CHAMBERS, William. Newcastle-upon-Tyne 21.11.1748 — Calcutta 22.8.1793. British Colonial Official and a Pioneer of Indology. Son of Robert Chambers (1705?–1749), an attorney in Newcastle, and Anne Metcalf (1713–1782), younger brother of —> Robert Chambers (1737–1823). Educated in Newcastle. Went to India before 1774. Political servant of E.I.C., apparently first in…
BURTON, Richard Francis. Barnham House, Elstree, Hertfordshire 19.3.1821 — Trieste 20.10.1890 (Dingle & Garrett: born in Torquay, Devon, Penzer explains: born in Toquay, baptised in Elstree, Herts). Sir. British (partly of Irish origin) Oriental Scholar, Pioneer of Anthropology, Traveller and Diplomat. Son of Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Netterville Burton (1782–1857) and Martha…
BURROW, Reuben. Hoberley, near Shadwell, Leeds 30.12.1747 — Baxar, Bihar 7.6.1792. British Mathematician in India. “Son of a farmer, educated at Leeds. Became a clerk, usher, schoolmaster, assistant astronomer and schoolmaster at Greenwich, arithmetical teacher at the Tower, edited the Royal Almanack. Went to India in 1782, learnt Sanskrit.” In…
BUCHANAN, Claudius (born Claud Buchanan). Cambuslang near Glasgow, Lanarkshire 12.3.1766 — Broxbourne, Hertfordshire 9.2.1815. Rev. British (Scottish) Missionary in India. Son of Alexander Buchanan, a schoolmaster, and Janet Somers, educated in Inverary. Studies at Glasgow 1782-84 and 1786 and, after several years’ interval spent in London, from 1791 at Cambridge…
BROWNE, James. 1744 — Patna 22.6.1792. British Colonial Officer in India. Lieutenant-Colonel. Joined Indian army in 1765, 1772 aide-de-camp of Warren Hastings. “Collector of the Jungleterry districts, 1773; had difficult work in administering the country and settling disturbances. Sent by the Council on an embassy to Shah Alam at Delhi…
BROWNE, Edward Granville. Uley near Dursley, Gloucestershire 7.2.1862 — Cambridge 5.1.1926. British Oriental Scholar (mainly Persian, Turkish and Arabic, also Hindi-Urdu). Professor in Cambridge. Son of Sir Benjamin Chapman Browne (1839–1917), a civil engineer, and Annie Atkinson. Educated at Trinity College in Glenalmond and at Eton. Studies at Pembroke College,…
BROWN, Charles Philip. Calcutta, India 10.11.1798 — London 12.12.1884. British Civil Servant in India (1817-55) and Indologist, specialist of Telugu language. Son of Rev. David Brown (1763–1812), the provost of Calcutta College, and Frances Cowley. Educated by his father in India, after his death came to England in 1812. After…
BROUGHTON, Thomas Duer. 1778 — London 16.11.1835. British Colonial Officer in India. Son of Rev. Thomas Broughton (Rector of St.Peter’s in Bristol) and his wife Mary., educated at Eton. Joined the Bengal Army in 1795, lieutenant 1797. Participated in the siege of Seringapatam 1799. From 1802 military resident with the…
BROCKHAUS, Hermann. Amsterdam 28.1.1806 — Leipzig 5.1.1877. German Indologist and Iranian Scholar. Professor in Leipzig. Born in Amsterdam in a German family, son of the famous publisher Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus (1772–1823) and Sophie Wilhelmine Arnoldine Beurhaus (d. 1809). In 1810 the family returned to Germany after mother’s death. School in…
BRIGGS, John. Madapollam, Madras 18.9.1785 — Burgess Hill, Sussex 27.4.1875. British Colonial Officer and Oriental Scholar, 1801-35 in India. Son of physician James (or John?) Briggs (1758–1830) and Martha Pybus (1758–1788), came to England 1789. Educated at Eton 1794-99. From 1801 in Madras infantry, participated in both Maratha wars. In…