GRAY, Albert. Perth, Scotland 10.10.1850 — Chelsea 27.2.1928. Sir. British (Scottish) Lawyer interested in Sri Lanka and in Travel Literature. Son of George Gray and Sophia Margaret Jameson. Member of Ceylon Civil Service in 1871-74. Back in the U.K. studied law and was called to the bar in 1879. Counsel…
FORBES (FORBES-LESLIE), Jonathan. 21.2.1798 — 23.12.1877. British (Scottish) Colonial Officer. Son of John F. and Anne Margaret Gregory. Arrived at Ceylon as a young officer of 78th Highlanders in 1826, remained until 1837 advancing to Major. Then Lieutenant-Colonel, some years served in India 1842–4?, retired before 1850. Later on lived…
CHOUNAVEL, Constant. Socourt, Saint-Dié (Vosges) 9.4.1825 — Borella, Sri Lanka 23.8.1923. O.M.I. French Catholic Missionary in Sri Lanka. Son of Joseph Ch. and Christine Pierron. Studied theology and took the habit in 1849. Ordained 1852 in Marseille and left for Ceylon. In 1852-83 served in Jaffna Vicariate, then in Colombo…
CALLAWAY, John. 17?? — 18??. Rev. British Wesleyan Missionary in Sri Lanka. Arrived in 1815 and worked there about ten years (1816 in Matara, 1817 and 1821-24 Principal of Galle School), then retired to England, apparently lived in London. Publications: A Vocabulary, with Useful Phrases and Familiar Dialogues, in the…
NOVOSAD, Martin (Nyānasatta Mahāthera). Vizovice, Moravia 25.1.1908 — Sri Lanka 1984. Czechoslovakian Buddha in Sri Lanka. Born in Southern Moravia. In 1935 heard of Buddhism through his wife and in 1938 arrived in Sri Lanka. Now became Nyānatiloka’s disciple and soon ordained as a monk. From 1940 leader of Verdant…
MOORE, Osbert John S. (Ñānamoli Thera). Cambridge 25.6.1905 — Veheragama near Mahawa 8.3.1960. British Bauddha and Buddhist Scholar. Lived in Sri Lanka 1949–60. Son of John Edmund Sharrock Moore, a biologist, and Heloise Salvin. Studies at Exeter College, Oxford. During the war served as officer in Italy, read Evola’s Dottrina…
MATZEL, Klaus Hellmuth. Borsdorf near Leipzig 11.10.1923 — 1992. German Linguist, Germanic and Sinhalese Scholar. Professor in Regensburg. Son of Hellmuth Paul M. and Margaretha Werner. Educated in Hamburg. Studies at Halle, Leipzig, Jena and Berlin, mainly German, but also classics, Slavic, IE and Indology. Four years in a G.D.R.…
FAIRBANKS, Gordon Hubert. Calgary, Alberta 22.3.1913 — Honolulu, Hawaii 13.7.1985. Canadian Linguist in the U.S.A., NIA, IE, Russian and Armenian Scholar. Citizen of the U.S.A. Professor in Ithaca, Manoa and Urbana. Son of Hubert F. and Constance Maude Bullock. Educated at Mount Royal College in Calgary, studies at at University…
STEELE, Thomas. Walton near Brampton, Cumberland 27.5.1834 — Walton 29.12.1895. British Civil Servant in Sri Lanka. Son of William Steele, a poet. Joined the Ceylon service in 1856. Worked in Kurunegala, Galle and Kandy, then Assistant Government Agent in Hambantota (1869 there). Translator, after retirement in 1876 lived in Carlisle,…
SMITH, Helmer. Boo, Stockholms län 26.4.1882 — 9.1.1956. Swedish Indologist. Professor in Uppsala. Son of an engineer, Henning Smith (of distant British origin), and Fanny Sehlstedt (d. 1929). Matriculated from Stockholm in 1900. Studies at Uppsala: fil.kand. 1904, fil.lic. 1908. In 1909-20 further studies in Berlin, Paris (Bloch) and especially…