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.
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 aslo 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.
George Gordon Noel Byron was born in London on 22 January 1788. At the age of ten, he inherited his great uncle William's barony to become the 6th Baron of Rochdale. Byron was educated at Harrow School 1801-1805 and Trinity College Cambridge, 1805-1808; where he received a Master of Arts degree. Whilst at Cambridge, Byron had several poetry books and other works printed and published. On leaving Cambridge, he settled in Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire, the ancestral home of the Byrons. He took his seat in the House of Lords on the 13 March 1809 and later that year he began a tour of the Mediterranean and the Near East (1809-1811). In 1812 Byron published Childe Harold's Pilgrimage Canto I and II and made his maiden speech at the House of Lords. In April 1816 he left England for the continent and spent nearly seven years travelling and writing in Italy. While in Italy he wrote Don Juan, which was published in several parts between 1818-1822. Byron sailed for Greece in July 1823, to help that country in its war for independence. In April 1824 Byron fell ill and died in Missolonghi, Greece.
Émile Zola was born in Paris and brought up in the south of France. He returned to Paris aged 18 as a student and subsequently worked in clerical jobs before becoming a journalist and author. His best known writings are novel Germinal (1885), which was part of the 'Les Rougon-Macquart' cycle of 20 novels, and the newspaper article 'J'accuse' (13 January 1898), which accused the French government of anti-Semitism over the Dreyfuss affair. Zola died in 1902 and his body was reburied in the Panthéon in 1908.
James Stephen was born in Poole, Dorset, and received a patchy education at various schools before studying law in Aberdeen and London. During 1783-1794 he worked as a lawyer in St Kitts in the West Indies, and on his permanent return to London he practised in the prize appeal court of the Privy Council. From 1811 until his death he was Master in Chancery, and he served as MP for Tralee, County Kerry, from 1808 to 1812 and for East Grinstead, Sussex, from 1812 to 1815. Stephen was deeply religious in the evangelical Christian tradition and (having witnessed its injustices first hand in the Caribbean) a staunch opponent of slavery and a vehement campaigner against it.
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.
John Burn was born in and spent most of his life in Orton, Westmorland. He became a magistrate in Cumberland and Westmorland and worked at editing and revising the legal writings of his father, Rev Richard Burn (1709-1785).
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.
Joseph McNabb was born in Portaferry, County Down, Ireland, and educated in Belfast and Newcastle upon Tyne. He joined the Dominican order as a novice in 1885, aged 17, taking Vincent as his name in religion. He was ordained priest in 1891 and studied theology in Belgium from 1891 until 1894, thereafter spending his life as a monk and teacher. Fr Vincent was deeply concerned with economic, social and ethical issues and the views expressed in his writings and lectures (including appearances given at Speakers' Corner, Hyde Park, London) were strong and often controversial.
Frederic Herbert Trench was born in Avoncore, County Cork, Ireland, and educated at Hailebury College and at Keble College, Oxford, where he studied modern history. After graduating he was a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford during 1889-1891 before spending 11 years working for the Board of Education. Trench became known as a poet in the early 1900s. Between 1909 and 1911 he was also artistic director of the Haymarket Theatre, London. From 1911 he lived mainly in Settignano, Italy, where the life and land inspired many of his later poems.
John Thomas Graves was born in Dublin in 1806. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and Oriel College, Oxford. He was called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1831 and practised law for several years until his appointment as Professor of Jurisprudence at University College London in 1839; in the same year he was made a fellow of the Royal Society. He became a poor law commissioner in 1846. Alongside his legal research, Graves was an acclaimed mathematician and a collector of mathematical books, pamphlets and manuscripts. On his death, his library of some 15,000 items was bequeathed to University College London.
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.
