Showing 15887 results

Authority record

Emilia Frances Dilke: Born Ilfracombe, Devon, 2 Sep 1840, daughter of Major Henry Strong; educated privately; married firstly Mark Pattison, Rector of Lincoln College Oxford (d 1884) in 1862, secondly Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke Bt, MP, in 1885; contributed articles and reviews on art history to many periodicals including to The Westminster Review, The Saturday Review, Academy, The Art Journal and the Gazette des Beaux Arts.
In 1876 she joined the Women's Protective and Provident League (later the Women's Trade Union League) which had been founded by Emma Patterson in 1874. She spoke at annual meetings of the League in 1877 and in 1880, when she urged the need for technical education for women. She founded a branch in Oxford and was also an active member of the Women's Suffrage Society at Oxford. From 1889-1904 she attended the Trades Union Congress as a representative of the League, and frequently spoke at meetings throughout the country on labour questions affecting women, particularly the cause of unskilled workers in dangerous trades. She died at Pyrford Rough, Woking, 24 Oct 1904.
Publications: Renaissance of Art in France (1879); a critical biography of Lord Leighton in the series Dumas' Modern Artists (1881); Art in the Modern State or the Age of Louis XIV , (1884); Claude Lorrain, d'apres des documents inedits (1884); French Painters of the Eighteenth Century(1889); French Architects and Sculptors of the Eighteenth Century (1900); French Engravers and Draughtsmen of the Eighteenth Century (1902) and two volumes of short stories The Shrine of Death, and other Stories (1886) and The Shrine of Love, and other Stories (1891).

Born at Lurgan, County Armagh, Ireland, only son of John Dill and his wife Jane, née Greer, 1881; educated at Methodist College, Belfast, County Antrim, Ireland, Cheltenham College, Gloucestershire, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst; commissioned into 1 Bn, The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regt (Royal Canadians), 1901; service in Second Boer War, South Africa, 1901-1902; Assistant Adjutant, 1 Bn, The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regt (Royal Canadians), Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland, Shorncliffe, Kent, and Blackdown, Dorset, 1902-1906; Lt, 1903; Adjutant, 1 Bn, The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regt (Royal Canadians), Blackdown, Dorset, and Devonport, Devon, 1906-1909; Bde Signal Officer, UK, 1909; Capt, 1911; graduated from Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, 1914; General Staff Officer 3, Eastern Command, 1914; served in World War One, 1914-1918; Bde Maj, 25 Bde, 8 Div, BEF (British Expeditionary Force), France, 1914-1916; Battles of Neuve Chapelle and Aubers Ridge, 1915; awarded DSO, 1915; General Staff Officer 2, 55 (West Lancashire) Div, Territorial Force, Western Front, 1916; Maj, 1916; General Staff Officer 2, Canadian Corps, Western Front, 1916-1917; Brevet Lt Col, 1917; General Staff Officer 1, 37 Div, Western Front, 1917; temporary Lt Col, 1917-1918; General Staff Officer 1, Operations Branch, General Headquarters, British Armies in France, 1917-1918; awarded CMG, 1918; temporary Brig Gen, 1918-1920; Brig Gen General Staff, Operations Branch, General Headquarters, British Armies in France, 1918-1919; Brevet Col, 1919; Brig Gen General Staff and Chief Instructor, Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, 1919-1922; Col, 1920; commanded Welsh Border Bde, 53 (Welsh) Div, Territorial Army, 1922-1923; Col Commandant, 2 Infantry Bde, Aldershot, Hampshire, 1923-1926; Army Instructor, Imperial Defence College, London, 1926-1928; awarded CB, 1928; Brig General Staff, Western Command, Quetta, India, 1929-1931; Maj Gen, 1930; Commandant, Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, 1931-1934; Col, East Lancashire Regt, 1932; Director of Military Operations and Intelligence, War Office, 1934-1936; Lt Gen, 1936; General Officer Commanding British Troops in Palestine and Transjordan, 1936-1937; created KCB, 1937; General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Aldershot Command, 1937-1939; Gen, 1939; General Officer Commanding 1 Corps, Belgium and France, 1939-1940; Vice Chief of the Imperial General Staff, 1940; Aide de Camp General to the King, 1940-1941; Chief of the Imperial General Staff, May 1940-Dec 1941; Governor-Designate, Bombay, India, 1941; FM, 1941; Head of British Joint Staff Mission, and Senior British Member, Combined Chiefs of Staff Committee, Washington DC, USA, 1942-1944; appointed GCB, 1942; Col Commandant, The Parachute Regt, 1942-1944; Col Commandant, Army Air Corps, 1942-1944; died, 1944; posthumously awarded US Distinguished Service Medal, 1944.

Dillons Chemical Co Ltd

Dillons Klipstein Limited was registered in 1931 to acquire Dillons Limited and the Montreal branch of A Klipstein and Company. It was a private company, based in Montreal and Toronto. In 1932 it was acquired by American Cyranamid and Chemical Corporation, and in 1938 it was acquired by Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112).

The name was changed to Dillons Chemical Company Limited in 1939. In 1951 the Company became the sole agents of the products of Fine Chemicals of Canada Limited (see CLC/B/112/MS37572). In 1970 Dillons Chemical Company amalgamated with Harrisons and Crosfield (Canada) Limited (see CLC/B/112/MS37562-9).

For historical notes concerning Harrisons and Crosfield's shareholdings in the Company see CLC/B/112/MS37392. For staff lists of Dillons Chemical Company Limited see CLC/B/112/MS37340-2.

William Dines was born on 5 August 1855, son of George Dines, inventor of a hygrometer and an active Fellow of the Meteorological Society. Never robust, he was the only son to survive childhood. He attended Woodcote House School in Windlesham. He learned engineering as a pupil at the Nine Elm Works of the South Western Railway, and after completing his apprenticeship went to Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, taking his BA degree in 1881 as twentieth wrangler. In 1882 he remained at Cambridge as a mathematical coach. He continued to teach mathematics, first as assistant to an army coach, and then in correspondence classes, but subsequently his meteorological work absorbed all his time. The Tay Bridge disaster of 28 December 1879, when a train crossing the bridge was carried away with the bridge into the river by a squall of wind, claimed attention of both meterologists and engineers to decide what allowance should be made for wind force on engineers' structures. Dines became the most active member of a Wind-Force Committee appointed by the Meteorological Society in 1886, revising the equation for wind-force from three 'significant figures' with a tolerance for 40 per cent to a single figure with very little error. He also designed the pressure tube anemograph for measuring wind velocity, including a device for recording the direction as well as velocity, hence providing a record of wind indispensable for the study of dynamical meterology. In his investigation of the structure of the upper air, Dines was equally successful, being the prime mover in establishing a committee for the investigation of the characteristics of the free atmosphere by the Royal Meteorological Society and the British Association in 1901. Dines began with diamond shaped kites of his own design at Oxshott, and moved to the Chiltern Hills near Watlington. Here he developed the use of sounding balloons, maintaining the investigation with kites at the same time. He was helped by his assistant H W Baker, and other stations were set up by C J P Cave of Ditcham Park, Dr G C Simpson at the experimental station at Glossop Moor in Derbyshire, S H R Salmon with a kite station at Brighton, Captain C H Ley RE with sounding balloons at Ross in Herefordshire and subsequently at Bird Hill, Limerick. Later Mungret College in Limerick became a regular station for work in the upper air. By 1913 the scientific value of the use of sounding-balloons had been recognised, and in 1914 Dines acquired the property at Benson (Wallingford, Berkshire) with the assent of the Meteorological Office. During the war the various centres of meteorological activity co-operated through the Meteorological Sub-Committee of the Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The work at Benson was significant both in experimental work and in co-ordinating and discussing results. After the war L F Richardson joined Dines, and they worked on investigating solar radiation. In 1922 Dines resigned the official charge of the observatory, his son L H G Dines becoming Assistant Superintendent to take charge of the official work, until in 1923 it was transferred to Kew Observatory. His main efforts of investigation were wind-measurement, investigation of the upper air, and solar and terrestrial radiation; but he was equally at home with the design of instruments, co-ordination and discussion of results, and consideration of current theory. He died in 1927.

