Samuel Dunn (mathematician)

Samuel Dunn wrote in his will: In 1743, when the first great fire broke out and destroyed the west town, I had been some time keeping a school and teaching writing, accounts, navigation, and other mathematical science, although not above twenty years of age; then I moved to the schoolhouse at the foot of Bowdown [now Bowden] Hill, and taught there till Christmas 1751, when I came to London.

From the preface, it appears that in 1758 Dunn had become master of an academy "for boarding and qualifying young gentlemen in arts, sciences, and languages, and for business", at Chelsea.

[16] In 1774, when residing at 6 Clement's Inn, near Temple Bar, he published his excellent New Atlas of the Mundane System, or of Geography and Cosmography, describing the Heavens and the Earth.

Such were:[1] He also "methodised, corrected, and further enlarged" a goodly quarto, entitled A New Directory for the East Indies … being a work originally begun upon the plan of the Oriental Neptune, augmented and improved by Mr. Willm.

Dunn was living at 8 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, in July 1777, but by September 1780 had taken up his abode at 1 Boar's Head Court, Fleet Street, where he continued for the remainder of his life.

[19] Therein he describes himself as "teacher of the mathematics and master for the longitude at sea", and desires to be buried "in the parish church belonging to the place where I shall happen to inhabit a little time before my decease".

[20] He also requested the corporation of Crediton to provide always and have a master of the school at the foot of Bowden Hill residing therein, of the church of England, but not in holy orders, an able teacher of writing, navigation, the lunar method of taking the longitude at sea, planning, drawing, and surveying, with all mathematical science.