Tom Turner was an official in the British Post Office, and a poet and short story writer. His substantial collection of books, mainly poetry but including some fiction and other prose, is now held in the library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
John Urpeth Rastrick was born at Morpeth in Northumberland on 26 January 1780, the son of John Rastrick, an engineer to whom he became articled in 1795. In about 1801, he was working at the Ketley Iron Works in Shropshire and, in or after 1805, he joined in partnership with John Hazledine (soon succeeded by Robert Hazledine) of Bridgenorth, Shropshire. During this time, Rastrick assisted in the construction of the locomotive 'Catch me who Can' for Richard Trevithick in 1808, and in 1814, he took out a patent for a steam engine and soon started experimenting with steam traction on railways. His first major work was the cast iron road bridge over the Wye at Chepstow (1815-1816). In 1817 Rastrick left that partnership, to join with James Foster, in about 1819, at the iron works which then became known as Foster, Rastrick and Co., at Stourbridge, Worcestershire. His association with railway engineering began in 1822 when he became an engineer for the Stratford and Moreton Railway. Rastrick became an active supporter of railway proposals put before Parliament, an adviser to railway companies, and a designer and builder of locomotives - the 'Agenoria' and 'Stourbridge Lion' for example. He acted as surveyor or engineer to parts of a large number of lines, among them the Liverpool and Manchester (1829 onwards), the Manchester and Cheshire Junction (1835 onwards), and the series of lines later known as the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (1836 onwards). About 1847, he retired from engineering work, although he continued to occupy himself with railway business, and was active in a number of arbitrations concerning railway disputes. He retired to Sayes Court, Chertsey, Surrey and died on 1 November 1856.
Gladys Ellen Easdale spent her adult life on the margins of the London literary and musical scene. She wrote about her life in an autobiography, Middle Age , 1885-1932, published in 1935, first anonymously and then under the surname of Killin.
John Baker Holroyd was born in 1735. In 1781 he was created Baron Sheffield of Dunamare, Co. Meath in the Peerage of Ireland and in 1802 created Baron Sheffield of Sheffield, Co. York in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. He was President of the Board of Agriculture, a Lord of Trade and one of His Majesty's most honourable Privy Council. He was known in the literary world as a writer on political economy. He died in 1821.
Quintin Hogg was born in London and educated at Eton College. Upon leaving school in 1863 he initially worked for a tea merchant before entering the firm of sugar merchants Bosanquet, Curtis and Co, where he worked his way up to become a senior partner; renamed Hogg, Curtis and Campbell, the firm prospered under his direction and controlled several factories in Demerara, British Guiana. Hogg was known for modernizing production methods and for his philanthropy, the latter motivated largely by his Christian faith. His best known role was as founder and president of the Regent Street Polytechnic (now part of the University of Westminster), which provided adult education for both sexes.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
Jean-Baptiste Say was born in Lyon, France, in 1767. He worked in England for several years before returning to France to work for an insurance company. His first pamphlet was published in 1789 and he subsequently wrote and edited many works on a variety of economic topics. He is best known as the proponent of Say's law, commonly expressed as 'supply creates its own demand', and his work had a strong influence on 19th century economists.
Thomas Hay Sweet Escott was born in Taunton, Somerset in 1844. He was educated at Somerset College, Bath, and Queen's College, Oxford. Between 1866 and 1873 he lectured in logic and classics at King's College, London, alongside a second job as a leader writer on the Standard; he subsequently abandoned academia to concentrate on developing a career in journalism. Between 1882 and 1886 he edited the Fortnightly Review. A man of broadly conservative opinions, Escott continued to write widely on political, historical and literary topics throughout his life.
Graham Eden Hamond was born in London in 1779, and went to sea at a young age. He became a lieutenant in 1796 and saw active service in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, rising the ranks to become a Captain in 1798, Rear-Admiral in 1825, Vice-Admiral in 1837, Admiral in 1847 and Admiral of the Fleet in 1862. He succeeded his father as a baronet in 1838 and was made KCB in 1831.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
James Cornwallis was the son of James Cornwallis (afterwards Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield and 4th Earl Cornwallis) and his wife Catharine, daughter of Galfridus Mann. The younger James Cornwallis, who adopted the surname Mann by royal licence in 1814, in conformance with the terms of his maternal grandfather's will, succeeded his father as 5th Earl in 1824. He had no heirs and the title became extinct on his death.
