The Reverend John Hellins c.1749-1827

The Reverend John Hellins was not just a country parson, celebrated locally for founding the village school in Potterspury. He was also extremely clever, and although this is a useful attribute for a vicar and a schoolteacher, John Hellins applied his mind to the study of mathematics and astronomy. His work was so important that he was appointed a member of the Royal Society in 1796 - the Royal Society was (and is) Britain's oldest and most eminent scientific body.

John Hellins went on to achieve even greater things: in 1799, the Royal Society awarded him their greatest prize, the Copley Medal. Later winners included  Darwin, Einstein and, in 2006, Stephen Hawking.

Until recently, there did not seem to be any pictures of John Hellins, but one of his descendants was recently in touch with the school and was kind enough to give us a copy of a pencil sketch of John Hellins, dated 1805. This sketch was photographed in 1910 by Herbert Henry Hellins, the great-grandson of John Hellins. And Henry Hellins' great-grandaughter, Heather Thomas has allowed us to reproduce it here.

Click here to see a picture of his grave in Potterspury churchyard.

Click here to see his certificate of election to the Royal Society