Modern English biography, volume 1 (of 4), A-H by Frederic Boase
1867. (_m._ 31 Oct. 1857 Ellen Elizabeth youngest dau. of Thomas
1058 words | Chapter 16
Mayhew of Fairfield house, Suffolk). _d._ 4 Devonshire place,
London 13 May 1875.
AITKEN, DAVID. Educ. high school and univ. of Edinburgh; D.D. 8 July
1843; licensed by presbytery of Edin. 28 March 1821; minister of
parish of Minto 14 Sep. 1827 to 16 Nov. 1864; lived in Edin. 1866
to death; corresponded with Georg Hegel the German philosopher;
offered chair of church history in univ. of Edin. 1843; wrote an
article on German literature in Edinb. Review, xlvi, 304–51
(1827); F.R.S. Edin. 1868. _d._ Charlotte square, Edin. 27 March
1875.
AITKEN, JOHN. Member of Manchester geological society 1863, pres.
twice; author of part of _Thomas Newbigging’s History of the
forest of Rossendale_ 1868, and of many papers in geological
periodicals. _d._ Clifton villas, Urmston 29 July 1884 aged 64.
AITKEN, REV. ROBERT (_son of Robert Aitken_). _b._ Crailing near
Jedburgh 22 Jany. 1800; a schoolmaster in Sunderland; ordained
deacon by Bishop Van Mildert 1823; minister of Wesleyan Zion
chapel, Waterloo road, Liverpool to 20 Dec. 1840; C. of
Perranuthnoe, Cornwall 1842–44; domestic chaplain to Earl of
Caithness 1844–64; minister of Episcopalian church, Coatbridge
about Oct. 1847 to 1848 or 1849; V. of Pendeen, Cornwall 1849 to
death; the church, of which he was the architect, was built for
him by his parishioners 1854; domestic chaplain to Earl of
Seafield 1864 to death; well known throughout England as a
preacher of almost unrivalled fervour; author of many sermons and
pamphlets. _d._ on platform of Great Western railway station,
Paddington 11 July 1873. _bur._ Pendeen 18 July. _Boase and
Courtney’s Bibliotheca Cornubiensis i_, 2 _and iii_, 1025; _John
Smith’s Our Scottish clergy 2 Series_ 80–87 (1849); _Church Times
6 Aug. to 24 Sep. 1875_.
AITKEN, ROBERT DICKSON. _b._ Hawick, Roxburghshire 8 May 1801; a
gardener, then a horsebreaker; left Hawick 1857; purchased estate
of Reston Mains, Berwickshire, worth many thousands; tried in the
sheriff court at Greenlaw 31 May 1860, for making people of Dunse
believe he was heir to a large estate, when found guilty and
sentenced to 6 months imprisonment with hard labour; his career
was dramatised by George Duckenfield, theatrical manager; he
played the chief part in this drama at Berwick and other border
towns; delivered a lecture in Hawick 31 May 1864 entitled “How I
did the Dunse dunces.” _d._ the poor house, Hawick 30 April 1879.
AITKEN, WILLIAM. _b._ Dunbar 1814; kept a school at
Ashton-under-Lyne; went to the United States 1842; grand master of
the Odd-fellows there 1846; author of _A journey up the Mississipi
river_; and of articles in the _Quarterly magazine of
Odd-fellows_; committed suicide at Ashton 27 Sep. 1869. _Quarterly
magazine of Odd-fellows i_, 129–32 (1858) _portrait_.
AITKEN, WILLIAM COSTEN. _b._ Dumfries 3 March 1817; worked for R. W.
Winfield of Birmingham, brassfounder 1844–64; took out a patent
for ornamenting cornice poles, &c. with porcelain or glass which
was much used; manager at Skidmore’s Art manufacturing company,
Coventry, retired 1872; chief organiser of Industrial Exhibition
at Bingley house, Birmingham 1849, from which Prince Albert took
the idea of Exhibition of 1851; contributed descriptive notes
signed W.C.A. to Illustrated catalogue of Great Exhibition 1851;
wrote about a third of _Birmingham and the Midland hardware
district_ 1865; wrote in the _Art Journal_. _d._ Birmingham 23
March 1875. _Birmingham Daily Post 24 March 1875_.
