Sir George Ripley (ca. 1415-1490) was a famous 15th century English alchemist, second only to Roger Bacon.
Ripley studied for twenty years in Italy where he became a great favourite of Pope Innocent VIII. He returned to England in 1477 and wrote his famous work The Compound of Alchymy; or, the Twelve Gates leading to the Discovery of the Philosopher's Stone, dedicated to King Edward IV and highly appreciated by him. His twenty-five volume work upon alchemy, of which the Liber Duodecim Portarum was the most important, brought him considerable fame.
Being particularly rich, he gave the general public some cause to believe in his ability to change base metal into gold. For example, Thomas Fuller in his Worthies of England, describes a reputable English gentleman who reported having seen a record in the island of Malta which stated that Ripley gave the enormous sum of one hundred thousand pounds sterling annually to the Knights of that island and of Rhodes to support their war against the Turks.
Ripley was at some time 'Canon of Bridlington'. He spent his elder years as an anchorite near Boston (Yorkshire).
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