Born, 1890; educated at Plymouth Science, Art and Technical Schools, Imperial College; member of the British government eclipse expeditions, 1927, 1932; Lowell Lecturer, Boston, USA, 1936; Professor of Natural Philosophy, Imperial College, 1938; Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, University College London, 1946-1955; President of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1951-1953; Professor Emeritus of History and Philosophy of Science, 1955; died, 1978.
Publications: include: Modern Astrophysics (W Collins Sons & Co, London, [1924]); Through Science to Philosophy (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1937); The Special Theory of Relativity (Methuen & Co, London, 1940); Physics for Aeronautical Students 2 vol (Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, [1942]); A Hundred Years of Spectroscopy (Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, 1951); The Scientific Adventure. Essays in the history and philosophy of science (Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, London, 1952); Science at the crossroads (London, Martin Brian & O' Keeffe, 1972).

Born in Ceylon in 1890, Eric John Dingwall was a graduate of Pembroke College, Cambridge. He joined the staff of the Cambridge University Library in 1915 as a volunteer and went on to become an assistant librarian, leaving in 1918. In his youth he developed an enduring interest in magic and was eventually elected to the Magic Circle. This informed his approach to the investigation of the physical phenomena of mediumship, his major contribution to the Society for Psychical Research which he joined in 1920. In 1921 he spent a year in the United States as Director of the Department of Physical Phenomena at the American Society for Psychical Research. He was then appointed research officer to the British Society in 1922. One facet of Dingwall's complex character was his interest in sexual deviation and peculiar sexual practices, an interest which annoyed some of his colleagues at the Society and led to the termination of his appointment in 1927. His failure to be elected to the Society Council in 1928 led to his excessive criticism of the Society's administration. Released from his responsibilities at the SPR he continued to publish books including "Ghosts and Spirits in the Ancient World" (1930), "The Girdle of Chastity" (1931) and "How to Use a Large Library" (1933). In 1932 he was awarded his DSc from University College London. During the Second World War he worked for the Ministry of Information and in "a department of the Foreign Office". After the war he became Honorary Assistant Keeper at the British Museum Library, later the British Library, where he became a recognised authority on historical erotica, as well as on magic and psychical research. He also continued to publish books including two collections of short biographies of strange characters, "Some Human Oddities" (1947) and "Very Peculiar People" (1950) and contributed to to a four volume treatise "Abnormal Hypnotic Phenomena: A survey of nineteenth century cases" (1967/68). Dingwall was married twice. His first wife Doris left him, his second wife was Dr Margaret Davies who died on Christmas Eve 1976. Dingwall spent his remaining years independently and alone until his death on 7 August 1986.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brentwood was established in 1917, having formerly formed the eastern area of the Diocese of Westminster. It currently includes the County of Essex, as well as the London Boroughs of Newham, Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, and Havering.

After some negotiation, Brentwood was decided on as the centre of the new diocese rather than Ilford or Chelmsford, the other suggestions. Bishop Ward was appointed Administrator of the new Diocese of Essex in March 1917 and was enthroned as Bishop of Brentwood on 7 Nov 1917, and immediately faced acute shortage of funds for the Diocese, though it did benefit from the Gillow Trust. In 1917, a new Code of Canon Law had been promulgated and Brentwood became the first diocese to effect its provisions. All the missions of the Diocese were erected into canonical parishes and the Missionary Rectors being elevated to Parish Priests, Jul 1918. The Missionary Rector of Brentwood was appointed Administrator of the Cathedral and Parish Priest, a Chapter of Canons was erected with a Provost, Jul 1918, and a Vicar General appointed, Aug 1918.

The Diocese also faced a shortage of priests - some having been released to serve as military chaplains, while and others were busy working among the many troops stationed within the borders of Essex. The Catholic population was around 26,000 in 1917. By 1919, there were an estimated 35,000 Catholics in the diocese, many of Irish deccent, with 55 Secular priests, 27 Franciscans, and 3 of other orders. There were also 30 convents of nuns including Sisters of Mercy, Franciscans, Augustinians, Ursulines and others.

In the 1920s, the chief task of Bishop Doubleday, Ward's successor, was to supervise the foundation of new parishes in the rapidly developing suburbs in the east of London, where housing estates were being built and the Ford Motor Company had located a new factory. The needs of the rural Catholic population were also growing and finding priests for all these areas was a pressing task. Doubleday was also concerned for the provision of education for Catholic children, and for adequate funding to achieve this. He founded the Diocesan Schools Commission, for the purpose of planning the development of Catholic education. New schools were opened in various parts of he diocese, but especially in conjunction with the new parishes in east London.
During World War 2, the Diocese was a centre for both evacuation and reception of evacuees from urban areas. The Diocese of Brentwood was particularly effected by air raids, and many church buildings and schools sustained substantial damage and disruption.
Following the war, London and its suburbs faced a shortage of housing, and in response local government expanded and built new housing estates, as well as establishing whole new towns. This, along with the influx of Polish refugees, expanded the Catholic population. Education underwent significant reorganistion in the wake of the Education Act 1944, and Catholic schools were not exempt from this.

Under Bishop Beck, appointed Coadjutor in 1948 and who succeeded as Bishop in 1951, the administrative and financial structures of the diocese were developed. He increased the number of students for the diocesan priesthood, and reinvigorated the clergy by moving all but a few of them to new parishes within the diocese, as well as embarking on a general visitation of the diocese himself. His foremost concern was however, the provision of new schools for growing population centres. He encouraged Catholic parents to present the problems and interests of Catholic education to the parliamentary candidates for the 1951 General Election. He also chaired the Catholic Education Council, and adopted a system for levying each parish for the financing of Catholic education. New schools were opened and existing ones expanded.

