BONET-MAURY, Amy Gaston Charles Auguste. Paris 2.1.1842 — Paris 20.6.1919. French Protestant Historian. Son of General Frédéric Bonet (catholic) and Julie Chabrier (protestant). After school in Paris (lycée Henri IV) studies of theology at Geneva and Strasbourg, graduated 1867 from Strasbourg. Protestant pastor in Dordrecht 1867-72, Beauvais 1872-76 and Saint-Denis 1877-79. From…
BOISSELIER, Jean Henri Joseph Albin. Paris 26.8.1912 — Paris 26.2.1996. French Archaeologist, Art Historian and Buddhist Scholar. Son of the military illustrator Henri Boisselier (1881–1959). In the 1920s studied at École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, already then interested in Cambodian art. Worked as painter and drawing teacher. In…
BOER, Richard Constant. Warnsveld near Zutphen 31.1.1863 — Amsterdam 20.8.1929. Dutch Linguist. Son of Richard Willem Boer and Constantia Gisius Nanning. Ph.D. 1888 Groningen. In 1888-1900 taught Dutch and geography at gymnasium in Leeuwarden, also PD at Groningen. In 1900-29 Professor of Old Germanic and Sanskrit at Amsterdam, after 1921…
BOELES, Jan Jetso. Leeuwarden 1909 — 2002. Dutch Businessman, Buddhist and South-East Asian Scholar. From 1935 until his death living in Thailand, except in 1940-45, when also studied South-East Asian archaeology at Leiden under N. J. Krom (also under Kuiper). For a while director of the Siam Society Research Centre.…
BILLARD, Roger Louis. Puteaux (Paris) 29.12.1922 — Mennecy near Paris 30.12.2000. French Indologist. He was of modest origin and had to work after school, but the post in the Oriental bookshop Adrien Maisonneuve led him to studies and he soon entered É.L.O.V. Studied Hindi, Khmer, Arabic and Chinese, also Sanskrit…
BETTS, Ursula Violet Graham (née U. V. G. Bower). Wiltshire 15.5.1914 — Fordingbridge, Hampshire 12.11.1988. British Anthropologist. Daughter of Commander John Graham Bower (1886–1940) of Royal Navy and Doris Violet Coghlan White (1893–1985). Educated at Roedean School, but family difficulties prevented planned studies of archaeology at Oxford. First visit to…
BERTRAND, Gabrielle. Reims 29.3.1908 — Paris 16.2.1961. French Traveller, Reporter, Writer and Photographer. Of Lorraine, lost her father in WW I. Studied at a hospital in Paris, but did not pass medical examination. Then she worked in various tasks and decided to become reporter. In 1933-35 travelled in North Africa,…
BERNOT, Lucien. Gien (Loiret) 2.12.1919 — Brantes (Vaucluse) 14.7.1993. French Anthropologist. Son of farmer, grew up in country, from the age of 14 worked as typographist. After WW II studied Chinese at É.L.O.V. (diploma 1947), then ethnography and Tibetan at É.P.H.É. In 1947-64 research scholar in C.N.R.S. In 1961-64 also…
BERESFORD, George Read Edward. London 3.8.1815 — Delhi 11.5.1857. British Banker in India. Son of Thomas Beresford (d. 1819) and Ann Blake, went to India in 1834-35. Manager of Cawnpur Bank, in 1849 transferred to become manager of Delhi Bank. “Massacred with his wife and five daughters … at the…
BELL, Thomas Evans. London 11.11.1825 — Kensington, London 12.9.1887. British Colonial Officer in India. Major. Son of William Bell and Elizabeth Kinnear, educated at Wandsworth (London). Joined Madras Army in 1842. In 1855-60 Assistant Commissioner in Nagpur, lost his position because of disagreement with Chief Commissioner. In 1861-63 Deputy Commissioner of…