DOWNING, Clement. 16?? — at sea 1736. British Engineer in India 1715-23. In Mughal service. Birth and early years unknown, to India perhaps in 1715. According to his title page he was “Midshipman on board the Salisbury; afterwards Lieutenant of the Victory Frigate, Fame Gally, and Revenge Grab, part of…
DOWNES, Edmund. Northampton, Middlesex 1844 — Eastbourne, Sussex 11.1.1912 (others 11.12.1911). Rev. British Colonial Officer turned Missionary. Son of Rev. John Downes and Lucy Todd. Educated at Radley College and Woolwich. Served as lieutenant in Royal Horse Artillery in India about 8 years, then left army and worked for Church…
DOW, Alexander. Crieff, Perthshire 1735/36 — Bhagalpur 31.7.1779. British (Scottish) Colonial Officer, Historian and Persian Scholar in India. Son of a customs officer. He had mercantile education, but had to leave Scotland after a fatal duel. He came to Bencoolen (Sumatra) as a sailor and entered in 1760 the E.I.C.’s…
DOUGLAS, James. 4.6.1826 — 3.8.1904. British (Scottish) Banker in India, interested in History. Son of William Douglas, a solicitor, “educated at Sorbie Parish School and privately in Edinburgh. Went to Karachi in 1864 as Agent of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China, Agent in Bombay 1865-72. Exchange and…
DOUGLAS, Gordon (Bhikkhu Asoka). 18?? — April 1900 (Payer) or 1905. British Bauddha. He was claimed to be the very first British who was ever (known to be) ordained as a Buddhist monk (Wikipedia Laurence Carroll as U Dhammaloka is earlier, see W. on him). The ordination took place in…
DOROW, Wilhelm. Königsberg 22.3.1790 — Halle 16.12.1846. German Antiquarian Scholar. A precursor of Indian art history who, according to Mode, did not share the common contempt of Indian art of his times. Lost early his father, educated in Marienburg (Malbork in Poland). For a while studied at Königsberg. Moved 1811…
DORN, Johann Albrecht Bernhard (Boris Andreevič) von. Scheuerfeld bei Koburg 11.5.1805 — St.Petersburg 19.5.(31.5.)1881. German Oriental (Iranian) Scholar in Russia. Son of Heinrich Wilhelm Dorn (1770–1836), a minister, and Susanna Friederike Bühl. Gymnasium in Coburg. Studies from 1822, first Theology, soon Oriental languages, at Halle and Leipzig. Ph.D. and PD…
DONATI, Girolamo. Perugia 1857 — 1901. Italian Indologist. Student of De Gubernatis. For a while in Perugia (1885). Then libero docente di sanscrito at R. Istituto di Studi superiori di Firenze, from 1890 in charge of Sanskrit teaching when De Gubernatis moved to Rome. Also conservator of Museo Indiano in…
DOMENICO DA FANO (Dominicus a Fano,lay Francesco Magnani). 1674 — 1728. Father. Italian Capuchin Missionary, in Tibet in 1706-11and 1716-25, with interval in Europe. He was the Head of the Capuchin Mission in Lhasa, until his death, when he was succeeded by —> Orazio Della Penna. Started the quarrel against…
DODWELL, Henry Herbert. 1879 — Chertsey, Surrey 13.6.1946. British Historian. Educated in Thame, studies at St.John’s (Oxford), graduated 1908 and joined Indian Educational Service, retired 1922. In 1922-46 Professor of History and Culture of the British Dominions in Asia at S.O.A.S. Married 1908 Lily May Mason (1878–1958), four children. Publications:…