STEWART, Charles

STEWART, Charles. Lisburn, Antrim 1764 — Bath 19.4.1837. British Colonial Officer and Oriental Scholar in India. Son of Captain Poyntz Stewart, in 1781 joined E.I.C.’s army as cadet. Served in Upper India and Rohilkhand. From 1800-06 taught Persian at Fort William College. In 1805 the College sent him to Mysore…

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STEPHENS, Celeus Leon

STEPHENS, Celeus Leon. Westminster 11.1.1847 — Bogn, Bengal 21.12.1919. Rev. British Calvinist Missionary in India. Son of George St. and Mary Franklin Arnold, grew up in Carmarthen (Wales). Educated at Trevecca College in Pembroke. Ordained priest 1870. Pastor in Pembrokeshire 1870-72 and London 1872-78. Member of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists’…

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STEPHEN, James Grant

STEPHEN, James Grant. Calcutta 28.7.1819 — Cheltenham, Gloucestershire 22.2.1897. British Colonial Officer. Major. Son of William George Stephen (1792–1823), captain of Bengal Engineers, and Esther Thomason. Served in Bengal Army, retired 1856. Now studies at Cambridge (B.A. 1861, M.A. 1864). From 1860 a few years (to 1863?) Lecturer in Hindustani…

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STARKEY, Samuel Cross

STARKEY, Samuel Cross. London 3.3.1807 — Wrenbury Hall, Cheshire 28.3.1888. British Colonial Officer in India. Son of John Cross Starkey and Gracia Turnbull Penman. Captain, then Major. At his father’s death in 1855 inherited the property in Cheshire and returned to England, living the rest of his life at Wrenbury Hall. Married…

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STARK(E), J. (James?)

STARK(E), James (or John?). Kirkcudbright 5.5.1798 — Troqueer Holm near Dumfries 8.11.1879. Hon. British (Scottish) Lawyer in Sri Lanka. From 1824 lawyer in Edinburgh. Queen’s Advocate in Ceylon 1838-40, then Puisne Justice of Supreme Court in Colombo (still 1849). In 1845 the first President of the Ceylon Branch of R.A.S.…

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SPRUNG, Mervyn

SPRUNG,  George Mervyn Carter. Winnipeg 1913 — Peterborough, Ontario 5.1.2000. Canadian Buddhist Scholar. Son of Benjamin Franklin Sprung and Elizabeth Carter. Studies at Manitoba (B.A.), Toronto (M.A.) and Berlin (Ph.D. 1939). Back in Canada volunteered in army and, speaking fluent German, was taken to intelligence. Colonel. After war worked as army historian,…

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SPRING, Francis

SPRING, Francis. 17?? — 18??. Rev. British Missionary of Church Missionary Society in India. M.A. Chaplain of Madras Army  in Tellicherry from before 1817, when he founded a school there. Returned to the U.K. in 1824. The first name is somewhat uncertain, some Internet sources call him Frederic James. On…

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SMYTH, W. Carmichael

SMYTH, William Henry Carmichael. England 30.7.1780 — Alloway, Ayrshire 9.9.1861. British Colonial Officer in India. Son of James Carmichael Smyth, a Scottish physician. and his wife Mary, educated at Charterhouse School. In 1797 joined Bengal Artillery, after an expedition to South-East Asia served in Allahabad and Agra. In 1807 returned to…

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SMITH, R. Percy

SMITH, Robert Percy. 18?? — 1???. British Colonial Officer in India. Captain of Royal Artillery, signed his Preface in Bareilly (1890). There was an elder R.P.S., called “Bobus Smith” (1770–1845), the Judge Advocate General of Bengal and M.P., probably our man was named after him (but not his direct descendant). Publications: Urdu Grammar.…

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SMITH, Maria Wilkins

SMITH, Maria Wilkins. Philadelphia, PA 21.6.1884 — 29.12.1973. U.S. Linguist. Daughter of William Horner Smith (1853–1889) and Henrietta Constantia Wilkins (1856–1933). Apparently the same M. W. Smith who studied at Bryn Mawr (1906) and passed Ph.D. 1929 at University of Pennsylvania (under Kent). She was Instructor, then Assistant Professor of Latin…

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