HAMILTON, John Herbert Fearnley (Fearnly). 1858? — Ratnapura 20.5.1894, when 36. British Civil Servant in Sri Lanka. Son of Peter Hamilton. Studied briefly at Oxford. Entered C.C.S. in 1879 and retired 12 years later as District Judge of Ratnapura (but Lewis lets us understand that he was still judge there…
HAMILTON, Charles. Belfast 1752/53 — Hampstead, London 14.3.1792, when 39. British Colonial Officer in India. Probably son of Charles H., a merchant (d. 1759), and Katherine Mackay (d. 1767). Worked two years in a Dublin mercantile house, then “went to India in the E.I.C.’s military service in 1776; was one…
HAMILTON, Alexander. 3.10.1762 — Liverpool 30.12.1824. British (Scottish) Pioneer of Indology. Born in Scotland (if not in India), son of William Hamilton (1722–1783), a merchant in Greenock (Inverclyde), and Jean Donald, and grandson of Alexander Hamilton, Laird of Grange in Ayrshire, brother of Major Walter Hamilton (1779–1818), who also wrote…
HALLETT, Holt Samuel. London 1841 — London 11.11.1911. British Railway Engineer in India. Son of T. Perlham L. Hallett, LL.D., of Dorset, educated at Kensington School and Charterhouse. Qualified for Engineer on London and North Western Railway, employed in construction work in Lancashire and Cheshire 1860-68. Entered Indian P.W.D., 1868,…
HALHED, Nathaniel Brassey. Westminster 25.5.1751 — London 18.2.1830. British Precursor of Indology. Son of William Halhed, a bank director, and Frances Caswal, educated at Harrow. From 1768 studies at Christ Church, Oxford (no degree), where —> William Jones prompted him to study Arabic. After a brush-off accepted a post of…
HAIG, Thomas Wolseley. Plumstead, Woolwich, Kent 7.8.1865 — Kensington, London 23.4./28.4./4.5.1938. Sir. British Colonial Officer and Historian of India. Lieutenant-Colonel. Son of Major Robert Wolseley Haig (of old Scottish family, 1830–1872) and Maria Georgina Brown (d. 1878). Educated at Wellington College and Sandhurst. In 1884 joined Senforth Highlanders, 1887 Indian…
HADLEY, George. 174? — London 10.9.1798. British Colonial Officer in India, Author of the first Hindūstānī Grammar in English. He joined the E.I.C.’s Bengal Army as a cadet in 1763, Lieutenant 1764, Captain 1766, retired 1771. In order to understand the sepoys, he compiled a Hindūstānī grammar and an English–…
GWYNN, John Peter Lucius. London 22.6.1916 — Bromley, Kent 14.9.1999. British Civil Servant in India. Son of John Tudor Gwynn (1881–1956), I.C.S., of Irish background, and Joan Sedding. After early childhood in South India educated in Oxford and Dublin (St.Columba’s College). After studies of Classics and Comparative Linguistics at Dublin…
GURNER, Cyril Walter. London 18.1.1888 — 14.8.1960. Sir. British Civil Servant and Indologist in India. Educated at Merchant Taylor’s School, studies at Oriel College, Oxford, and London University. M.A. Passed the I.C.S. examination in 1910 and went to Bengal. District Magistrate in Mymensingh. From 1918 Deputy Chairman of the Calcutta…
GURDON, Philip Richard Thornhagh. Murree, Punjab (not Bengal) 2.2.1863 — Totnes, Devon28.12.1942. Sir. British Colonial Officer and Ethnographist in India. Son of Major-General Evelyn Pulteney Gurdon (1833–1921) and Jane Mary Sandeman. Educated at Charterhouse and Sandhurst, entered army as Lieutenant in 1882. Major and Superintendent of Ethnography in Assam (1907), then Lieutenant-Colonel…