As Bishop Bernard Wall took up his post in 1956, the diocese still faced a shortage of priests, and shortage of funds. The Catholic population by this time was around 107,000 and growing. New parishes were still being formed, Bishop Wall oversaw a number of diocesan celebrations during his term of office, including a pageant in 1961 to commemorate the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, a gathering in 1961 to remember John Paine, executed in Chelmsford in 1582, and a further rally in 1962 and 1964. In 1967 the Diocese celebrated its Golden Jubilee. In the area of Catholic schooling, the provisions of the Education Act 1959 for government funding for new schools stimulated growth, and the Education Act 1967 gave further impetus. The Brentwood Diocesan Commission for Education was established in 1968 to consider the content and pattern of Catholic education in the diocese and to advise the bishop on matters of education policy. Relations between the Catholic Church and Christians of other traditions began to improved in response to the Second Vatican Council's encouraging the Church to look in friendship towards other Christian communities. Catholics began to participate in inter-denominational societies and meetings, and local Councils of Churches. In 1967, the Diocesan Ecumenical Commission was formed.

In 1840-1 Charles Blomfield, Bishop of London, raised the question of the establishment of a new diocese in the Mediterranean. The need for effective episcopal supervision, ministry for congregations and clergy in south east Europe and the desire to promote relations with the Orthodox Churches led to the establishment of the Diocese of Gibraltar by letters patent dated 21st August 1842. The new diocese was to cover the southern part of Europe bordering the Mediterranean with the bishop of London retaining jurisdiction over the rest of Europe. A Foreign Office circular issued 20th October 1842 to Ministers and Consuls in the states bordering on the Mediterranean indicated the limits of the bishop's jurisdiction which extended over the colony of Gibraltar and the Anglican chaplaincies in Spain, southern France, Italy, the Balkan states, Greece, Turkey, the Mediterranean islands, part of North Africa and the Middle East, and the coastal regions of the Black Sea.

An 1869 Foreign Office circular extended the jurisdiction of the bishop to include chaplaincies throughout Spain and Portugal, on the coast of Morocco, the Canary Islands, Italy, the shores of the Black Sea and on the lower Danube. Some minor changes were subsequently made to the south and east of the diocese. The cathedral of the diocese was situated in Gibraltar but the bishop normally resided in England and the registry was in London.

The 1870s were a period of transition for the diocese. In 1873 changes were made to the appointment of colonial bishops. When Bishop Sandford was appointed by a mandate issued by the Sovereign in 1873 he ceased to be "a body corporate" and "a perpetual corporation" capable of holding property, acting in courts and having a corporate seal. This development led to endowments in property and churches being held by local families and trustees. The situation was not resolved until the creation of the Gibraltar Diocesan Trust in 1909 to hold property and funds on the continent on behalf of the diocese.

1873 also saw the discontinuation of the allowance granted under the 1825 Act to Regulate the Payment of Salaries and Allowances to British Consuls at Foreign Ports, and the Disbursements at such Ports for certain public Purposes, (known as the Consular Advances Act) which had provided for the support of churches and chapels abroad where a chaplain was appointed and maintained by subscription. Consuls were authorized to provide a sum equal to the amount subscribed. The grants were discontinued in stages,some in 1874 while others, to Trieste and Marseilles, continued into the twentieth century. This caused great financial strain in the mercantile chaplaincies of the diocese. Their fluctuating seafaring population and often small resident population meant they had few permanent resources to draw on. Bishop Sanford promoted work with seamen and the Gibraltar Mission to Seamen was "... established to provide for the moral and spiritual wants of British and American sailors, visiting the ports of the Mediterranean and neighbouring seas". Although begun by Bishop Sandford early in his episcopate it was not until 1882 that the Mission was formally established. The Mission founded Sailors Clubs and Seamen's Institutes all around the Mediterranean to provide an alternative to the traditional sailors' entertainment. In September 1921 the Mission changed its name to the Mediterranean Mission to Seamen.

The early twentieth century saw many administrative developments, the establishment of the Bishop of Gibraltar's Fund for Aiding Poorer Chaplainies in 1906, the Gibraltar Diocesan Trust in 1909 and the Gibraltar Diocesan Association in 1916. The latter was, in effect, a friends organisation. In 1922 the Bishop of Gibraltar's Fund for Aiding Poorer Chaplaincies, the Gibraltar Diocesan Association and the Mediterranean Mission to Seamen's committee amalgamated to form the Gibraltar Diocesan Council, although the Mediterranean Mission to Seamen remained a separate organisation. The Gibraltar Diocesan Council met several times a year and advised the bishop on matters relating to the diocese.

The 1968 Lambeth Conference called for consideration to be given to parallel jurisdictions, especially in Europe, and in October 1970 the office of the Bishop of Gibraltar was combined with that of the Bishop of Fulham on the appointment of John Satterthwaite. From 1970 to 1980 the jurisdictions of Gibraltar and North and Central Europe remained separate, although administered by the same bishop of "Fulham and Gibraltar". In 1980 the Bishop of London divested himself of all his jurisdiction overseas and a new Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe, known as the Diocese in Europe, was established to supersede both former jurisdictions.

The Diocese in Europe was established in 1980 with the amalgamation of the Diocese of Gibraltar and the Bishop of London's Jurisdiction of North and Central Europe. The new Diocese, officially called the Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe, is known as the Diocese in Europe. In October 1970, on the appointment of John Satterthwaite, the office of Bishop of Gibraltar was combined with that of the Bishop of Fulham, the suffragan responsible for North and Central Europe.

From 1970 to 1980 the jurisdictions of Gibraltar and North and Central Europe remained separate, although administered by the same Bishop of "Fulham and Gibraltar" and the records relating to this period have been catalogued as part of the records of the Diocese in Europe. Also series (such as confirmation registers, Ms32690/1-6) which begin before 1970 but continue beyond 1970 have been catalogued as primarily Diocese in Europe records.

The diocese of London was first established in the Roman period, the first known bishop being Bishop Resitiutus who attended a Council in Arles in 314. London reverted to paganism following the Saxon invasions and the diocese was reconstituted in 604 with the first Saint Paul's as its Cathedral. The medieval diocese continued its jurisdiction over the area established in the 7th century: namely the City of London and the ancient counties of Essex and Middlesex and the greater part of Hertfordshire. The diocese lay entirely north of the Thames River.

The area served by the diocese remained unchanged until the 19th century, apart from a short period between 1540, when the diocese of Westminster, founded by Henry VIII, was taken out of the diocese of London (covering Westminster, the county of Middlesex with the exception of Fulham), and 1550 (when the appointed Bishop Thirlby resigned and the bishopric reverted back to London).

The administration of the diocese was originally split into the Archdeaconry of London and Archdeaconry of Middlesex. In 1708 there were 5 churches and chapels subject to the archdeacon of London, 52 subject to the archdeacon of Middlesex, 14 subject to the bishop directly and 4 subject to the Archbishop of Canterbury and outside the jurisdiction of the diocese of London.

The Bishop's highest court was the Consistory Court. The Consistory Court's jurisdiction was diocese-wide. It heard primarily civil suits, but it also dealt with criminal and testamentary matters. The Commissary Court was the Bishop's lower court. Its jurisdiction appears to have been restricted to the City of London, the county of Middlesex and Deanery of Barking in Essex. There was no clear distinction between the jurisdiction of the Consistory and Commissary Court. The latter dealt mostly with criminal cases and probate.

