William Lilly

Born in Diseworth, Leicestershire, in 1602, William Lilly rose from modest beginnings to become the most famous English astrologer of his century. He went to London as a young man, educated himself further, and built a reputation through almanacs, chart readings, and especially horary astrology, the practice of answering specific questions by casting a chart for the moment they were asked.

Lilly became a public figure during the turbulent years of the English Civil War, when printed predictions and political anxieties gave astrology unusual cultural power. His best-known book, Christian Astrology (1647), remained influential long after his death and is still remembered as a major classic of the subject.

He died in 1681, but his name has endured because he was more than a working astrologer: he was also a sharp observer of his age, with a life story closely tied to the fears, ambitions, and curiosity of 17th-century England.