Robert Recorde

Welsh mathematician and inventor of the symbol '='
Person human Q318192
Robert Recorde
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Robert Recorde

Summary

Robert Recorde is a human[1]. His place of birth was Tenby[2]. He was born on 1512[3]. He died in London[4]. He died on January 1, 1558[5]. He worked as a mathematician[6], physician[7], and philosopher[8]. He ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (457 views/month, #7,203 of 1,000,298).[9]

Key Facts

  • Robert Recorde was born in Tenby[2].
  • Robert Recorde passed away in London[4].
  • Robert Recorde was born on 1512[3].
  • Robert Recorde was born on 1510[10].
  • Robert Recorde died on January 1, 1558[5].
  • Robert Recorde is buried at St Mary's Church, Tenby[11].
  • Robert Recorde held citizenship in Wales[12].
  • Robert Recorde's professions included mathematician[6].
  • Robert Recorde's professions included physician[7].
  • Robert Recorde's professions included philosopher[8].
  • Robert Recorde's field of work was mathematics[13].
  • Among Robert Recorde's employers was All Souls College[14].
  • Robert Recorde was employed by University of Cambridge[15].
  • Robert Recorde was employed by Royal Mint[16].
  • Robert Recorde's education included a stint at University of Cambridge[17].
  • Robert Recorde was educated at University of Oxford[18].
  • A notable work attributed to Robert Recorde is The Whetstone of Witte[19].
  • A notable work attributed to Robert Recorde is The Ground of Arts[20].
  • A notable work attributed to Robert Recorde is The Castle of Knowledge[21].
  • Robert Recorde is recorded as male[22].
  • Robert Recorde's instance of is recorded as human[23].
  • Robert Recorde's Commons category is recorded as Robert Recorde[24].
  • Robert Recorde's given name is recorded as Robert[25].
  • Robert Recorde's described by source is recorded as Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900[26].
  • Robert Recorde's described by source is recorded as Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Born in Tenby[2], Robert Recorde… Recorded date of birth include 1512[3] and 1510[10].

Education

Educated at University of Cambridge[17], a collegiate university[28], in United Kingdom[29], founded in 1209[30], headquartered in Cambridge[31] and University of Oxford[18], a collegiate university[32], in United Kingdom[33], founded in 1096[34], headquartered in Oxford[35].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include mathematician[6], physician[7], and philosopher[8]. Robert Recorde's field of work was mathematics[13]. Employers include All Souls College[14], a college of the University of Oxford[36], in United Kingdom[37], founded in 1438[38], headquartered in Oxford[39]; University of Cambridge[15], a collegiate university[40], in United Kingdom[41], founded in 1209[42], headquartered in Cambridge[43]; and Royal Mint[16], a mint[44], in United Kingdom[45], founded in 0886[46], headquartered in Llantrisant[47].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include The Whetstone of Witte[19], a literary work[48]; The Ground of Arts[20], a literary work[49]; and The Castle of Knowledge[21].

Death and Burial

Robert Recorde died on January 1, 1558[5]. He died in London[4]. Burial took place at St Mary's Church, Tenby[11].

Why It Matters

Robert Recorde ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (457 views/month, #7,203 of 1,000,298).[9] He has Wikipedia articles in 23 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[50]

He is credited with the discovery of equals sign[51], a comparison sign[52]. Works attributed to him include The Whetstone of Witte[53], a literary work[54].

FAQs

Where was Robert Recorde born?

Robert Recorde was born in Tenby[2].

Where did Robert Recorde die?

Robert Recorde died in London[4].

What did Robert Recorde do for work?

Robert Recorde worked as mathematician[6], physician[7], and philosopher[8].

Where did Robert Recorde go to school?

Robert Recorde was educated at University of Cambridge[17] and University of Oxford[18].

What did Robert Recorde discover?

Robert Recorde is credited as discoverer of equals sign[51].

References

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

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Dictionary of Welsh Biography. wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  3. [22] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [12] . bbc.co.uk. bbc.co.uk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  5. [23] . wikidata.org.
  6. [17] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  7. [18] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  8. [13] . wikidata.org.
  9. [6] . wikidata.org.
  10. [7] . wikidata.org.
  11. [8] . wikidata.org.
  12. [14] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  13. [15] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  14. [16] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. wikidata.org.
  15. [11] . Find a Grave. wikidata.org.
  16. [24] . wikidata.org.
  17. [3] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. wikidata.org.
  18. [10] . MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [5] . A Short History of Astronomy. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  20. [25] . wikidata.org.
  21. [19] . A Short History of Astronomy. wikidata.org.
  22. [20] . wikidata.org.
  23. [21] . wikidata.org.
  24. [26] . wikidata.org.
  25. [27] . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [51] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [53] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [9] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [50] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Robert Recorde. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/robert-recorde
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BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_robert-recorde_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Robert Recorde}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/robert-recorde}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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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 · Epìdosis · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Educated at University of Cambridge, University of Oxford
    Languages spoken, written or signed English
    Educated at
    Maintained by wikiproject WikiProject Mathematics
    + 21 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32084|batch #32084]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (26)"
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