William Henry Leatham was born into a Quaker family in Wakefield, Yorkshire in 1815. He was educated in London, before returning to Yorkshire to work for the family bank. His first volume of poetry was published in 1839. He and his wife formally joined the Church of England some time in the 1840s. Leatham was a prominent local figure and served as Liberal MP for Wakefield during 1859-1862 and 1865-1868, and for the Southern West Riding of Yorkshire during 1880-1885.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
James Jardine was born in Applegarth, Dumfriesshire, and educated in Dumfries and Edinburgh. By 1809 he was practising as a civil engineer in Edinburgh and subsequently became well known for his work both in that city and elsewhere. He was a member of Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Geological Society, the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Society of Civil Engineers, and served as a Director of the Edinburgh Astronomical Institution.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
Thomas Bazley was born and educated in Bolton, Lancashire. He became successful in the textile industry in Manchester and was heavily involved in local politics. He became an MP in 1857 and a baronet in 1869. Bazley was also deeply interested in education, supporting the Manchester School system and becoming one the founding governors and a trustee of the Victoria University of Manchster. From the 17870s he lived mainly in Gloucestershire, at his country estate at Eyford Park.
William Hesketh Lever was born and educated in Bolton, Lancashire. He started working in the family grocery business as a young man and his talent for marketing increased the success of the firm dramatically. The Sunlight and Lux brands are soap are among the products associated with him, as well as the Port Sunlight complex of factories and workers' accommodation that he built in Cheshire. Some of his other ventures, including attepts to develop the fishing industry in the Outer Hebrides and the palm oil industry in the Belgian Congo, were less successful. Lever served briefly as Liberal MP for the Wirral, Cheshire, between 1906 and 1909. He was created a baronet in 1911 and became Baron Leverhulme in 1917; the peerage was raised to a viscountcy in 1922.
Henry Hobhouse was born near Castle Cary, Somerset, and educated at Eton and at Brasenose College, Oxford. He subsequently studied law and was called to the bar in 1801. Hobhouse became a civil servant, working sucessively as Solicitor to HM Customs, Treasury Solicitor and Permanent Under-Secretary to the Home Department, from which he retired in 1827. In 1826 he had become Keeper of the State Papers, where his main task was superintending the publication of The State Papers of Henry VIII (11 volumes, 1830-1852). The State Papers Office was absorbed by the Public Record Office in 1854, the year of both Hobhouse's death and of the birth of his grandson and namesake, the politician Henry Hobhouse.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
Prince Alexander of Teck was born in 1874. The third son of Francis, Duke of Teck, and Princess Mary, Duchess of Teck (a granddaughter of George III and first cousin of Queen Victoria). Alexander's elder sister, Mary, was later Queen consort to George V. Prince Alexander was educated at Eton College and Sandhurst, before serving in the army in India and South Africa. He married Princess Alice of Albany (Queen Victoria's granddaughter) in 1904. The British Royal Family decided to discard German-sounding names during the First World War, so in July 1917, the Tecks adopted the surname Cambridge; Prince Alexander was created Earl of Athlone shortly afterwards. Athlone served as Governor-General of South Africa between 1923 and 1931 and of Canada between 1940 and 1946. He was also Chancellor of the University of London from 1932 until 1955. Both his sons predeceased him and the peerage became extinct when he died.
Joseph Cowen was the son of Sir Joseph Cowen (1800-1873) and his wife Mary. He succeeded his father as Liberal MP for Newcastle upon Tyne in 1873, holding the seat until 1886. He was a lifelong contributor to the Newcastle Chronicle, eventually becoming its owner and editor.
