SELKIRK, James. 1??? — 1880. Rev. British Missionary in Sri Lanka. In 1826-39 missionary of Church Missionary Society in Ceylon. Back in the U.K. Curate of Middleton Tyas, Yorkshire (1839/48). Married, his wife died in 1876. In his book shows interest in the culture, customs, and traditions of the island.…
WIRZ, Paul. Moscow 29.5.1892 — Ulopu, Maprik, Papua New Guinea 30.1.1955. Swiss Ethnologist. Born of Swiss parents in Russia, son of Jakob Wirz (1856–1904), a businessman, and Louise Nidecker. School in Moscow and Zürich. Studied physics and chemistry at Technische Hochschule in Zürich, but soon turned to Ethnology. Ph.D. 1920.…
WARD, Charles Henry Spurgeon. Halton by Leeds, Yorkshire 21.7.1876 — Wells, Somerset 17.3.1957. Rev. British Missionary in Sri Lanka. Son of Amos Ward and Zilpah Whitaker. Married 1906 in Sri Lanka Mabel Jane Straughan Lawrence (d. 1937), children. Later on returned to the U.K. His 1934/47 book is based on…
TEMPLER, Philip Arthur. Ceylon 4.4.1846 — Aigle, Switzerland 23.8.1899. British Civil Servant in Sri Lanka. Son of Francis Buller Templer (1819–1903), a colonial officer in Ceylon, and Emma Turton. Assistant Government Agent in Puttaļam (1877/82 there), then Government Agent in Southern Province (1890), then in Central Province (1894). Finally 1895-99…
ST.GEORGE, Harry Hamersley. Ardersier, Inverness 11.12.1845 — 18.2.1897. British Colonial Officer in Sri Lanka. Lieutenant-Colonel. Son James Dorrington Nibbett St.George and Matilda Cohen. Spent many years in Ceylon, in 1885 participated in Sudan campaign. Last years in Edinburgh. Also an artist who painted landscapes and archaeological objects. Married, children. Publications: “The…
STACE, Walter Terence. Hampstead, London 17.11.1886 — Laguna Beach, Calif. 2.8.1967. British Civil Servant in Sri Lanka. Son of Major Edward Vincent Stace (1841–1903) of Royal Artillery and Amy Mary Watson (1856–1934). Educated ar Bath College (1895-1901) and at Fettes College in Edinburgh (1902-04). Planning priestly career he studied at…
SCHMIDT, Emil Ludwig. Obereichstätt, Bavaria 7.4.1837 — Jena 22.10.1906. German Ethnologist. Son of engineer Johann Georg Schmidt and Katharina Mariane Jakobine Metzler. From 1857 studied medicine at Jena, Leipzig and Bonn. M.D. 1861 Berlin. Worked as physician in Essen. Interested in anthropology he visited North America (1869-70 & 1876) and Egypt…
SARASIN, Paul Benedict. Basel 11.12.1856 — Basel 7.4.1929. Swiss Naturalist and Ethnologist. Son of politician Karl Sarasin (1815–1886) and Elisabeth Sauvain, a wealthy family, second cousin of —> Fritz Sarasin, with whom he then had a lifelong friendship. Together they studied zoology at Würzburg. Ph.D. 1882. In 1883-86 they made zoological…
SARASIN, Fritz (Karl Friedrich). Basel 3.12.1859 — Lugano 23.3.1942.Swiss Naturalist. Son of cotton factory owner and politician Felix Sarasin (1797–1862) and Rosalia Brunner, second cousin of —> Paul Sarasin, with whom he then had a lifelong friendship. Studied natural sciences at Geneva and Basel, where he met his cousin. Together they…
RIDOUT, John Bertram Mais. Bourne, Cambridgeshire 17.7.1866 — Swanage, Dorset 31.12.1944. British Civil Servant in Sri Lanka. Son of Rev. John Dowell Ridout and Alician Maria Mais. District Surveyor from 1889, Assistant Superintendent 1897, Acting Superintendent 1901, Superintendent 1904. Still in Ceylon in 1914, in 1915 in war service as Captain. Publications: “Ritigala”,JRAS-CB 12:43,…