The growth of population in the 19th and 20th centuries demanded rearrangements of the boundaries of the diocese. Up until 1845 the diocese comprised of most parishes in Middlesex (except part of Stanwell which lay in the diocese of Oxford), the City of London parishes (excluding the thirteen parishes in the peculiar of the Arches), a substantial number of parishes in Hertfordshire and four parishes in Buckinghamshire (namely Aston Abbots, Grandborough, Little Horwood, and Winslow).

The abolition of the Peculiar jurisdictions of the Archbishop of Canterbury (the ecclesiastical units within the Middlesex area which were exempt from the administrative control of the diocese) in 1845 added the thirteen parishes in the City of London, some parishes in Middlesex, and those in the Deanery of Croydon in the ancient county of Surrey (Barnes, Mortlake, Newington, Putney, Walworth and Wimbledon). The diocese retained nine Essex parishes (Barking, Chingford, East and West Ham, Little Ilford, Low Leyton, Walthamstow, Wanstead and Woodford). The rest of Essex was temporarily transferred to the see of Rochester and the parishes in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire were removed from the diocese. At the same time parishes in the ancient county of Kent (Charlton, Deptford, Eltham, Greenwich, Lee, Lewisham, Plumstead and Woolwich) just south of the Thames were brought into the diocese.

Under the London Diocese Act 1863 and Diocese of Saint Albans Act 1875, provisions were made for the removal of Essex, Kent and Surrey parishes. In 1877 Surrey and Kent parishes were transferred to the diocese of Rochester, and then Surrey parishes to the diocese of Southwark in 1905.

The appointment of Suffragan bishops was also revived in the 19th century with officials holding the titles of Bishop of Stepney, Islington and Kensington. Further reorganisations were designed to link the ecclesiastical boundaries with that of county administration. In 1912 the Archdeaconry of Hampstead was carved out of the Archdeaconry of Middlesex. In 1951 parishes East of the City of London formed the Archdeaconry of Hackney. By 1964 the diocese of London consisted of the archdeaconries of London, Middlesex, Hampstead and Hackney with a total of 28 deaneries and 500 parishes.

In 2001 the diocese was made up of five areas, Edmonton, Kensington, London, Stepney and Willesden, 4 of which had an Area Bishop, to whom the Bishop of London delegated responsibilities. It covered 277 square miles and 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the Thames, from Staines in the West to the Isle of Dogs in the East serving a population of 3.5 million people.

The medieval diocese of Rochester consisted of Kent west of the Medway. It was divided into the rural deaneries of Rochester, Dartford and Malling, which together formed the archdeaconry of Rochester. The rural deanery of Shoreham was a peculiar jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury. The boundaries of the diocese were radically changed in 1845 when the rural deaneries of Dartford, Malling and Shoreham, with the except for a few parishes, were absorbed into the diocese of Canterbury, and the rural deanery of Rochester with a few neighbouring parishes were joined with the counties of Essex and Hertfordshire to form a new diocese of Rochester. There were further boundary alterations in 1877, when Essex and Hertfordshire were formed into the new diocese of St. Albans, and Rochester comprised the north-western part of Kent together with London south of the Thames. In 1905 the London section of the diocese was separated to form a new diocese of Southwark and the boundaries between the diocese of Canterbury and Rochester adjusted so that since that date the diocese has covered roughly the same area as that which it covered in 1845.

The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Church of England Diocese of Rochester is the second oldest Cathedral Foundation in England and was founded in 604 by Bishop Justus. The present building was built in 1077 by Bishop Gundolf, who also designed the Tower of London and Rochester Castle.

Parishes in east and mid Surrey in the Dioceses of London and Winchester were transferred to Rochester in 1878.

The Diocese of Southwark was formed in 1905 and lies in the Church of England Province of Canterbury. The Diocese has jurisdiction over 317 square miles of London south of the River Thames, formerly in the ancient counties of Kent and Surrey, areas which had been in the Diocese of Rochester and vast Diocese of Winchester.

In 2003 the Diocese was serving a population of 2,358,000 in 302 parishes. It includes:

  • parishes in the ancient county of Surrey, forming the Parliamentary Divisions of east and mid Surrey, which had been transferred from the Archdeaconry of Surrey in the Diocese of Winchester, to the Diocese of Rochester in 1878;
  • parishes in the ancient county of Kent which had been transferred to the Diocese of London in 1846 and returned back to the Diocese of Rochester in 1867, namely Charlton, Lee, Lewisham, Greenwich, Woolwich, Eltham, Plumstead and Deptford;
  • parishes in the former Deanery of Croydon which were peculiars of the Archbishop of Canterbury, namely Barnes, Bunstow, Charlwood, Cheam, East Horsley, Merstham, Mortlake, Newington, Putney and Wimbledon. The peculiars were parishes or places which were formerly exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop in whose diocese they were physically located, and were answerable directly to the Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1846, Newington, Barnes, Putney, Mortlake and Wimbledon had ceased to be peculiars and became part of the Diocese of London, and in the same year the remaining peculiars of Addington and Croydon were transferred permanently to the Diocese of Canterbury.

    In 1927, the Diocese of Guildford was formed from parishes in the ancient county of Surrey remaining in the Archdeaconry of Surrey in the Diocese of Winchester and a few Hampshire parishes. In the late nineteenth century, the cathedral church at Winchester could not respond to the needs of the rapidly increasing populations in South London experiencing poor living and working conditions. Although the area had been transferred to the Diocese of Rochester in 1878, Anthony Thorold, Bishop of Rochester was determined that the religious life of South London would have its own firm identity. As a result, a Suffragan Bishop of Southwark was appointed in 1891 and the ancient parish church of Saint Saviours, Southwark was restored to become the pro-Cathedral in 1897. In 1904 an Act of Parliament created the new Diocese of Southwark and in 1905 the church became Southwark Cathedral (also known as the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of Saint Saviour and Saint Mary Overie).

    Edward Stuart Talbot, the 100th Bishop of Rochester, was enthroned as the first Bishop of Southwark. The bishop was faced with the challenge of building up the Church over the South London with a population of nearly two million inhabitants and great social disparities from the prosperous villages of Reigate or Kew and Edwardian suburbs to the appallingly overcrowded tenements of inner London.

    In 2003 the mission of the Diocese was:

  • to 'pray for the renewing power and love of the Holy Spirit in our worship, work and witness';
  • to 'seek the rule of God in our lives, our church, our communities, the life of the earth and the whole of creation';
  • to 'Share the Faith - proclaiming the Good News, teaching and nurturing new believers, making disciples and equipping them for service';
  • to 'Search for Truth - open to God's Word, exploring God's activity in different contexts and cultures';
  • to 'Serve our Neighbour - responding to human need by loving service and by confronting the unjust structures of society';
  • and to Follow Jesus - in his suffering love for the salvation of all people.

    In 2003, the Diocese of Southwark was divided into three Episcopal Areas each with a Suffragan Bishop and two Archdeacons:

  • Croydon Episcopal Area: Bishop of Croydon, Archdeacon of Croydon, Archdeacon of Reigate.
  • Kingston Episcopal Area: Bishop of Kingston, Archdeacon of Lambeth, Archdeacon of Wandsworth
  • Woolwich Episcopal Area: Bishop of Woolwich, Archdeacon of Lewisham, Archdeacon of Southwark.