AITON, JOHN (_youngest son of Wm. Aiton 1760–1848, sheriff
substitute of Lanarkshire_). _b._ Strathaven, June 1797; studied
theology at univ. of Edinburgh; licensed by presbytery of Hamilton
30 Nov. 1819; minister of parish of Dolphington 14 April 1825 to
death; D.D. Glasgow, March 1836; author of _Life and times of
Alexander Henderson_ 1836; _Clerical Economics_ 1842, _2 ed._
1846; _The lands of the Messiah, Mahomet, and the Pope_ 1852;
_Manual of domestic economy_ 1857. _d._ Pyrgo park, Havering,
Essex 15 May 1863.
AITON, JOHN TOWNSEND. Gardener at Kensington palace 1831 to death.
_d._ Kensington palace 4 July 1851 aged 74.
AKERMAN, JOHN YONGE (_son of John Akerman of St. Mary Newington,
Surrey who d. 2 Nov. 1835 aged 50_). _b._ London 12 June 1806;
F.S.A. 16 Jany. 1834; started the _Numismatic Journal_ June 1836,
the first English periodical devoted to the illustration of coins;
one of the secretaries of Numismatic society 1836–60, the first
regular meeting was held 22 Dec. 1836; edited _Journal of
Numismatic Society_ 1837–60; and _Numismatic Chronicle_ 1838–60;
gold medallist of French Institute; joint sec. with Sir Henry
Ellis of Society of Antiquaries 2 May 1848 and sole sec. 1853–24
June 1860; lived at Abingdon 1860 to death; author of _Numismatic
Manual 1832_; _Descriptive catalogue of rare Roman coins, 2 vols._
1834; _Legends of old London_ 1853 and 18 other books; author of
many papers in the _Archæologia_ and _Numismatic Journal_. _d._
Abingdon 18 Nov. 1873. _Numismatic Chronicle xiv_, 13–19 (1874).
AKHURST, WILLIAM. _b._ Hammersmith 29 Dec. 1822; went to Australia
1850; sub-editor and musical critic on the _Argus_ daily paper in
Melbourne; wrote 14 pantomimes; wrote _The siege of Troy_
burlesque which was performed 60 nights, a run without precedent
in Australia; returned to England 1870; wrote pantomimes for
Astley’s, Pavilion, and Elephant and Castle theatres. _d._ on
board the “Patriarch” on his voyage to Sydney 7 June 1878.
ALABASTER, HARRY. Interpreter in consulate Bangkok Siam 30 Nov. 1864
to 31 Dec. 1871; author of _The modern Buddhist, translated by
H.A._ 1870; _The wheel of the law, Buddhism, illustrated from
Siamese sources_ 1871. _d._ Bangkok Siam 8 Aug. 1884.
ALBANO, BENEDETTO. _b._ in kingdom of Naples about 1796; fled to
England at the Bourbon restoration 1815; employed by Messrs.
Rennie in London; naturalised by 1 & 2 Vict. cap. 42, 9 May 1838;
converted Covent garden theatre into an opera house at a cost of
nearly £30,000, 1846; A.I.C.E. 1831, M.I.C.E. 1840. _d._ 75
Welbeck st. Cavendish sq. 7 Nov. 1881.
ALBANY, LEOPOLD GEORGE DUNCAN ALBERT, 1 Duke of (_8 child and 4 son
of Queen Victoria_). _b._ Buckingham palace 7 April 1853. K.G. 24
May 1869, K.T. 24 May 1871; matric. at Univ. of Ox. (Ch. Ch.)
1872; D.C.L. 1876; P.C. 1874; admitted by patrimony to freedom of
city of London 25 Oct. 1875; a younger brother of the Trinity
House 1875; an elder brother 1878; G.C.S.I. 25 Jany. 1877; a
bencher of Lincoln’s Inn 18 June 1877; G.C.M.G. 24 May 1880;
created Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence, and Baron Arklow 24 May
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