Stephen Spender was born in London, brought up in London and Norfolk, and educated at University College School in Hampstead and University College, Oxford. His first book of poetry was published in 1930 and was followed by many other works of poetry and prose, including World within World (1951), a novel heavily influenced by his earlier life and complicated sexuality. He co-edited the literary magazine Encounter 1953 until 1967, when he resigned over a funding scandal. In his later years, Spender was acclaimed as one of the leading poets writing in English and held several academic positions, including a chair at University College London (1970-1975). He received a CBE in 1962 and was knighted in 1983.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
Henry Carey Baird was born in Bridesburg, Pennsylvania in 1825. He became a partner in the Philadelphia publishing house of Carey and Hart in 1845, but left in 1849 to establish his own firm, H C Baird and Co. Baird also wrote on economics. The economist and publisher Henry Charles Carey was his uncle.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
William Bence Jones was born in Beccles, Suffolk in 1812. He was educated at Harrow School and at Balliol College, Oxford. In 1838 he took over the management of the Lisselan estate, near Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland. He was a successful farmer and manager, but unpopular with the local people. He also published several books on agriculture and on religion in Ireland. Jones retired and left Ireland in 1881, spending the last 18 months of his life in London.
William Eden was born in 1744. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, and subsequently trained as a lawyer; he was called to the bar in 1768. He had a strong interest in the philosophy of jurisprudence and believed firmly in legal reform. In the 1770s, as an under-secretary of state and later MP for New Woodstock, he was able to effect some changes to the legal and penal system. He also published several legal and political works. In the 1880s and early 1890s Eden was a diplomat in France and Spain. He was given an Irish peerage in 1789 and a British peerage in 1793.
Irene Bass was born in Lydd, Kent, and educated at nearby Ashford and at Maidstone School of Art before entering the Royal College of Art in London. She susbequently became one of the leading British calligraphers, teaching at Edinburgh College of Art and the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London, as well as making a living from freelance work and commissions. Irene was married twice, firstly to her cousin Jack Sutton (annulled in 1944) and secondly to the artist and teacher Hubert Lindsay Wellington.
Francis Wormald was born on 1 June 1904. He was educated at Eton and Magdalene College, Cambridge. From 1927 to 1949 he served as Assistant Keeper at the Department of Manuscripts at the British Museum. During the Second World War Wormald served in the Ministry of Home Security, producing Civil Defence training films. He was Professor of Paleography at the University of London between 1950 and 1960. In 1960 he was appointed Professor of History and Director of the Institute of Historical Research (IHR). Wormald was a member of the Institute of Advanced Study, Princeton University, USA, from 1955 until 1956; the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments in 1957; the Advisory Council on Public Records from 1965 to 1967 and President of the Society of Antiquaries from 1965 to 1970. In 1967 he became a Trustee of the British Museum and Governor of the London Museum in 1971. His major publications include English Kalendars before AD 1100 (1934); English Benedictine Kalendars after 1100 (2 volumes, 1939 and 1946) and English Drawings of the 10th and 11th Centuries (1952). He also contributed articles to Archaelogia, Antiquaries Journal and the Walpole Society. He was appointed Honorary Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge in 1961 and awarded a CBE in 1969. He died on 11 January 1972.
Ebenezer Elliott was born in Rotherham, Yorkshire, and initially worked at his father's foundry there. After the firm's collapse, he moved to Sheffield and started a cutlery business with money borrowed from his wife's family. He was actively opposed to the Corn Laws and founded the Sheffield Anti-Corn Law Society in 1834. Having written poetry since his youth, Elliott was actively interested in literature as well as business and politics. He published several volumes of Corn Law Rhymes in the early 1830s and consquently became known as the Corn Law Rhymer.
Adeline Virginia Stephen (always known by her middle name) was born in London in 1882, and educated at home. The deaths of her parents and two elder siblings before Virginia was 25 had a profound effect on her work. She wrote from an early age and, as young women, she and her sister Vanessa were founders of the Bloomsbury Group of young writers and artists. She married fellow writer Leonard Woolf in 1912. Woolf's novels include Mrs Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927) and Orlando (1928), the latter partly inspired by her relationship with the writer Vita Sackville-West; she was also a prolific essayist, diarist and correspondent. She drowned herself in 1941, fearing another collapse in her often-fragile mental health. Her writing prefigured several later developments in 20th century fiction and is still acclaimed by many critics.