    The Diocese of Southwark was twinned with three Anglican Dioceses in Zimbabwe (2003).

    Bishops of Southwark (1905-2003): 1905 Edward Stuart Talbot 1911 Hubert Murray Burge 1919 Cyril Foster Garbett 1932 Richard Godfrey Parsons 1942 Bertram Fitzgerald Simpson 1959 Arthur Mervyn Stockwood 1980 Ronald Oliver Bowlby 1991 Robert Kerr Williamson 1998 Thomas Frederick Butler.

Diocese of Western China

The Church Missionary Society began activities in Western China in 1891, establishing an outpost in Chungking [Chongqing] in Szechwan [Sichuan] Province. By 1894 they had expanded to Mienchow, Chungpa, Anhsien, and Sintu. They were supervised by the Bishop of Mid-China, but he found it impossible to supervise a district which was geographically far removed from his own. Therefore a separate Diocese was created, and the Reverend William Wharton Cassels was appointed Bishop in 1895.

The diocese of Winchester has existed since the seventh century, when the episcopal seat was transferred to Winchester in 676 from the West Saxon bishopric of Dorchester-on-Thames. During this period it covered the entire West Saxon area but was reduced in size, first in the eighth century, when Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall were taken to form the diocese of Sherborne, and then again in the tenth century, when the diocese of Ramsbury, later Salisbury, was formed from Wiltshire and Berkshire.

By the tenth century the diocese of Winchester consisted of the counties of Hampshire (including the Isle of Wight) and Surrey. These boundaries remained virtually unchanged until 1877 when the area of south London administered by the diocese of Winchester, now covered by the diocese of Southwark, was added to the diocese of Rochester. The diocese of Southwark was formed in 1905. The greatest change came in 1927 when the new dioceses of Guildford, covering Surrey and some parishes in north east Hampshire, and Portsmouth, taking in south east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight were formed. The present day diocese of Winchester covers parishes in central and west Hampshire. It also includes the Channel Islands which were added to the diocese in 1568.

Up until 1927, the diocese has two archdeaconries, the archdeaconry of Surrey which included most of Surrey and the archdeaconry of Winchester which included Hampshire (and had included the Isle of Wight until 1871 when the archdeaconry of the Isle of Wight was constituted).

Born, 1902; Education: Cotham School, Bristol; BSc (Bristol); PhD (Camb); Career: Lecturer, University of Cambridge; Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, 1932-1969; Professor of Physics, Florida State University 1971-1984; Fellow of the Royal Society, 1930; Royal Medal, 1939; Copley Medal, 1952; Nobel Prize (Physics), 1933; died, 1984.

Globe Telegraph and Trust Company Limited was incorporated in 1873 by John Pender, a Liberal MP, who also founded the Eastern and Associated Telegraph Companies Group. Globe was formed in order to spread the short term risk of cable laying over a number of companies, and shares in Globe were offered in exchange for shares in submarine telegraph and associated companies. The Eastern and Associated Telegraph Companies Group, meanwhile, was built up by Pender over a number of years in the late 19th century.

The Direct Spanish Telegraph Company Limited was formed in 1872 by John Pender to connect England to the north coast of Spain by submarine cable. It remained a private company of the Pender family.

Staff College, Camberley, was inaugurated in 1862 to provide Staff training to British Army officers, and remained in existence until 1997 when single-Service Staff training was ended. Staff Training for the British Army is now conducted by the Joint Services Command and Staff College.

In the 1880s the Director's Office consisted of the Director himself, the Assistant Secretary, the Assistant in charge of the General Library, clerks and attendants. To this were added an attendant for the Index Museum (1885), a staff officer (1922), a photographer (1923), a guide lecturer (1927), an accountant (1931), superintendents and publications sales staff (1940), and an exhibitions officer (1946). In 1970 the Director's Office numbered 77, and was responsible for administration, finance, establishments and security, as well as the Exhibition, Education, Photographic and Publications sections and the General Library. A Department of Central Services was set up in 1971 under the Deputy Director, initially consisting of the biometrics, electronic data processing and electron microscopy units, but incorporating the General Library in 1973, the Photographic Section in 1974, and Publications in 1976. The Department of Public Service was set up in 1975, taking over the old Exhibition and Education sections, and finally, the Department of Administrative Services was set up under the Museum Secretary in 1976. This left a Directorate of only six members. The archives of the Director's Office are divided into four parts: The Director, Central Administration, the General Library, Exhibitions and Education sections, and Publications Section.

The position and duties of the Director of the Museum were laid down in the different editions of the Statutes and rules for the British Museum published by the Trustees over the years. From 1856 to 1883 the natural history departments were under the general control of a Superintendent, who was himself one of the subordinate officers who assisted the Principal Librarian. The 1886 edition of the Statutes, drawn up after the move to South Kensington, gave the 'Director of the Museum (Natural History)' equality with the Principal Librarian in most respects. The 1898 edition removed the power of summoning Trustees meetings from the Director of the Natural History Departments, but otherwise left matters unchanged. In 1908 however, following the stormy directorship of E Ray Lankester (1847-1929), the rules were revised to make the Director of the Natural History Departments subject to the general authority of the Principal Librarian. This clause was retained in the 1922 revision, and only disappeared in 1932 when the Director of The Natural History Museum was once again accorded equal status to the Principal Librarian.
Following the passing of the British Museum Act, 1963, the Director became responsible for the newly independent Natural History Museum to the new Board of Trustees. A Deputy Director post was created in 1971 to improve surveillance of the Museum's scientific work, and Ronald Henderson Hedley appointed.

When the natural history departments of the British Museum moved to South Kensington between 1880 and 1882, they brought with them little in the way of a central administration. Thomas Nichols, the first Assistant Secretary, and Charles Edward Fagan (1855-1921) who succeeded him in 1889, had only a small clerical staff to help them and had to deal with financial as well as personnel and establishments matters. Administratively they were placed in the 'Director's Office'. The prolonged ill health of Sir William Flower during 1896-1898 and E Ray Lankester's emphasis of scientific research at the expense of administration greatly added to the Assistant Secretary's work load. Following Lankester's enforced retirement at the end of 1907, Fagan virtually ran the Museum until Fletcher's appointment as Director nineteen months later.
Fagan was succeeded by George Frederick Herbert Smith (1872-1953) from the Department of Mineralogy in 1921, at which time he was assisted by a Staff Officer, five clerks and a shorthand typist. The British Museum Act, 1930, formally gave care and custody of the natural history departments to the Director of the British Museum (Natural History) and considerably increased the responsibilities of the head of the Museum's administration. In recognition of this the post was renamed Secretary and given a salary only slightly inferior to that of the Secretary of the British Museum. An Accountant, Thomas Wooddisse (b 1893), was appointed to take charge of financial matters, and he succeeded Smith in 1935. An Assistant Secretary was added to the staff in 1954.

