Modern English Biography (volume 1 of 4) A-H

AUDLEY, George Edward Thicknesse-Touchet, 20 Baron. b. 26 Jany. 1817; succeeded 14 Jany. 1837. d. Homburg 18 April 1872. Burke’s Portrait gallery ii, 41 (1833).

AUDUBON, John James, b. New Orleans 4 May 1780; arrived at Liverpool 20 July 1826; lived in England 1826–29, 1830–31, 1834–36 and 1838–39; author of Birds of America published in 87 parts, elephant folio at price of 1000 dollars; F.L.S. 1828, F.R.S. 18 March 1830. d. New York Island 27 Jany. 1851. R. Buchanan’s Life of J. J. Audubon 1868, 2 portraits.

AUDUS, James (only son of John Audus of Selby, Yorkshire, merchant 1752–1809). b. 28 July 1781; captain in York city militia 1808–33; began a coasting trade between Selby and London 1826, had 18 schooners so employed 1830; chairman of Yorkshire banking company 1843; erected and endowed St. James’s church Selby at cost of about £14000, laid the foundation stone 6 May 1866. d. Selby 14 May 1867. W. W. Morrell’s History of Selby (1867) 186, 254–58.

Note.—He was the oldest railway director in England, having been one of original board of Leeds and Selby railway which obtained its act 1830.

AULDJO, John. Ascended Mont Blanc 8 Aug. 1827, being the 14th ascent ever made; F.R.G.S. 1832; F.R.S. 7 May 1840; author of Ascent of Mont Blanc 1827; Sketches of Vesuvius 1832; Journal of a visit to Constantinople 1835. d. 1857.

AULSEBROOK, Richard. M.R.C.S. 1834, L.S.A. 1835; surgeon to Lambeth workhouse; resident medical officer of Hanwell lunatic asylum; author of An inquiry into the physical condition of the working classes in the parish of St. James’s Westminster. d. 50 King sq., Goswell road London 1855.

AURIOL, Rev. Edward. Ed. at Ch. Ch. Ox., B.A. 1828, M.A. 1832; R. of Newton Valence, Hants 1838; R. of St. Dunstan in the West, London 1841 to death; Preb. of St. Paul’s April 1865 to death; commissary for Bishop of Nelson 1866. d. 35 Mecklenbergh sq. London 10 Aug. 1880 aged 75.

AUSTEN, Charles John. b. 1779; captain R.N. 10 May 1810; captain of Bellerophon 80 guns 1838–40; awarded good service pension 1840; R.A. 9 Nov. 1846; commander in chief in East Indies 14 Jany. 1850 to death; C.B. 18 Dec. 1840; d. Prome, Burmah 8 Oct. 1852.

AUSTEN, Sir Francis William (4 son of Rev. George Austen R. of Steventon, Hants). b. Steventon 23 April 1774; captain R.N. 13 May 1800; served in action off St. Domingo 1805, for which he received thanks of houses of parliament; colonel R.M. 27 May 1825; commander in chief on north American and West Indian station 27 Dec. 1844 to 12 Jany. 1848; admiral 1 Aug. 1848; R.A. of United Kingdom 5 June 1862; V.A. of U.K. 11 Dec. 1862; admiral of the fleet 27 April 1863 to death; C.B. 4 June 1815, K.C.B. 28 Feb. 1837, G.C.B. 18 May 1860. d. Portsdown lodge, Portsmouth 10 Aug. 1865.

AUSTEN, Sir Henry Edmund (only son of Robert Austen of Shalford, Surrey who d. 3 Nov. 1797). b. Shalford 20 May 1785; ed. at Harrow and Oriel coll. Ox., M.A. 1807; sheriff of Surrey 1810; a gentleman of the Privy Chamber 26 Jany. 1832 to death; knighted by the king at St. James’s Palace 22 Feb. 1832. d. 2 Suffolk place Cheltenham 1 Dec. 1871.

