REEVE, William. Chelmsford, Essex 7.8.1793 — Bristol 14.4.1850. Rev. British Missionary in India. Son of the elder William Reeve and his wife Mary. Ordained 1816, married and left for India. Worked for London Missionary Society until 1824 in Bellary and, after leave in England, in Bangalore until 1834, when retired…
REES, John David. London 16.12.1854 — London 2.6.1922. First Baronet (1919). British Civil Servant in India. Son of Lodwich William Rees (1816–1885) and Ann Jones. “Educated at Cheltenham. Entered the Madras Civil Service, 1875. Private Secretary to three successive Governors…; Government Translator in Tamil, Telugu, Persian and Hindustani. British Resident…
RAWLINSON, Henry Creswicke (Sir Henry). Chadlington Park, Oxfordshire 11.4.1810 — London 5.3.1895. Bart. British Pioneer of Near Eastern Archaeology. Son of Abram Tyson Rawlinson (1777–1845), a breeder of racehorses, and Eliza Creswicke, brother of —> George Rawlinson (1812–1902). Educated at Wrington and Ealing schools, became early interested in ancient history.…
RAVERTY, Henry George. Falmouth, Cornwall 31.5.1825 — Grampound Road, Cornwall 20.10.1906. British Colonial Officer and Oriental (Afghan) Scholar in India. Son of Peter Raverty, a naval surgeon of Irish background (his father was O’Raverty), educated in Falmouth and Penzance. Came to India as cadet of Welsh Fusiliers, in 1843 moved…
RAU, Adolf Wilhelm Ludwig. Gera 15.2.1922 — Gera 29.12.1999. German Indologist. Professor in Marburg. Son of Rudolf Rau (1877–1954), a schoolteacher, and Johanna Seifarth (1890–1985), also a teacher, gymnasium at Rutheneum in Gera. Began with Sanskrit already when 15. From 1940 studies at Leipzig under Fr. Weller, soon interrupted by…
RASMUSSEN, Harald Christian. Haderslev 28.8.1853 — Copenhagen 25.12.1904. Danish Schoolteacher and Oriental Scholar. Son of Harald Valdemar Rasmussen (1821–1891), a minister and scholar of Danish, and Hulda Arnkiel (1824–1874). Educated in Copenhagen. Studied theology at Copenhagen, kand.theol. 1877. From 1875 worked as schoolteacher at Forenede Kirkeskoler, from 1882 Senior Teacher,…
RASK, Rasmus Kristian (bapt. Rasmus Christian Rasch). Brændekilde near Odense 22.11.1787 — Copenhagen 14.11.1832. Danish Linguist and Traveller, also interested in Sanskrit and Old Iranian. Professor in Copenhagen. Son of Niels Hansen Rasch (1749–1810), a smallholder and tailor, and Birthe Rasmusdatter (d. 1801). Educated at home and in Odense, became…
RAPSON, Edward James. Leicester 12.5.1861 — Cambridge 3.10.1937. British Indologist. Professor in Cambridge. Son of the teacher and future vicar Edward Rapson, educated at Hereford Cathedral School. From 1879 studied at St.John’s College, Cambridge. Graduated in classics in 1883 and started now Indology under Cowell. Fellow of St.John’s 1887-93, in…
RANDLE, Herbert Niel. Bombay 19.10.1880 — Richmond, Surrey 8.7.1973. British Indologist. Civil servant (teacher) in India and Librarian in London (India Office). Son of Nathaniel Randle (1839–1893), manager of a vining company, and Elfrida Clark. The father sent soon his wife and children to the U.K. and he was educated…
RAMSTEDT, Gustaf John. Tammisaari 22.10.1873 — Helsinki 25.11.1950. Finnish Altaic Scholar. Son of Gustaf Adolf Ramstedt, a machineman, and Edla Matilda Holmberg. Gymnasium in Turku, matriculated 1892. Studies of classics, Sanskrit (under Donner and Reuter) and Finno-Ugrian at Helsinki. M.A. 1898, Lic. phil. (Ph.D.) 1902 (diss. on Mari language under…