By the time Arthur Percy Coleman (b 1922) was appointed Secretary in 1965 administrative staff numbered fifteen, and in 1976 the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) was set up with Raymond Saunders (b 1933) at its head as Museum Secretary and Establishment Officer and a staff of thirty five, including an Accountant and a Personnel Officer.

In 1994 the Front of House section was separated out to become the Department of Visitor Services, and DAS became the Department of Corporate Services (DCS). In 1997 it was decided that the Museum would be better served if the administration was not run by a single generalist administrator, but rather by senior professionals in the three main areas of Finance, Personnel (taking over the formal responsibilities of the Establishment Officer) and Estates, who would report to the Director. As a result, the following year DCS was replaced by three separate administrative departments: Finance, Human Resources and Estates.

Benjamin Disraeli was born in 1804 and educated in London. His family were of Italian Jewish origin, but he was baptized as Anglican aged 13. He worked for a solicitor and then as a journalist and novelist, and travelled widely before entering politics. Disraeli entered the House of Commons as MP for Maidstone in 1837, and subsequently served as MP for Shrewsbury (1841-1847) and Buckinghamshire (1847-1876). He was leader of the Conservative Party between 1868 and 1881 and served twice as Prime Minister; as premier, his working relationship with Queen Victoria was particularly good. Disraeli's wife Mary Anne (the widow of the manufacturer Wyndham Lewis) was a strong supporter of his political career. He was created Earl of Beaconsfield in 1876; the title became extinct on his death.

Montagu William Lowry Corry was born in London in 1838 and educated at Harrow School and at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1863. In 1865, Corry met the politician Benjamin Disraeli, who became a close friend; he remained Disraeli's supporter, confidant and unofficial secretary until the latter's death in 1881. Corry was created Baron Rowton in 1880 and became a member of the privy council in 1900. In later life he was also involved in developing accommodation for poor people. He had several illegitimate children but never married; his title became extinct on his death.

Granville George Leveson-Gower was born in Westminster in 1815 and educated at Eton and at Christ Church, Oxford. He served as Whig MP for Morpeth (1837-1840) and Lichfield (1841-1846) before succeeding his father in the House of Lords as Earl Granville. Granville held several political posts, but is best known for serving as Foreign Secretary under William Gladstone (1870-1874, 1880-1885).

Distributist Party

Distributism: Distributionists believe that the means of production should be distributed as widely as possible among the populace. Distributism opposes Communism and Socialism and any form of centralisation. It embraces property of ownership, small economies of scale, belief in God and maintaining families, and sensible technology. Distributism is generally against big systems and in favour of small and private systems. Distributism promotes independence and self-reliance provided it is understood to br subsequent to higher values such as religious faith and promotion of the family. The Distributist League was founded in 1926. Its President was the writer G K Chesterton (1874-1936). The Distributist Party was formed at a meeting at the Charing Cross Hotel on 25th May 1933. A resolution was passed at the meeting that the party should pursue "...the encouragement of individual ownership in the means of livelihood; the dispersal of unnecessarily large aggregates of industrial and commercial capital".

The Association of District Surveyors of Buildings was appointed under the Metropolitan Building Acts subsequent to 1844. In 1845 the first meeting of the Association was called at a London Coffee house, Mr John White being the first Chair.

Acts of Parliament regulating the construction of buildings had been in existence since 1667 giving the Corporation of the City power to appoint surveyors. Building control in inner London was administered at a local level by district surveyors from the mid nineteenth century to 1986. District Surveyors were a statutory, independent body responsible for surveying and supervising all construction work in their districts. They inspected plans and buildings to ensure quality of construction and compliance with statutory requirements under London Building Acts and bye laws. Reports were made to the relevant central administrative authority. In latter years, together with the Building Regulations Division of the Greater London Council's Department of Architecture and Civic Design, district surveyors were responsible for executing the Council's statutory duties under the London Building Acts.

Originally from Geneva, Francis or Francois d'Ivernois was exiled from Switzerland as a young man. In 1784 he wrote An Historical and Political View of the Constitution and Revolutions of Geneva in the Eighteenth Century, which was published anonymously. In the 1790s and early 1800s, d'Ivernois, who opposed the French Revolution, came to live in England and worked for the government as an adviser, agent and propagandist. King George III knighted him for his services to the country. In later life d'Ivernois returned to Switzerland, serving as the Swiss representative to the Congress of Vienna (1815) and later on the Conseil d'Etat.

Born, 1896; educated at Greenwich Central School; Royal Observatory, Greenwich, 1910-1914; served in the ranks in World War One, 1914-1918; service with Transport and Supply Column, 40 (London) Div, Territorial Force, and 25 Div Motor Transport Company, Army Service Corps, Western Front, 1914-1918; joined 47 (London) Div, Royal Army Service Corps, Territorial Army, 1924; service with Territorial Army, 1924-1951; HM Customs and Excise, 1919-1934; Assistance Board, 1935-1946; transferred to 50 (Northumbrian) Div, Royal Army Service Corps, Territorial Army [1937]; served in World War Two, in France, Cyprus, Iraq, Iran, North Africa and Italy, 1939-1945; awarded OBE, 1940; Commanding Officer, 50 (Northumbrian) Div, Royal Army Service Corps, Territorial Army, Cyprus and North Africa, 1940-1942; awarded DSO, 1942; Deputy Director Supply and Transport, 10 Corps, North Africa and Italy, 1942-1943; Officer Commanding Troops, HMS HILARY, Salerno, Italy, 1943; awarded CBE, 1944; Deputy Director Supply and Transport, British Increment, US 5 Army, Italy, 1944; Deputy Director Supply and Transport, 8 Army, Italy, 1944-1945; Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance, 1946-1954; Controller, Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, 1951-1954; UN Adviser, Administration, Burma, 1954-1955; awarded CB, 1955; Under-Secretary (Special Duties), Ministry of Supply, 1956; Under Secretary, Secretary's Department, Admiralty, 1957-1959; UN Adviser, Administration, Nepal, 1959-1962, Asia and Far East, 1962-1964; UN Adviser, Social Security, Iraq, 1965-1966, Trinidad, 1967, and Saudi Arabia, 1971; Member of Institute of Public Administration and the British Institute of Management; died, 1979.

In 1987 the Institute of Psychiatry ran the Familial and Environmental Factors in Functional Psychosis Study. The study aimed to establish the significance of familial and early environmental factors in psychotic illness. The study involved interviewing patients and first degree relatives (preferably the mother), examining patients' educational history prior to illness and taking CT (computerised tomography) scans.

Dixie entered the Navy in 1795 as a first-class volunteer and was captured by the French in 1797. After ten months in captivity he joined La Pomone, serving in the Mediterranean and then joined the Orion in the West Indies. In 1804 he was with Nelson (q.v.) who confirmed him as a lieutenant; he was present at the battle of Trafalgar, 1805. Until 1814 he was in North America. He retired in 1815 and in 1851 was promoted to captain on the retired list.