AUSTEN, Rev. John Thomas. Ed. at St. John’s coll. Cam.; senior Wr. and senior Smith’s prizeman 1817; B.A. 1817, M.A. 1820, B.D. 1827; fellow of his college 1817; V. of Aldworth, Berks 1832–48; R. of West Wickham, Kent 1848 to death; hon. canon of Canterbury cathedral 1873. d. West Wickham rectory 10 June 1876 aged 82.

AUSTEN, Rev. Robert (only son of Venerable Robert Austen 1723–92, archdeacon of Cork). Treasurer of Cloyne 24 July 1810 to 10 June 1833 when he resigned. d. Southsea, Hants 4 Nov. 1854 in 83 year.

AUSTEN, Thomas. Lieut. col. of 60 regiment of foot 20 June 1805 to 1817; M.P. for West Kent 1845–47. d. Kippington, Sevenoaks 23 July 1859 aged 84.

AUSTIN, Alfred. b. 1805; assistant poor law comr. 1843–1854; sec. to Office of Works 1854–1868; C.B. 11 Oct. 1869. d. 67 Queen’s gardens, Bayswater 19 May 1884 in 79 year.

AUSTIN, Charles (2 son of Jonathan Austin of Creeting Mill, Suffolk, government contractor). b. 26 March 1799; ed. at Bury St. Edmund’s gr. sch. and Jesus coll. Cam., B.A. 1824, M.A. 1827; pupil of Sir Wm. Follett; barrister M.T. 25 May 1827; bencher 1841; Q.C. 1841; practised chiefly before committees of Houses of Parliament where he was the leading counsel; retired with a large fortune 1848; high steward of Ipswich; chairman of quarter sessions for East Suffolk. (m. 10 June 1856 Harriet Jane elder dau. of Ralph Mitford Preston Ingilby). d. Brandeston hall, Wickham Market 21 Dec. 1874. Personalty sworn under £140,000 19 Feb. 1875. J. S. Mill’s Autobiography (1873) 76–79; Fortnightly Review xxiii, 321–38 (1875); Public men of Ipswich (1875) 90–96.

AUSTIN, Sir Horatio Thomas. Entered navy 8 April 1813; took part in Parry’s second Arctic expedition 1824–1825; commanded Salamander one of first steamers in the navy 1832–34; captain 28 June 1838; served in the Syrian war 1839–1843; commanded a squadron in search of Sir John Franklin 1850–1851; superintendent of Deptford dockyard 18 Oct. 1854 to 28 Nov. 1857; admiral superintendent of Malta dockyard 6 April 1863 to 26 Nov. 1864; V.A. 20 Oct. 1864; C.B. 18 Dec. 1840, K.C.B. 28 March 1865. (m. 8 Nov. 1831 Anne Eliza only dau. of Thomas Hawkins of Pennance, Creed, Cornwall and widow of Rev. J. Rawlinson, she d. 7 July 1876). d. Leinster gardens, London 16 Nov. 1865 in 65 year. O’Byrne’s Naval biography (1861) 30.

Note.—Austin channel between Byam Martin and Bathurst Isles and Cape Austin on the west coast of Cornwallis Isle are named after him.

AUSTIN, John (eld son of Jonathan Austin of Creeting Mill, Suffolk). b. 3 March 1790; in the army 1806–11 when he sold out; served in Sicily; barrister I.T. 5 June 1818; gave up practice 1825; professor of jurisprudence in Univ. of London 1826, lectured there 1828 to June 1832; member of Criminal law commission 1833; delivered a course of lectures on jurisprudence at Inner Temple 1834; went to Malta as Royal Comr. to inquire into grievances of which the natives complained 1836; lived in Paris 1844–48 and at Weybridge, Surrey 1849 to death; corresponding member of moral and political class of French Institute; author of The province of jurisprudence determined 1832, 2 ed. 1861; A plea for the Constitution 1859. (m. 1820 Sarah Taylor.) d. Weybridge 17 Dec. 1859. Dict. of national biography ii, 265–68 (1885).

