BRUCE, John. Fife 1744/45 — Fife 16.4.1826. British (Scottish) Historian of the Colonial Period. Son of shipmaster Andrew Bruce (1716–1761) and Jean Squyre (1724–1794). Studies at Edinburgh, then Professor of Logic and Moral Philosophy there. Historiographer of E.I.C. from 1801. In 1809-14 M.P. for Michell, Cornwall. Founding member of Royal…
BRODIE, Alexander Oswald. Madras 1821 — Edinburgh 5/6.11.1874. British (Scottish) Civil Servant in Sri Lanka. Son of Colonel James Brodie (1782–1831), of Madras Army, and Eliza Thompson (1795–1868). From 1845 in Ceylon rising 1850 to Assistant Agent of Nuwarakalawiya, in 1853 returned to the U.K., got married and resigned from…
BRÉAL, Edouard Auguste. 19.2.1868 — Marseille 17/22.1.1941. French Critic, Art Historian and Painter. Son of —> Michel Bréal (1832–1915) and Henriette Bamberger. Bachelier ès lettres 1888, Licencie ès lettres 1890, Licencie en droit 1892, then further studies in Cambridge (Christ’s College). Among other things also studied Hindustani (Urdu). From 1907 living in…
BRANDT, Francis. Pendleton, Lancashire 6.5.1840 — Cheltenham, Gloucestershire 17.7.1925. British Civil Servant in India. Son of Robert Brandt and his wife Margaret Sarah. Educated at Cheltenham College, became famous as cricketer. After graduation from Oxford (Brasenose College, B.A. 1870) joined I.C.S. in 1862, served in South India. From 1884 Judge…
BRADDOCK, John. Westminster 1794 (bapt. 30.4.) — Madras 9.8.1840. British Colonial Officer in India. Son of John Braddock, a master refiner of saltpetre, and his wife Sarah. From 1813 served as engineer in Madras army as “an expert making gunpowder”. In the Preface to gunpowder book, signed in Madras 1830,…
BONET-MAURY, Amy Gaston Charles Auguste. Paris 2.1.1842 — Paris 20.6.1919. Rev. French Protestant Historian. Son of General Frédéric Bonet (catholic, 1792–1853) 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…
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…
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, Marguerite Marie Gabrielle. Reims 29.3.1908 — Paris 16.2.1961. French Traveller, Reporter, Writer and Photographer. Of Lorraine, daughter of Paul Louis Anatole Bertrand and Marie Rose Héloise Ducrée, lost her father in WW I. Studied at a hospital in Paris, but did not pass medical examination. Then she worked in various…
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 ten years 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…