TEMPLE, Richard Carnac. Allahabad 15.10.1850 — Territet, Montreaux, Switzerland 3.3.1931. Sir (2nd Bart.). British Colonial Officer in India and Burma, Indologist, Ethnologist and Historian. Son of Sir Richard Temple (1826–1902), a well-known and original Civil Servant in India, and Charlotte Frances Martindale (1832–1855). His grandfather was a cousin of ·>…
TEIXEIRA, Pedro. 15?? — after 1610. Portuguese Traveller. Born in a Portuguese Jewish family, probably in Lisbon, but without Jewish education. Of his life, little is know beyond the meagre information in his book. Even his profession is unknown, Fleming thinks that perhaps he was physician. He spent a long…
TAVERNIER, Jean Baptiste (1669 baron d’Aubonne). Paris 1605 — Moscow 1689. French Jeweller and Traveller in India. Son of Gabriel Tavernier, a Huguenot merchant and geographer, originally from Antwerp, and Suzanne Tonnelier. Early travels in England, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Italy and Hungary. Some time served in Austrian army. Also worked…
PYRARD DE LAVAL, François. Laval c. 1578 — Paris c. 1623. French Traveller in Maldives and India. Son of a trader. In May 1601 he sailed on Corbin one of the two ships equiped by the merchants of St.Malo, Laval and Vitré in order to compete with the Dutch E.I.C. in…
POTTINGER, Henry. Ballymacarrett, county Down 3.10.1788 — Malta 18.3.1855. Sir (Bart). British Colonial Officer in India. Born in a Protestant Berkshire family settled in Northern Ireland. Son of Eldred Curwen Pottinger and Anne Gordon, educated at Belfast; went to sea and to India [1804] to join the marine service, but…
POLO, Marco. Venice 1254 (or 1250?) — Venice 8.1.1324. Famous Italian (Venetian) Traveller in the Middle Ages, spent many years in China. Born in a wealthy family of nobility, he left Venice in 1271 together with his father Niccolò and uncle Maffeo Polo, who had returned from their earlier commercial…
POLIER, Antoine-Louis-Henri. Lausanne ?.2.1741 — near Avignon 9.2.1795. Swiss Officer and Traveller in India. Born in a French Huguenot noble family naturalized in Switzerland, son of Jacques H. E. Polier (1700–1781) and Jeanne-Francoise Moreau de Brosses. He had a good education and showed interest in mathematics. Invited by his uncle…
PENZER, Norman Mosley. Mawdesley, Chorley, Lancashire 30.9.1892 — Uckfield, Sussex 27.11.1960. British Folklorist and Scholar of Asia. Son of Rev. Seymour Penzer (1857–1918) and Grace Caroline Wood. Studies at Cambridge (M.A.). Private scholar with no official position. Also known as a specialist of Richard Burton. Married Kathleen Willoughby Baldrey and…
PAES (Pais), Domingo. 14?? — 15??. Portuguese Merchant in India. In a group of merchants from Goa he went to Vijayanagara around 1520 and then wrote his account, characterized by reliable and exact observations and including important information about the Hindu state. The manuscript came to Portugal and was used…
VIGNE, Godfrey Thomas. Walthamstown, Essex 1.9.1801 — Woosford, Essex 12.7.1863. British Traveller in India and America. Son of Thomas Vigne, “educated at Harrow. Called to the bar at Lincoln’s Inn, 1824. Travelled in [North] America, 1831. Went to India, 1832, through Persia. Visited Kashmir, Ladak, Afghanistan, saw the Amir [1836]……