AUSTIN, Sarah (youngest child of John Taylor of Norwich, yarn maker). b. Norwich 1793; translated The story without an end by Carové 1834; Ranke’s History of the Popes of Rome, 2 vols. 1840, 4 ed.3 vols. 1866; author of Germany from 1760 to 1814, or sketches of German life 1854; granted civil list pension of £100 13 Oct. 1849. (m. 1820 John Austin). d. Weybridge, Surrey 8 Aug. 1867.

AVELAND, Gilbert John Heathcote, 1 Baron. b. Normanton park, Stamford 16 Jany. 1795; ed. at Westminster, Edinburgh and Trin. coll. Cam.; M.P. for Boston 1820–30 and 1831–32, for Lincolnshire 1832–41 and for Rutlandshire 1841–56; created Baron Aveland of Aveland, county Lincoln 26 Feb. 1856; lord lieutenant of Lincolnshire 12 March 1862. d. 12 Belgrave sq. London 6 Sep. 1867; Personalty sworn under £400,000 26 Oct. 1867.

AVELING, Thomas. b. Elm, near Wisbech 11 Sep. 1824; a farmer at Ruckinge in Romney Marsh; agricultural implement maker at Rochester; an engine builder there 1860 to death; the first to build a traction engine with a single cylinder; invented steam road rollers, now to be found in nearly every town in the kingdom; A.I.C.E. 1871; M.I.C.E. 1877; M.I.M.E. 1869; member of Iron and Steel institute; chevalier of Legion of Honour; knight of order of Francis Joseph. d. Boley hill house Rochester 7 March 1882. Graphic xxv 289 (1882) portrait; Min. of proc. of Instit. of C.E. lxxiii 350–55 (1883).

AVELING, Rev. Thomas William Baxter. b. Castletown, Isle of Man 11 May 1815; usher in a school at Wisbech; studied at Highbury college 1834–38; Congregational minister at Kingsland 10 June 1838 to death; hon. sec. to Asylum for fatherless children at Reedham, Surrey 1847–83, the chapel there is called after him, the “Aveling Memorial Chapel”; chairman of Congregational Board 1873 and of Congregational Union of England and Wales 1874; author of Naaman or Life’s shadows and sunshine 1853; Memorials of the Clayton family 1867; edited the Jewish Herald 5 years. d. Reedham orphanage asylum 3 July 1884. Congregational year book (1885) 176–79.

AVERY, John. M.R.C.S. 1829, F.R.C.S. 1843; M.D. Paris 1831; surgeon in chief to the 5th Polish ambulance in Polish army; a prisoner many months; a consulting surgeon in London; surgeon to Charing Cross hospital; invented an apparatus for exploring internal cavities of the body which gained large silver medal of Society of Arts; a successful operator in cases of cleft palate. d. 3 Queen st. Mayfair 5 March 1855. Medical directory 1856, 722–24.

AVONMORE, Barry John Yelverton, 3 Viscount. b. 21 Feb. 1790; succeeded 28 Nov. 1814; principal registrar of court of chancery in Ireland to 1826 when granted pension of £4,200 on abolition of office. d. Raglan road, Dublin 24 Oct. 1870.

AVONMORE, William Charles Yelverton, 4 Viscount (elder son of the preceding). b. 27 Sep. 1824; ed. at Woolwich; captain R.A. 16 July 1850 to 1 April 1861 when placed on h.p.; suspended from all military duties March 1861. (m. 26 July 1858 Emily Marianne youngest dau. of Sir Charles Ashworth, K.C.B. and widow of Edward Forbes, F.R.S.) d. Biarritz 1 April 1883. The Yelverton correspondence by the Hon. Theresa Yelverton 1863, portrait; J. J. Macqueen’s Reports in House of Lords iv, 743–912 (1866).

Note.—He went through marriage ceremonies with Maria Theresa eld. dau. of Thomas Longworth of Manchester, manufacturer (1) at 1 St. Vincent st. Edinburgh on 12 April 1857 and (2) in chapel of Kilbroney near Rostrevor, Ireland on 15 Aug. 1857. A great deal of litigation took place between them to settle the point whether they were married or not, the end of which was that on 28 July 1864, House of Lords decided in favour of Lord Avonmore and against the marriage, thus reversing the judgment of the Court of Session in Edinburgh which had decided in her favour.