John Dixon was Medical Officer of Health for Bermondsey for many years, and died at the age of 98. He was a student at Guy's Hospital, London and these notes were probably made during this period: he took his MD at St Andrew's University in 1854. He practised in Bermondsey until his death, where he served as surgeon to the Surrey Dispensary and was a Justice of the Peace. He was a man of many interests, especially in public health, and gave popular lectures on hygiene, sanitation, etc. At one period of his life he took up astrology, and in his later years was an enthusiastic amateur photographer.

Walter Ernest Dixon (1871-1931) was Lecturer, then Reader, in pharmacology at the University of Cambridge from 1909, and is credited, together with Arthur Cushny, with establishing pharmacology as a distinct science in Britain. His most original work was on the action of drugs on the bronchial musculature and pulmonary vasomotor system, and on cerebrospinal fluid especially in relation to postpituitary hormone and ovarian activity. [George] Norman Myers (1898-1981) joined Dixon in Cambridge in 1930 and worked with him on digitalis in toxaemia and on substitutes for morphine and heroin.

Dixon was born in Manchester on 30 June 1821. He began contributing to magazines and journals in the early 1840s. In 1846 he moved to London, where he entered the Inner Temple. Dixon never practised law and decided instead to pursue a literary career. He contributed regularly to the Athenaeum and Daily News. He also published a series of articles on prisons and a book on the prison reformer John Howard. In 1850 Dixon published, The London Prisons. In 1853 Dixon became the editor of the Athenaeum, a post held until 1869. He also travelled widely in Europe, North Africa and North America and published books and articles on the countries he had visited. Dixon also served in public office as a deputy commissioner for the Great Exhibition 1851, Justice of the Peace for Middlesex and Westminster and as a member of the London School Board. He died on 26 December 1879.

The firm of Dixon, Morgan and Company shipped wine and spirits, specifically from Oporto in Portugal, where it had considerable interests and where many members of the firm were based. It developed from the successive partnerships of numerous wine merchants, starting with Messrs Haughton, Langston and Dixon in the early 18th century. By 1785 the firm was known as Langston and Dixon. By 1800 this had become Dixon, Brett and Morgan, and was based at 13 Savage Gardens. in circa 1810 the name changed again to Dixon, Morgan and Company, which in turn became Morgan Saunders and Company in circa 1835, then Thomas Morgan & Company (moving to 11 Mark Lane) in circa 1840, Morgan jun and Ridge (of 24 Savage Gardens) from circa 1845, and finally Morgan Bros from 1858. It became a limited liability company in 1872, and moved to Clements House, 27 St Clements Lane in circa 1865; 39 Trinity Square in 1872, 16 Mark Lane in 1901, 14 Trinity Square in circa 1925; 20 & 22 Wellington Street, WC in circa 1940 and 23-29 Walbrook in circa 1950. The firm is believed to have been taken over by Crofts in circa 1970.

This company was registered in 1910 to acquire the Djasinga estate and other assets in Java vested in the Java registered company N.V. Cultuur Mij Jasinga (known from 1959 as P.T. Perusahaan Perkebunan Djasinga), which became a subsidiary company.

In 1931 Djasinga Rubber and Produce Company acquired the Kandang, Sapi, Pasir Mandang and Tjim Aratja estates. It was acquired by London Sumatra Plantations Limited (CLC/B/112-110) in 1961, and in April 1982 it became a private company.

DL Thomson and Company were stockbrokers of 7 Drapers' Gardens, London, EC2. The firm appears to have been established in circa 1865 by David Lionel Thomson (born circa 1841), who was admitted as a member of the London Stock Exchange in December 1863.

The accounts refer to DL Thomson and Company (old firm) and DL Thomson and Company (new firm). From internal evidence it appears that the firm described as DL Thomson and Company (old firm) went into liquidation in 1920, but the firm described as DL Thomson and Company (new firm) continued to trade. DL Thomson and Company is listed in trade directories until 1928, after which date it ceases to appear.

DL Thomson and Company traded from 1 Pinners' Court, 1865-1866; 1 Shorters Court, 1867-1878; and 7 Drapers' Gardens, 1879-1928.

Dr Dobbie qualified in medicine in 1933. He was (presumably during and just after the war) in the RAMC, in which he reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and was O.C. Medical Division 117 and 77 General Hospital, BAOR. He was subsequently in practice in Bromley. Although his entry disappears from the Medical Directory in 1987 it has not been possible to trace any obituary.

Roy Samuel Dobbin FRCOG (1873-1939) graduated in medicine at Trinity College Dublin. His main interest was pathology, but he also worked in obstetrics and in 1906 was appointed to the Chair of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Cairo. After service during the First World War he returned to Cairo, where he spent the rest of his professional life. He established a library of books and manuscripts relating to midwifery while in Cairo and although the bulk of his collection ultimately went to the Royal College of Physicians, he also made several gifts from his collection to the College Library.

Roy Samuel Dobbin FRCOG (1873-1939) graduated in medicine at Trinity College Dublin. His main interest was pathology, but he also worked in obstetrics and in 1906 was appointed to the Chair of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Cairo. After service during the First World War he returned to Cairo, where he spent the rest of his professional life.

Edward Protheroe-Smith was a descendant of Dr Protheroe-Smith, the founder of the Hospital for Women in Soho Square (1842).

Born [1901]; educated in France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland; BSc, University of Lyons, France; served with the Special Operations Executive (SOE), 1940-1945, mainly based at Headquarters of Force 133 at Cairo, Egypt, during World War Two, under the name of Maj and later Lt Col Julian Antony Dolbey; worked for Lyons Silks Ltd, French Silhouettes and Arnold Securities, all associated companies of the French textile group Maison J Bourdelin.

Alban Tabor Austin Dobson, the son of the poet and critic Henry Austin Dobson, was born in Ealing, Middlesex, and died in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. He worked as a civil servant and served as Secretary to the International Whaling Commission. However, he is best known for collecting editions of his father's works; he donated this collection to the University of London in 1946 and it is now held in Senate House Library.

J A Symington (known as Alex Symington) was born in Yorkshire into a family of book dealers and printers. He became librarian to the manufacturer and philanthropist Lord Brotherton and built up a significant collection of books; he remained in charge of the collection when it was given to the University of Leeds following Lord Brotherton's death in 1930, but left in 1938 following disagreements with the university authorities. Symington was also a noted bibiliographer and a founding member (and, for a time, curator) of the Bronte Museum, Haworth.

Daisy Dobson (fl 1927-1950) was the friend and private secretary of Dr Agnes Maude Royden, the pacifist and Christian preacher. Dobson accompanied Royden on her lecture tours of the world, sending reports home to friends and family.

Henry Austin Dobson, civil servant and poet, was born on 18 January 1840. After leaving school at the age of 16, he joined the Board of Trade where he remained until his retirement as Principal in 1901. He had an enduring enthusiasm for the eighteenth century and for poetry. He composed a large quantity of his own poetry and was well known for his adaptation of old French verses. His earliest volume of poetry was Vignettes in Rhyme, (1873). Later in his life, Dobson turned his attention increasingly to prose, resulting in several volumes of essays including Eighteenth Century Prose (in 3 series; 1892, 1894 and 1896). He died in 1921.