Francis William Newman was born in London and educated at Worcester College, Oxford, graduating with a double first in 1826. As a young man he travelled in the Middle East before settling to an academic career. After holding positions in Bristol and Manchester, he became Professor of Latin at University College London in 1846, retaining the post until 1862. Newman also wrote widely on classical and religious topics and was a staunch supporter of women's rights and women's education. He returned to south-west England in 1866 and continued to write extensively while living in retirement at Weston-super-Mare. Unlike his elder brother, John Henry Newman (who converted to Roman Catholicism and became a cardinal), Francis Newman came to be sceptical of religious teaching, rejecting bibical authority and Christian dogma, but still considered himself to be a Christian.
Miss Winifred Mozley was the great-niece of Francis William Newman.
Faraday was born in London in 1791. He was apprenticed to a bookbinder. He became deeply interested in chemistry and began to work for the retired Professor Humphrey Davy and for the Royal Institution, becoming its director in 1825. From the 1820s he conducted many experiments in electromagnetism and made great advances in the understanding of electricity and magnetism; his work laid the foundations that have made practical use of electricity possible. From 1829 until 1852 he was Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich, and from 1836 to 1863 he was a member of the University of London Senate. He married Sarah Bernard (1800-1879) in 1821 and they were both practising members of the Sandemanian Christian sect.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
Born in Philadelphia, Henry George settled in California, where he became successful in the newspaper industry and wrote several books. He is known as the founder of 'Georgism', an economic policy advocating land value taxation as a replacement for other forms of taxation and asserting that land and natural resources belong to all humanity equally.
Peter Mackenzie was born in 1799. He originally trained as a lawyer, but eventually turned to journalism. He founded The Loyal Reformers' Gazette, a periodical supporting parliamentary reform, in 1831; Mackenzie lived and worked mainly in Glasgow. His book Old Reminiscences of Glasgow (1865) was a rather unflattering portrait of the city and many of its inhabitants, but he remained a popular figure among the general public.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
Reginald Baliol Brett was born in London in 1885. He was educated at Eton and at Trinity College, Cambridge. He served as Liberal MP for Penrhyn between 1880 and 1885 and succeeded his father as Viscount Esher in 1899. Lord Esher became closely associated with the Royal Family, serving as Deputy Constable and Lieutenant Governor of Windsor Castle from 1901 until 1928, and subsequently as the castle's Constable and Governor until his death in 1930.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
Hermione Llewellyn was born in Gloucestershire and brought up in Wales. Whilst working in Australia as personal assistant to the Governor of New South Wales, she met Daniel Knox, Earl of Ranfurly, whom she married in 1939. Following miliatary service in the Second World War, Lord Ranfurly was appointed Governor of the Bahamas in 1953. Whilst living in Nassau, Lady Ranfurly founded the Ranfurly Library Service, in response to the lack of libraries and school books available in the Bahamas. After the couple's return to Britain, she expanded the service (later renamed Book Aid International) to other parts of the English-speaking world; in 1970 she received an OBE in recognition of her work. Lady Ranfurly also published a memoir of her wartime experiences, To War With Whitaker (1994).
No information was available at the time of compilation.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
Leonard Horner was born and educated in Edinburgh. He worked initially in his family's linen business and later, unsuccessfully, as an underwiter at Lloyd's insurance office; after his father's death in 1829 he had a private income. From 1833 to 1859 he was a member of the Royal Commission on the employment of children in factories and worked hard to ensure that factory workers received the legal protection to which they were entitled. Horner was very interested in scholarship: in 1821 he founded the Edinburgh School of Arts (later to become Herriot-Watt University) and was the first warden and secretary of the new University of London (later University College London) during 1827-1831. His keenest interest was in geology and he served twice as president of the Geological Society (1845-1846 and 1860-1861), controversially allowing women to attend meetings during his second term of office. In 1813 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
Thomas Robert Malthus was born in Surrey in 1766. He was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge, and graduated with a BA in 1788 and an MA in 1791, becoming a fellow in 1793. He was ordained deacon in the Church of England in 1789 and ordained priest in 1791. His first and best-known book An Essay on the Principle of Population was published in 1798, with several substantially revised editions following during the next two decades; he also wrote several other books on economics and demographics. From 1805 until his death Malthus was professor of history and political economy at East India College, Haileybury, Hertfordshire. He became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1818 and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1825, and was a founding member of both the Political Economy Club and the Statistical Society of London.