AVONMORE, Barry Nugent Yelverton, 5 Viscount. b. 1 Randolph cliff, Edinburgh 11 Feb. 1859; 2 lieut. 37 foot 30 Jany. 1878; lieut. 20 Feb. 1879 to death; succeeded 1 April 1883. d. of enteric fever at Kerbekan in the Soudan 13 Feb. 1885. I.L.N. lxxxvi, 431 (1885) portrait.

AVORY, Henry. b. 1826; articled to John Clark of London, solicitor; clerk of indictments home circuit 1845; admitted a solicitor Nov. 1857; deputy clerk of assize home circuit 1858 to death; clerk of arraigns at central criminal court May 1860 to death. d. 26 Ladbroke gardens, London 5 April 1881.

Note.—He figures in W. P. Frith’s series The race for wealth in the 4th picture “Judgment.”

AWDRY, Sir John Wither (2 son of John Awdry of Notton house, Chippenham 1766–1844). b. Swindon 21 Oct. 1795; ed. at Winchester and Ch. Ch. Ox., B.A. 1817, M.A. 1820, D.C.L. 1844; fellow of Oriel coll. 1820–1830; barrister M.T. 22 Nov. 1822; puisne judge and comr. of insolvent debtor’s court Bombay 1830–1839; knighted by patent 18 June 1830; chief justice of supreme court of Bombay 1839–1841 when he resigned; chairman of Wilts quarter sessions 1848 to 1866. d. Notton house 31 May 1878.

AYCKBOURN, Hubert (youngest son of Thomas Harman Ayckbourn, barrister who d. 31 Dec. 1870 aged 94). author of The practice of the high court of Chancery 1844, 9 ed. 1870; The jurisdiction and practice of the supreme court of judicature 1874 2 ed. 1876; committed suicide 2 or 3 May 1880 aged 56.

AYLEN, Jonathan (son of John Aylen of Portsea). b. Portsmouth 22 May 1798; entered navy 13 Feb. 1813; master 5 Sep. 1823; master attendant at Sheerness dockyard 25 May 1849 to March 1856; examiner in navigation and seamanship at Hull May 1856; retired captain 25 May 1858; made several important inventions in anchors, his improvement on the Admiralty anchor was successfully tested at trial of anchors of all nations 1852. d. Welton near Brough, Yorkshire 9 Oct. 1874. O’Byrne (1861) 31–32.

AYLES, John George Augustus. b. 1808; 2 lieut. R.M. 13 May 1828; col. commandant 16 May 1862 to 4 Nov. 1864; M.G. 4 Nov. 1864; d. Clevelands Basset, Southampton 25 Nov. 1883.

AYLESFORD, Heneage Finch, 5 Earl of, (eld. son of Heneage Finch 4 Earl of Aylesford 1751–1812). b. 24 April 1786; succeeded 20 Oct. 1812. d. Packington hall, Coventry 3 Jany. 1859.

AYLESFORD, Heneage Finch, 6 Earl of. b. Packington hall, 24 Dec. 1824; M.P. for south Warwickshire 7 June 1849 to 21 March 1857. d. Grosvenor st. London 10 Jany. 1871.

AYLESFORD, Heneage Finch, 7 Earl of. b. Upper Brook st. London 21 Feb. 1849; entertained Prince of Wales at Packington hall Nov. 1874; a prize fight and a cock fight took place there in 1876; effected 56 policies of insurance on his life to amount £204,830. d. the Big Springs cattle ranch, Texas 13 Jany. 1885.

AYLMER, Frederick Whitworth Aylmer, 6 Baron. b. Twyford near Southampton 12 Oct. 1777; captain R.N. 18 May 1805; commanded Severn 50 guns at battle of Algiers 27 Aug. 1816; naval aide-de-camp to Wm. iv 1830–37; V.A. 9 Nov. 1846, pensioned 1 July 1851; admiral on half pay 11 Sep. 1854; C.B. 19 Sep. 1816, K.C.B. 5 July 1855, K.F.M.; succeeded as 6 Baron 23 Feb. 1850. d. 20 Dawson place, Westbourne grove 5 March 1858. O’Byrne (1861) p. 32.

