BLAQUIERE, William Coates. 1759 (?) — Calcutta 14.8.1853. British Civil Servant in India. Son of Jacques/Jacob Blaquiere (1726–1791). Came to India with his merchant father in 1777. He is said then to be of 13, which makes the year of birth too early (note also the late death). Worked then…
BLANFORD, William Thomas. London 7.10.1832 — London 23.6.1905. British Geologist and Zoologist in India. Son of William Blanford (1792–1876), a factory owner, and Elizabeth (Harriet?) Simpson, educated at private schools in Brighton and Paris. Joined the family business in carving and gilding and because of ill-health spent two years in…
BLAND, Nathaniel (born Nathaniel Crumple). Liverpool 3.2.1803 — Bad Homburg, Hessen, Germany 10.8.1865. British Oriental (Persian) Scholar. Son of the elder Nathaniel Bland (Crumple, 1765–1840), who was of Irish origin, but had changed his name and settled at Randalls Park in Leatherfield, and Arabella O’Neil. Educated at Eton (1818-) and…
BLAKISTON, John Francis. Amersham, Buckinghamshire 21.3.1882 — Caernarvon 8.1.1965. British Archaeologist. Son of John Rochfort Blakiston (1840–1921) and Georgina Helen Cubbitt, educated as architect at Wellington College, Berkshire. Captain in cavalry, Indian Army (thus peerage, Wikip. calls him architect). Served from 1911 in the A.S.I., first as assistant, from 1916…
BIRDWOOD, George Christopher Molesworth. Belgaum, India 8.12.1832 — Ealing, London 28.6.1917. Sir. British Physician and Botanist in India interested in Science and in Colonial History. Son of General Christopher Birdwood (1807–1882) of Indian Army and Lydia Juliana Taylor, his brother was Herbert Mills Birdwood (1837–1907) of I.C.S., also a botanist.…
BIRD, James. 1797 — Gerrard Cross, Buckinghamshire 10.7.1864. British Physician in India interested in Archaeology, Epigraphy and Numismatics. Educated from 1810 at King’s College, Aberdeen, M.A. 1814, then at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospitals. Dr. med. 1816. From 1818 served in Bombay Presidency, first as assistant surgeon. In 1826-32 residency…
BIOT, Jean Baptiste. Paris 21.4.1774 — Paris 3.2.1862. French Historian of Science, especially Astronomy. Son of a treasury official, Joseph Biot (1740–1821) and Marie-Josephine Decressy, educated at Lycée Louis-le-Grand. Joined the army in 1792, but sent to home because of failing health in 1794. Graduated as an engineer and taught…
BINYON, Laurence Robert. Lancaster 10.8.1869 — Reading, Berkshire 10.3.1943. British Art Historian, Dramatist and Poet. Son of Rev. Frederick Binyon (1838–1900) and Mary Dockray. Educated at St.Paul’s School in London, studied classics at Trinity College, Oxford (graduated 1893). From 1893 worked in Printed Books Dept. of British Museum, in 1915-33…
BINGLEY, Alfred Horsford. Paris 28.5.1865 — Cranleigh, Surrey 20.4.1944. Sir. British Colonial Officer. Son of Peregrine Taylor Bingley (1825–1886) and Alice Austin, educated at Kensington School and Sandhurst. Served in India from 1887. In 1901-11 served at Army Headquarters. Lieutenant General 1920, retired 1921. C.I.E. 1909. K.C.I.E. 1918. In retirement…
BIGANDET, Paul-Ambroise. Malans (Doubs) 13.8.1813 — Rangoon 19.4.1894. Father. French Catholic Missionary and Buddhist Scholar. Fifty years in Burma. Son of Jean-Antoine Bigandet (1761–1839) and Jeanne Cornu. Educated in Besançon and at the seminary of Missions Etrangères in Paris (two years there). In 1837 ordained as priest and sent as…