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

ADAMS, William Bridges. b. London 1797; a carriage builder in Long Acre; travelled over great part of Europe and America; pupil of John Farey civil engineer; invented the fish-joint for railway rails 1847, this joint is still universally used on railways; made many valuable improvements in rolling stock; manufactured railway plant at works at Bow, London but failed; patented improvements in carriages, in ship propulsion, guns and wood carving; took out no less than 32 patents; author of English pleasure carriages 1837; Railways and permanest way 1854; Roads and Rails 1862, and of very many articles in scientific and technical periodicals; wrote several political pamphlets under the pseudonym of Junius Redivivus. (m. 1834 Sarah dau. of Benjamin Flower of Great Harlow, Essex, she was b. 22 Feb. 1805, wrote many poems and hymns, and d. Aug. 1848). d. Broadstairs 23 July 1872. bur. at St. Peters. Engineering 26 July 1872 p. 63.

ADAMS, William Dacres. b. 16 Dec. 1775; confidential sec. to William Pitt during his last administration May 1804 to Feb. 1806; a comr. of woods and forests 31 July 1810 to 23 Aug. 1834. d. Sydenham 8 June 1862.

ADAMS, William Henry (second son of Thomas Adams of Norman Cross, Hunts, by Anna Maria dau. of W. Fair of Romsey, Hants). b. Norman Cross 1809; compositor in a printing office in London; manager of Lincolnshire Herald at Boston 1834; law reporter for the Morning Herald; barrister M.T. 24 Nov. 1843; went northern circuit; Auditor of the Poor law accounts for Lincoln, Nottingham and Rutland districts 1856; M.P. for Boston (lib. conserv.) 27 March 1857 to 23 April 1859; mayor of Boston twice; Recorder of Derby 10 Jan. 1859; Attorney General for colony of Hong Kong 19 April 1859; Mem. of legislative council there 2 Feb. 1860 and Chief Justice 5 July 1860. (m. (1) 1832 Anne dau. of Thomas Walford. m. (2) 1 June 1864 Ellen Williams eld. dau. of Edward Cobb of Kensington). d. Plas Llyssyn, Carno, Montgomeryshire 29 Aug. 1865. bur. Carno 6 Sep. I.L.N. xxxvii, 467 (1860) portrait.

ADAMS, William Henry. b. Malta; captain 36 foot 3 July 1840 to 7 June 1844, when placed on half pay; professor of fortification at R.M. college, Sandhurst 1845–70. d. Athenæum st. Plymouth 20 Dec. 1883 aged 79.

ADAMS, William James. b. London 1809; articled to a solicitor; London agent for Bradshaw’s railway map about 1838; published Bradshaw’s railway guide for the proprietors at 170 Fleet St. 1841–43 and at 59 Fleet st. 1843 to death; the 1st number is dated Dec. 1841, and consisted of about 38 pages; the continental Bradshaw was started 1847. d. 59 Fleet st. London 21 Dec. 1873. Athenæum 27 Dec. 1873; 17 Jany 1874, and 24 Jany 1874.

ADAMS, William Pitt. b. 11 Dec. 1804; chargé d’affaires and consul general to republic of Peru 30 Nov. 1842 to death. d. Lima 1 Sep. 1852.

ADAMSON, Rev. Henry Thomas; ed. at St. John’s coll. Cam., B.D. 1864; V. of Benthall Salop 1871–77; chaplain at Turin 1877–78; at Nervi 1880; author of The analogy of the faith 1869; The truth as it is in Jesus 1878; The three sevens 1880; The Millenium 1882. d. Lyons 29 May 1882 in 66 year.

