Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was a philosopher, statesman and scientist, best remembered for his work developing the scientific method. He was born in London and came up to Trinity College Cambridge in 1573 (yes, at the age of 12). At Cambridge he met Queen Elizabeth I, who was impressed by his intellect. After graduation he joined Gray’s Inn, becoming a judge and member of Court as well as MP for a variety of places including Ipswich and Cambridge University.
Bacon had a rocky career at Court: he found favour under James I and rose rapidly to the post of Lord High Chancellor, but things fell apart just as quickly when he was accused by his enemies of bribery and corruption. Bacon’s greater contribution to posterity was in science, philosophy and poetry. Bacon has been called the “Father of Science” for advocating a break with Aristotelian orthodoxy, which held that if clever enough men argued about something for long enough, the truth would be discovered. Bacon felt this 500-year old method was inadequate for modern society, and instead argued that science should use scepticism, inductive reasoning and observation to arrive at truth.
At the age of 45, Bacon married the 13 year old Alice Barnham; however there has been much speculation that Bacon preferred “masculine love” (a phrase he coined), much like his patrons James I and the Duke of Buckingham. Friends and enemies alike, and even Bacon’s own mother, commented on his affection for his young Welsh serving-men.
Alan Turing (1912-1954) was a mathematician, computer scientist and philosopher who was instrumental in the development of theoretic al computer science and artificial intelligence. Turing read maths from 1931-1934 at King’s College Cambridge, becoming a fellow in 1935. A year later he published one of his most important works, “On Computable Numbers”, which describes an imaginary computing device designed to replicate human mathematical abilities.
During the Second World War Turing was instrumental in developing code-breaking techniques at Bletchley Park. He then spent time in the US and London before joining the University of Manchester as a director of the Computing Machine Laboratory; it was here he developed the Turing test, a definition of what it means for a machine to be intelligent.
Turning began to explore his sexuality at Cambridge, where he felt welcomed by the tolerant environment at Kings. However things came undone in 1952, when Turing reported a burglary at his house in Wilmslow; with characteristic openness and naivety he admitted to the police that his male lover knew the burglar, leading to Turing’s conviction for gross indecency. Turing opted for hormone therapy rather than imprisonment, with the injection of synthetic oestrogen designed to limit his libido. He died of cyanide poisoning in 1954, and speculation continues over whether it was suicide or accident.
Turing has since been publicly pardoned, with his name given to the 2017 law used to retroactively pardon men affected by laws against homosexuality. He was voted greatest person of the 20th Century in a public poll in 2019, and as of 2021 is the face of the £50 note.
Dr Sophie Wilson (1957-) is a trans woman and computer scientist who lives in Lode. Wilson was born in Leeds and arrived in Cambridge in 1975 to read maths at Selwyn College. She had an early interest in computers, joining the Microprocessor Society and designing microcomputers in her summer breaks.
After graduation Wilson joined Acorn Computers Ltd, a British pioneer in computing. She was instrumental in designing the BBC Microcomputer, a computer designed to accompany a BBC computing course; it was a best-seller and was used in thousands of UK schools. Her work then shifted to focus more on CPUs to improve computing power. Together with Hermann Hauser and Steve Furber she developed the Advanced RISC Machine, a chip with low power consumption and outstanding energy efficiency. Today this chip is designed by one of the biggest technology companies in the world – ARM, which takes its name from the processor now used in 90% of all mobile devices.
Wilson is one of the most important women in computer science history and cited by the Royal Society as an architect of the modern world.
Further Reading
A Queer History of Cambridgeshire 
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