Frances Mary Beardmore was the daughter of the civil engineer Nathaniel Beardmore (1816-1872) and his wife Mary. She married Henry Austin Dobson in 1868 and they had 10 children.

Henry Austin Dobson, civil servant and poet, was born on 18 January 1840. After leaving school at the age of 16, he joined the Board of Trade where he remained until his retirement as Principal in 1901. He had an enduring enthusiasm for the eighteenth century and for poetry. He composed a large quantity of his own poetry and was well known for his adaptation of old French verses. His earliest volume of poetry was Vignettes in Rhyme, (1873). Later in his life, Dobson turned his attention increasingly to prose, resulting in several volumes of essays including Eighteenth Century Prose (in 3 series; 1892, 1894 and 1896). He died in 1921.

Shortly before his death in 1666, the Reverend Dr William Spurstowe, Vicar of Hackney, built six almshouses near Church Street, Hackney, for six ancient widows from the parish of Hackney. His brother, Henry Spurstowe, completed his work by endowing the almshouses with two closes of pasture called Badbrooke's Meadows containing eight acres of land and one close of pasture called Peckwell or Pickwell Field containing eight acres, all of which (including the almshouses) were copyhold of the manor of Kings Hold. Henry Spurstowe transferred the almshouses and land to trustees by a deed of gift dated 22 August 1667. The deeds of gift was lost some time between 1754 and 1800 and no precise record of the terms of the trust remained.

The charity was augmented in 1773 by a bequest of £200 3% consols from Mr Henry Baker, the interest of which was to be divided equally between the almswomen, supplementing the pensions paid to them from the revenues of Spurstowe's Charity.

In 1819 the almshouses were rebuilt on the same site (later known as nos 1-11 (odd) Sylvester Path). The money for this was raised by selling the brick earth found in Pickwell or Pigwell Field to Richard Dann, the tenant of the charity's estate. At the end of his lease he was required to level and restore the field to agricultural use.

A scheme for the management of the charity was made by a decree of the Court of Chancery in 1835 in the cause "Attorney General v. Watson and others". Fifteen non official trustees were named by the Court and the Rector and churchwardens of the Parish of Hackney were made ex-officio trustees. The scheme laid down the procedures for the future election of trustees and almswomen.

In 1854 the Spurstowe's Charity estate was enfranchised. Agreements with neighbouring landowners, Sir William Middleton and Mr Thomas Wilkinson, in 1853, 1855 and 1863, allowed for the straightening of boundaries and the laying out of new roads and sewers in preparation for building. Most of what became known as the Graham Road Estate was developed in the 1860s and 1870s with houses, shops, and two taverns.

The Charity Commissioners approved a new scheme for the administration of the charity on 24 August 1877. This allowed the surplus income to be applied to the following objects:-
1) Out pensions were to be paid to not more than 20 poor ancient widows or unmarried women resident in the Parish of Hackney.
2) Pensions were granted to the ten poor widows resident in Bishop Wood's Almshouses
3) Convalescent treatment was to be provided for poor deserving inhabitants of Hackney.

Bishop Wood's Almshouses and Chapel, situated in Clapton Road, were founded by the will of Dr Thomas Wood, Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, dated 11 November 1690. They were endowed with a rent charge from an estate at Bishop Itchington in Warwickshire, supplemented by half a fee farm rent from an estate at Wanley, near Richmond in Yorkshire, given by Francis Willes in 1842, and by consols bequeathed by Anne Ashpitel in 1870. In 1906 the Charity Commissioners approved a scheme whereby Bishop Wood's Almshouses were to be administered by the Trustees of Dr Spurstowe's Charity. For further information see ACC/1845/14.

Bishop Wood's Almshouses and Chapel still exist. Spurstowe's Almshouses were demolished in 1966 and replaced by new almshouses situated in Navarino Road, Hackney.

Doctors and Overpopulation

This organisation grew up as the result of a letter 'Doctors and Overpopulation' signed by 55 doctors, which appeared in The Lancet and the British Medical Journal, Jan 1972, which generated a large response from the profession. In order to 'function efficiently as a pressure group' a Management and a General Committee were established. The group was active until 1984 when the death of the chairman, George Morris, caused it to become rather less high profile. A 1987 membership drive failed to accrue more than a few members.

Charles Dodds (1899 - 1973) was Professor of Biochemistry at the Middlesex Hospital 1925 - 1965, director of the Courtauld Institute of Biochemistry 1928 - 1965 and President of the Royal College of Physicians 1962 - 1966. Accounts of his life and works are given in MS3120, Munk's Roll vol.VI pp.151-3, and Anon., "Sir Charles Dodds: a pioneer in medicine and biochemistry", in New Scientist vol 6 (1959) pp.234-5.

Born 20 Jan 1920; educated at Flete House, Westgate-on-Sea, 1929-c 1933; Stowe School, 1934-c 1936; Royal Military College, Sandhurst, 1938-c 1939; 2 Lt, Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1st Battalion, India, 1939-1940; Special Operations Executive (SOE), 1941-1945; Headquarters, Cairo, 1942; SOE missions to Greece, 1943-1945; led attack on Turin with Italian partisans, 26 Apr 1945; organised partisan operations on Chivasso and Carmagnola, Italy; awarded MC, 1945; Military Assistant to the British member of the Allied Control Commission in Bulgaria, 1945-c 1946; General Staff Officer Grade 3, War Office, 1946-1947; entered the Foreign Service, Jan 1948; Vice-Consul, and Acting Consul-General, Salonika, Greece 1949-1950; Second and subsequently (Oct) First Secretary, British Embassy, Madrid, 1951; Personnel Department, Foreign Office, 1953; Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, 1955; First Secretary and Head of Chancery, Prague, Nov 1958; acting Charge d'affaires, Prague, 1959-1962; Consul in Elisabethville, Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1962; awarded CMG, 1963; Foreign Office Central Department, 1963-1966; Counsellor and Deputy Ambassador, Greece, 1966-1969; Ambassador to Hungary 1970-1973; Ambassador to Brazil, Sep 1973-1977; appointed KCMG and awarded the Brazilian order of the Southern Cross, 1975; British ambassador in Ankara, Turkey, 1977-1980; retired 1980; Special Representative of Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, 1981-1995; British member of the board of the Benguela Railway Company, 1984-1992; died 22 Nov 2003.

Descriptions of Greek resistance groups (Greek: andartes) related to this collection:

AAI: The National Liberation Front (Greek: Ethniko Apeleftherotiko Metopo) led by Georges Siados was a Communist group affiliated with the KKE - the Communist Party of Greece (Greek: Kommounistiko Komma Elladas).

The military arm of EAM was ELAS, The National People's Liberation Army, (Greek: Ethnikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos), led by Ares Velouchiotis (real name Athanasios (Thanasis) Klaras).

EDES: The National Republican Greek League (Greek: Ethnikos Demokratikos Ellenikos Syndesmos), was an anti-Communist, Republican group, led by political leader Nikolaos Plasteras and military leader Gen Napoleon Zervas.

EKKA: National and Social Liberation (Greek: Ethnike kai Koinonike Apeleftherosis) led by Demetrios Psarros was a liberal, anti-Communist, Republican group.