SYKES, William Henry. near Bradford, Yorkshire 25.1.1790 — London 16.6.1872. British Colonial Officer in India, with wide scholarly interests. Colonel. Son of Samuel Sykes, an estate owner. Entered as cadet in 1803, Lieutenant in Bombay Army 1805, participated in the siege of Bharatpur. Learned soon Hindī and Marāṭhī and became…
SMITH, Vincent Arthur. Dublin 3.6.1848 — Oxford 6.2.1920. British (Irish) Indologist, Historian and Art Historian of India, in India (1871–1900) and the U.K. Son of Aquilla Smith (1806–1890), a physician and noted numismatist and archaeologist, and Esther Faucett (d. 1850). Educated at Trinity College, Dublin (B.A. 1868) and Cambridge (M.A.).…
SEWELL, Robert. Carisbrooke, Isle of Wight 4.6.1845 — London 30.12.1925. British Civil Servant, Historian, and Indologist in India. Son of Robert Burleigh Sewell, solicitor in Isle of Wight. Educated at St. Peter’s College, Radley. Joined I.C.S. and arrived in India in December 1868, served in Madras Presidency as Assistant Collector…
SENART, Émile Charles Marie. Reims 26.3.1847 — Paris 21.2.1928. French Indologist. Private Scholar in Paris. Born in a rich merchant family he was educated at lycée in Reims, studied three years at Munich (under Haug) and Göttingen (Benfey). Served in Franco-Prussian war. From 1882 conseilleur général, Departément Sarthe, in 1891…
WILSON, John. Lauder, Berwickshire 11.12.1804 — near Bombay 1.12.1875. Rev. British (Scottish) Missionary in India, Indologist and Iranian Scholar. Son of Andrew W., a farmer and township councillor, and Janet Hunter. From the age of 14 studied arts, then theology at Edinburgh, during holidays worked as tutor. He became early…
WILKINS, Charles. Frome, Somerset bapt. 21.6.1749 (not 1750!) — London 13.5.1833. Sir. British Pioneer of Indology. In India 1770-86. Son of Hugh W. (Sengupta Walter W.)and Mary Wray, a modest family. Joining the E.I.C.’s service he came to India as a Writer in July 1770 and served in 1770-72 as…
WESTMACOTT, Edward Vesey. Chastleton, Oxfordshire 1839 — 1911. BritishCivil Servant in India. Son of Rev. Horatio W. and Penelope Spencer Ruscombe. B.A. Oxford. Served in Bengal. Married 1874 Annie Mary Charlotte Richards, divorce 1898, children. Publications: Letter on the Identification of ancient towns in Bengal, ProcASB 1874, 57f.; “Note on the…
WESTERGAARD, Niels Ludvig. Copenhagen 27.10.1815 — Copenhagen 9.9.1878. Danish Indologist and Iranian Scholar. Professor in Copenhagen. Son of a master carpenter, Niels Nielsen W. and Sophie Magdalene Nyeborg. As a schoolboy he became interested, from the example of Rask, in comparative linguistics and Oriental languages. From 1833 studied at Copenhagen…
WEST, Edward William. London 2.5.1824 — Watford, Hertfordshire 4.5.1905. British Indologist and Iranian Scholar in India. Born in a family of architects and engineers, both parents had been in India (father William W. in Bombay, mother Belinda Hickman in Calcutta). In 1839-42 studied engineering at King’s College in London, learnt…
WEST, Arthur Anderson. London 1827 — Theydon Bois, Essex 1913. British Engineer in India. Son of William West and Belinda Hickman, younger brother of —> E. W. West, whom he assisted in his epigraphical studies. Educated at King’s College. Went to India in 1847. Engineer, like his brother involved in…