AYLMER, Sir Gerald George, 9 Baronet. b. Carnarvon 15 Sep. 1798; succeeded 23 May 1816. d. Donadea castle Kilcock, co. Kildare 8 Feb. 1878.

AYLMER, Sir Gerald George, 10 Baronet. b. Dublin 26 May 1830. d. 25 June 1883.

AYLMER, Sir Justin Gerald, 11 Baronet. b. 17 Nov. 1863; ed. at Harrow and Trin. coll. Cambridge. d. Trinity college 15 March 1885 the result of a fall from a bicycle 3 days before.

AYLMER, Sir Arthur Percy, 12 Baronet. b. 31 Aug. 1801; ed. at Trin. coll. Dublin, B.A. 1823, M.A. 1826; student L.I. d. Cork 7 May 1885.

AYLMER, Thomas Brabazon. Ensign 20 foot 9 Aug. 1797; major 9 foot 4 Sep. 1807 to 25 Feb. 1816 when placed on h.p.; general 25 Sep. 1856; colonel 45 foot 25 Sep. 1856 to death. d. Worthing 19 July 1858 aged 76.

AYLWARD, William. A student at R.A. of Music, gained a King’s scholarship; professor of violoncello there; member of Philharmonic society and of Royal Italian opera band; taught music at Slough. d. 12 March 1878.

AYRE, Rev. John. b. Feb. 1801; ed. at Caius coll. Cam., B.A. 1823, M.A. 1827; Incumbent of St. John’s chapel, Downshire hill Hampstead; dom. chap. to Earl of Roden; general secretary and librarian of Parker Society 1840–53; edited for Parker Society Sermons of Edwin Sandys, archbishop of York 1841; Works of Thomas Becon 3 vols. 1843–44; Works of John Jewel, bishop of Salisbury 4 vols. 1845–50; Works of John Whitgift, archbishop of Canterbury 3 vols. 1851–53; author of Treasury of Bible knowledge 1866. d. Church row, Hampstead 20 May 1869.

AYRE, Joseph. b. Lynn, Norfolk 1781; sent to sea 1800; studied medicine at Guy’s hospital and Univ. of Edin.; M.D. 24 June 1807; practised at Hull 1808–24, in London 1824–31, and at Hull again 1831 to death; L.R.C.P. 1824, F.R.C.P. 1859; author of Practical observations on bilious complaint 1821; Researches into the nature and treatment of dropsy 1825. d. Hull 15 Jany. 1860.

AYRES, John. b. 1807; clerk of the Royal Society of Literature more than 30 years. d. 4 St. Martin’s place, London 9 July 1881.

AYRES, Philip Burnard. b. Thame, Oxon 12 Dec. 1813; entered Univ. college London Oct. 1833; L.S.A. 1836, M.R.C.S. 25 April 1836; M.D. London 9 Dec. 1841 where he won 7 medals; practised nearly 10 years at Thame; lecturer on chemistry at Charing Cross hospital; phys. to Islington dispensary 1851; edited Pharmaceutical Times; patented a method of utilising sewage as manure 1847; superintendent of quarantine in Mauritius 5 Jany. 1856 to death. d. Champ de Mars, Port Louis, Mauritius 30 April 1863.

Note.—His widow presented his herbarium of Mauritius plants to royal gardens at Kew.

AYRIS, Henry. b. 12 Dec. 1805; whipper-in to the Berkeley hounds 1826; huntsman of same pack down to Dec. 1865, when presented with a purse of 500 guineas, and granted an annuity of £100 by Lord Fitzhardinge; the best huntsman of his day. d. Ham near Berkeley 28 April 1874.

AYRTON, Edward Nugent. b. Richmond, Surrey 1815; ed. at Ealing and Trin. coll. Cam., B.A. 1836, M.A. 1840; barrister L.I. 20 Nov. 1845; wrote in the Law Times. d. Bexhill, Sussex 28 Nov. 1873.