MILES, William. 1780 — London 21.5.1860. British Colonial Officer in India. Major-General (1854). Cadet 1799, in 1800 joined the Bombay Native Infantry, served in operations against Baroda and in 1804 at Bhurtpore (Bharatpur). “Made a treaty in 1820 with the Raja of Rodanpur, commanded a regiment in the first Burmese…
MILDENHALL (Midnall), John. Little Bedwell, Wiltshire 1560 (?) — Ajmer June 1614. British Traveller in India, self-styled envoy of the E.I.C. to Mughal Court in 1603. Son of Sir John Mildenhall (?). Being a London merchant, he travelled on his own account, without any official position, although he often pretended…
MICHAEL, James. 17?? — 15.12.1837. British Colonial Officer and Oriental (Persian and Urdu) Scholar in India, then in 1827-37 Professor of Hindu Literature and Asian History at Haileybury. From 1934 also registrar of the College. Beside Persian and Hindustani he also knew Marathi. During his last years suffered of poor health…
MAYNE, John Dawson. Dublin 31.12.1828 — Berkshire 1917. British (Irish) Lawyer in India. Son of John Mayne (1793–1828), Barrister-at-law in Dublin who died before his birth, and Anna Johnson (née Graves, 1798–1864). “Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, called to the bar, 1854. Practised at the English bar, 1854-56, at the…
MATHER, Robert Cotton. Manchester 8.11.1808 — London 21.4.1877. Rev. British (Scottish) Missionary and Hindi Scholar in India. Son of Rev. James Mather and Ann Speakman (1772–1809), educated at Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities (M.A. 1831), then theology at Homerton College. Ordained priest in 1833 and went to India for the London…
MASTER, Alfred. Norwich, Norfolk 12.2.1883 — 16.6.1978 (when 95). British Indologist (New Indo-Aryan and Telugu scholar). Son of George Reginald Master (1854–1918) and Emily Manby (1854–1952). Educated at King Edward VI School in Norwich, studies at Epsom College, Oxford (M.A.). In 1906 he joined the I.C.S., first as Assistant Collector…
MASON, Francis. York 2.4.1799 — Rangoon 3.3.1874. Rev. British Missionary in Burma, a Scholar of Pāli and Karen, lay Botanist. Son of Thomas Mason, a shoemaker and Baptist lay preacher, born in York where his grandfather had founded a Baptist Society. Worked himself as shoemaker with his father, but in…
MASKELL, Dorothy A. L. (née Stede). 19?? — 1956. British Indologist (Pāli Scholar). Daughter of —> W. Stede (1882–1958). Ph.D. 1938 London. In 1940 still unmarried (called Stede). In 1949-56 Reader of Pāli at S.O.A.S. (succeeding her father). Husband George H. R. Maskell. Publications: “The rôle of Alaṁkāra in Indian…
MARTIN, Robert Montgomery. Dublin 1801? (or 1803) — Sutton, Surrey 6.9.1868. British (Anglo-Irish) Civil Servant, Physician, Botanist, Statistician and Historian in India and Asia. Born in a Protestant family in Ireland, son of John Martin and Mary Hawkins. Studied medicine. He came to Ceylon about 1820 and travelled around Indian…
MARSHMAN, Joshua. Westburg Leigh, Wiltshire 20.4.1768 — Serampur 5.12.1837. British Missionary and Pioneer of Indology and Sinology in India. Son of John Marshman, a weaver, and Mary Couzener, educated at the village school of Westbury Leigh. Apprenticed to a bookseller he read extensively. In 1794-99 Master of a Baptist school…