] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  7. [19] ↑ . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  8. [13] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [6] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  10. [7] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  11. [16] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  12. [17] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  13. [10] ↑ . Find a Grave. wikidata.org.
  14. [56] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  15. [24] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. Retrieved . docs.google.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  16. [25] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  17. [12] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  18. [20] ↑ . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.
  19. [26] ↑ . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  20. [27] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  21. [3] ↑ . Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. link.springer.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  22. [5] ↑ . SNAC. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  23. [9] ↑ . Find a Grave. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  24. [22] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  25. [23] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  26. [21] ↑ . Mathematics Genealogy Project. wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [59] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [61] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [49] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [44] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [45] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [46] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [28] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [29] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [30] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [31] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [32] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [33] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [34] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [35] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [36] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [37] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [38] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [39] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [40] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [41] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [42] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [43] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [51] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [52] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [53] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [54] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [55] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [47] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [48] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [60] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [62] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [50] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [8] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [57] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [58] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). James Bradley. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/james-bradley-q312278
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BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_james-bradley-q312278_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{James Bradley}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/james-bradley-q312278}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-05}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 1d ago · Bargioni · 2026-10-04 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Depicted by → James Bradley, James Bradley (1693–1762), James Bradley (1692–1762) +2
    Wikipedia languages → ['ar', 'be', 'bg', 'ca', 'commons', 'cs', 'cy', 'da', 'de', 'el', 'en', 'eo', 'e
    Sbn author id → TO0V425977
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ [[Property:P396]]: TO0V425977, Added with [[User:Bargioni/Compare_Titles.js|Compare Titles]]"
  2. 10w ago · Beavercount · 2026-07-24 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Depicted by → James Bradley, James Bradley (1693–1762), James Bradley (1692–1762) +2
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ [[Property:P1299]]: [[Q119718939]]"
  3. 13w ago · Printstream · 2026-07-04 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14608 → 117623687
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14608]]: 117623687, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1783130387391"
  4. 14w ago · Printstream · 2026-06-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Described by source → Nordisk familjebok, Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary +7
    Occupation → astronomer, university teacher
    Field of work → —
    Religion or worldview → Anglicanism
    + 33 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14536]]: 384828, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782462304762"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.