JOHNSTON, Alexander. Carnsalloch, Dumfriesshire 25.4.1775 — London 6.3.1849. Sir. British (Scottish) Civil Servant in Sri Lanka. Son of Samuel J. and Hester Napier. Grew up in Madurai, where his father served as official and where Chr. Fr. Schwarz was his teacher. Learned Tamil, Telugu and Hindustani. In 1792 the family…
JAGER, Herbert de. Zwammerdam near Leiden 1636 (1637?) — Batavia (Jakarta) 6.1.1694. Dutch Priest and Traveller. Son of a farmer. Studies of theology, of mathematics, botany, astronomy and Oriental languages (under Golius) at Leiden in 1657-62. In service of the Dutch E.I.C. in 1662-94, first in Batavia, 1666-70 in Persia…
HAY, John. Near Aberdeen 23.4.1812 — 1891. Rev. British (Scottish) Missionary in India. Son of Patrick Hay, educated at Aberdeen University, M.A. 1833. “In 1839 joined the Madras Mission of the L[ondon] M[iss.] S[oc.], and the staff of the British and Foreign Bible Society about 1883. D.D. of an American…
GWYNN, John Peter Lucius. London 22.6.1916 — Bromley, Kent 14.9.1999. British Civil Servant in India. Son of John Tudor Gwynn, I.C.S., of Irish background, and Joan Sedding. After early childhood in South India educated in Oxford and Dublin. After studies of Classics and Comparative Linguistics at Dublin (B.A. 1938 at…
FRAZER, Robert Watson. Dublin 1854 — 30.11.1921. Irish Indologist and Dravidian Scholar in British Civil Service in India. Lecturer in London. Educated at Rathmines School and Trinity College in Dublin (under Atkinson). LL.B. In 1877-86 served in India, Madras Civil Service. In 1886 retired, “invalided in consequence of fever contracted…
FIGULLA, Hugo Heinrich Max. Loslau, Kr. Rybnik, Oberschlesien (now Wodzisław Śląski in Poland) 27.12.1885 — London 6.2.1969. German Assyriologist and Hittite Scholar also interested in Dravidian. After gymnasium in Ratibor studied at Berlin and Breslau (Assyriology under Br. Meissner). Ph.D. 1911 Breslau in Assyriology. From 1912 worked in Vorderasiatische Museum…
ELLIS, Francis Whyte. 1777? — Ramnad, Tamil Nadu 10.3.1819. British Civil Servant and Pioneer of Indology in India. From 1796 in Madras Civil Service, 1898 Deputy Secretary and 1802 as Secretary to the Board of Revenue, 1810 Collector of Madras. Died of cholera (?). He was a pioneer of Dravidian linguistics,…
ELLIOT, Walter. Edinburgh 16.1.1803 — Wolfelee, Roxburghshire 1.3.1887. Sir. British (Scottish) Civil Servant, Indologist, Epigraphist and Naturalist in India. Son of James E. and Caroline Hunter, educated privately and in Cumberland and Doncaster. Appointed into a writership in E.I.C. he came to Haileybury in 1818 and to India in 1821.…
DE’ NOBILI DE MONTEPULCIANO, Roberto (Robertus de Nobilibus, Tattuvapodagar [‑pōtakar]). Montepulciano near Siena 1577 — Mailapur (Chennai) 16.1.1656. S.J. Italian Missionary in South India. Born of a family of high nobility (related to the Duke of Modena), joined the S.J. in 1597. Studies of theology in Naples and Rome. In…
CŒURDOUX, Gaston-Laurent. Bourges 18.10.1691 (or 18.12.?) — Pondichéry 15.6.1779. S.J. French Missionary Priest and Pioneer of Indology in India. Joined the S.J. in 1715, ordained 1725, left for South India 1732, and served in Madurai Mission in 1732-73, in 1744-51 as the superior of the mission. After the suppression of…