Samuel Hartlib was not a literary figure in his own right, but he played a key role in the dissemination of educational, scientific, religious, agricultural and political writing throughout Europe and North America in the seventeenth century.

He was born in Elbing (now Elblag in Poland, then part of Prussia) in about 1600, to a wealthy German dye-works owner and his English wife. After attending school at Brieg in Silesia, Hartlib studied at Cambridge (without taking a degree) in 1625-6. He settled in England for good in 1628 and married Mary Burningham, an English woman, the following year.

He was born in Elbing (now Elblag in Poland, then part of Prussia) in about 1600, to a wealthy German dye-works owner and his English wife. After attending school at Brieg in Silesia, Hartlib studied…

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Citation: Young, John. "Samuel Hartlib". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 March 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2014, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2014 Samuel Hartlib 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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