Elinor Glyn was born in Jersey and brought up in Canada and in Jersey. She married Henry Clayton Glyn in 1892. Her first novel, based on her experiences as a child and young woman, was published in 1900 and became a bestseller. Glyn travelled widely in Europe and the United States and her later writings continued to be influenced by her unconventional experiences and opinions. Her most famous work, the explicit Three Weeks (1907) was made into a film in 1923 and Glyn herself worked for several years as a writer for the Hollywood film industry.
Alfred Charles William Harmsworth was born in County Dublin, Ireland, brought up in London and educated at schools in Lincolnshire and London before becoming a journalist. In his early 20s he founded his own publishing business with backing from his brother Harold; as well as several successful magazines, he purchased the Evening News in 1894 and launched the new Daily Mail (1896) and Daily Mirror (1903) newspapers. He also owned The Observer between 1905 and 1912 and purchased The Times in 1908. Harmsworth was made a baronet in 1904, Baron Northcliffe of the Isle of Thanet in 1905 and a viscount in 1917. Lord Northcliffe was proud of his independence from politicians and, through his newspapers, was very influential. After the First World War, his physical and mental health deteriorated rapidly until his death in 1922. Both during his lifetime and subsequently, he was regarded as one of the greatest figures in modern journalism.
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.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
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.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
Michael Edward Hicks Beach was born in London in 1837. He was educated at Eton and at Christ Church, Oxford. He succeeded his father as 9th baronet in 1854. Sir Michael entered parliament as Conservative MP for East Gloucestershire (1864-1885) and subsequently served as MP for Bristol West (1885-1904). He held several cabinet posts, including Chancellor of the Exchequer (1885-1886, 1895-1904). Hicks Beach was made a viscount in 1906 and Earl St Aldwyn in 1915, the year before his death.
William Lygon was born in London in 1872. He was educated at Eton and Christ Church Oxford, which he left without completing his degree. He succeeded his father as Earl Beauchamp in 1891. During 1899-1901 he was briefly governor of New South Wales. Lord Beauchamp became a privy counsellor in 1906 and served as its president between Jun and Nov 1910. He became a Knight of the Garter in 1914 and was was Liberal leader in the House of Lords from 1924. Between 1929 and 1931 he was Chancellor of the University of London. Alongside his happy marriage and family life, Beauchamp had several homosexual relationships, which damaged his reputation, and he was obliged to live in exile abroad from 1931 after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Herbet George Wells was born in Bromley, Kent, and educated locally. From the age of 13 he worked unsuccesfully as a draper's assistant and chemist's assistant, before beoming a pupil teacher Midhurst Grammar School. In 1884 he began studying under Thomas Huxley at the Normal School (later the Royal College) of Science in South Kensington, but left without a degree; he finally gained a University of London BSc in 1890. Wells became a teacher and freelance journalist before branching out into novels and short stories. He was married twice and had several other ongoing liaisons with women, including the writer Rebecca West (afterwards Dame Cicily Andrews). Today he is best known for his science fiction works, including The Time Machine (1895) and The War of the Worlds (1898); during his lifetime he was also known as a non-fiction writer and a committed socialist.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
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.
John King was born in Lancashire in 1759. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford and studied law at Lincoln's Inn and Gray's Inn, before being called to the bar in 1790. He became law clerk at the Home Office in 1791 and progressed to joint secretary to the Treasury by 1806. He also became MP for Enniskillen, co. Fermanagh, Ireland in 1806 but gave up the seat the same year, due to bad health. He then became comptroller of army accounts, a post he held until his death in 1830.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
Charles Ingoldsby Paulet was educated at Eton and at Clare College, Cambridge, before pursuing a military career. He served as MP for Truro from 1792 to 1796. Previously known by the courtesy title of Earl of Wiltshire, Paulet succeeded his father as Marquess of Winchester in 1800. From 1812 until 1837, when the position was abolished, he was Groom of the Stole to the monarch. In 1839, Winchester adopted the surname of Burroughs-Paulet, as specified in the will of Sarah Salusbury (née Burroughs), whose property he inherited.
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.
The Sun Fire Office was founded in 1710 by a co-partnership of 24 'gentlemen of mixed social and professional background' to provide fire insurance following the devastation of the Great Fire of London in 1666. It is the oldest insurance company in existence; it merged with Alliance Asssurance in 1959 and with Royal Insurance (founded 1842) in 1996 to form Royal and Sun Alliance.
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.
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.
James Edwin Thorold Rogers was born in Hampshire, educated in Southampton, and at King's College London, and at Magdalen Hall, Oxford. He was ordained in the Church of England in about 1846. In the 1850s and early 1860s he established himself in Oxford as a private tutor and occasional university examiner; encouraged by his friend Richard Cobden he also undertook studies in the causes of rural poverty. Rogers held an economics professorship at King's College London, from 1859 until his death in 1890 and was twice (1862-1867, 1888-1890) Drummond Professor of Political Economy at Oxford. After giving up his Anglican orders in 1870, he was able to stand for Parliament, eventually serving as Liberal MP for Southwark (1880-1885) and Bermondsey (1885-1886).
Hugh Hamilton was born in Ireland to Scottish parents. Like many younger sons at that time, he enlisted in the Swedish army in 1624, serving as an officer in Sweden and the Baltic until 1660. Hamilton was made a Baron in the Swedish nobility in 1654, but gave up his Swedish estate shortly after returning to Ireland in 1661, when he was granted a peerage as Baron Hamilton of Glenawly, County Fermanagh.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
William Manning was born in London in 1763. He joined his father's trading firm as a young man. After the death of his parents, he inherited the firm and several West Indian estates, confirming his status as a wealthy City merchant. He became a director of the Bank of England in 1792, serving as Deputy Governor during 1810-1812 and then Governor until 1814. He also sat as the MP for several boroughs between 1794 and 1830 and was a staunch supporter of William Pitt's government. From the 1820s a downturn in the West Indies trade led to financial difficulties for Manning's company, and he was eventually declared bankrupt in 1831, after which he retired from public life. His son, Henry Edward Manning, a convert to Roman Catholicism, later became Archbishop of Westminster.
No information was available at the time of compilation.
Edward Codrington entered the navy in 1783 aged 13 and rose through the ranks to become a Vice-Admiral in 1825, Admiral of the blue in 1839 and Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth in 1839. He was knighted in 1815 and made a Grand Commander of St Michael and St George in 1827. He also served as Liberal MP for Devonport (1832-1839).
Jean-Baptiste Colbert was born in Reims in 1665. He started working for the French war office aged 21 and rose to greater influence during the unsettled Fronde period (1648-1653). After Cardinal Mazarin's death in 1661 he became a high-ranking government minister, concerned with economic reform and naval affairs. His son, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Marquis de Seignelay (1651-1690) succeded him as Secretary of State of the Navy.
Peter Dollond was born in 1731. The eldest son of the optician and scientific instrument maker John Dollond (1707-1761). Peter went into partnership with his father, and later with his brother John (1746-1804). His telescopes and other instruments were popular, several were made for the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, and for the Paris Observatory. After his death in 1761, family members continued to operate the business for many years. Eventually, the business was acquired by James Aitchison; the firm of Dollond and Aitchison is still well known for selling spectacles.
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.
William Ward Jackson was a landowner who resided at Normanby Hall, near Middlesbrough, North Riding of Yorkshire. His third son, Ralph Ward Jackson (1806-1880) became well known as a railway entrepreneur and served as MP for Hartlepool.
Alexander Galloway rose to prominence in the radical London Corresponding Society, becoming president of the Society in 1797. He continued to campaign for democratic reform and improvements to working conditions for many years. Galloway was a member of the Worshipful Company of Leathersellers and rose to be a prominent engineer and one of London's largest employers. He also spent 17 years on the Council of Farringdon Without ward.