ADAMSON, John (3 son of Cuthbert Adamson, lieut. R.N. by his 2 wife Mary dau. of John Huthwaite of Seaton Delaval near Newcastle). b. High st. Gateshead 13 Sep. 1787; ed. at Newcastle gr. sch.; articled to Thomas Davidson of Newcastle, attorney; practised at Newcastle 1808 to death; undersheriff there 1811–36; sec. to Newcastle and Carlisle railway company 1829 to death; member of Literary and philosophical society of Newcastle 1811, one of its secretaries 1825 to death; treasurer and sec. of “The Antiquarian society of Newcastle” 11 Feb. 1813 to death; one of the 4 founders of Typographical society of Newcastle; K.C. and K.T.S. of Portugal; F.L.S. 1823, F.S.A., F.R.G.S. 1830; author of Memoirs of life and writings of Luis de Camoens 1820, 2 vols; Lusitania illustrata notices of the history of Portugal, 2 parts 1842–46. (m. 3 Dec. 1812 Elizabeth dau. of Samuel Huthwaite of Seaton Delaval, she d. 5 July 1855). d. 9 Victoria terrace Jesmond road, Newcastle 27 Sep. 1855. bur. Jesmond cemetery 1 Oct. Dibdin’s Northern tour i, 369–91 (1838); Martin’s Catalogue of privately printed books 1834, 419–40.

Note.—His library which contained a probably unrivalled collection of books relating to Portugal was nearly entirely destroyed by fire 16 April 1849, the remainder was sold at Sotheby’s in London 22 May 1856.

ADCOCK, James. b. Eton 1778; chorister in St. George’s chapel Windsor and Eton college chapel 1786; lay clerk in St. George’s chapel 1797 and in Eton college chapel 1799; member of choirs of Trinity, St John’s and King’s colleges Cambridge; master of the choristers of King’s college; published several of his glees and The rudiments of singing, with about 30 solfeggi to assist persons wishing to sing at sight. d. Union road, Cambridge 30 April 1860.

ADDAMS, Jesse (son of Richard Addams of Rotherhithe, shipbuilder). b. 1 Jany. 1786; ed. Merchant Taylor’s sch. 1793; at St. John’s coll. Ox. 1804; B.C.L. 1810, D.C.L. 1814; admitted a proctor at Doctors Commons 3 Nov. 1814; Q.C. Jany. 1858; author of “Reports of cases argued and determined in the ecclesiastical courts at Doctors Commons and in the high court of delegates,” 3 vols. 1823–26. d. 224 Marylebone road, London 25 May 1871.

ADDERLEY, Arden, entered navy 4 June 1796; Captain 19 July 1814; went on half pay 1 Oct. 1846; retired admiral 16 June 1862. d. Hams lodge, Ryde, Isle of Wight 15 Jany 1864.

ADDINGTON, Henry Unwin (2 son of John Hiley Addington, M.P., P.C. who d. 11 June 1818, by Mary dau. of Henry Unwin, she d. 3 Sep. 1833). b. Blount’s Court near Henley on Thames 24 March 1790; ed. at Winchester; envoy extraord. and min. plenipo. at Madrid 10 Oct. 1829 to 2 Nov. 1833; permanent under secretary of state for foreign affairs 4 March 1842 to 9 April 1854; P.C. 15 April 1854; F.R.G.S. 1861 and member of council 1861–70. (m. 17 Nov. 1836 Eleanor Anne Bucknall eld. dau. of Thomas Grimston Bucknall Estcourt of Estcourt Gloucs, she d. 17 Oct. 1877). d. 78 Eaton place London 6 March 1870.

ADDIS, Bernard. b. London 28 Feb. 1791; entered Society of Jesus at Hodder 14 Oct. 1817; ordained priest at Maynooth college 1 June 1822; procurator at Mount St. Mary’s college, Derbyshire 1852–59; assistant missioner at Skipton, Yorkshire 1863–73. d. the Novitiate, Manresa house, Roehampton, Surrey 1 Oct. 1879.

ADDISON, Rev. Berkeley (son of Rev. Joseph Addison of Weymouth); ed. at Reading gr. sch. and St. Peter’s coll. Cam., B.A. 1839, M.A. 1842; R. of Collyhurst, Manchester 1855–60; domestic chaplain to Earl Caithness 1856 to death; surrogate 1861; V. of Jesmond, Northumberland 1861 to death; member of Newcastle upon Tyne school board 25 Jan. 1871 and vice chairman; hon. canon of Durham 1877 to death. d. Jesmond vicarage 13 Jany. 1882 in 67 year.

ADDISON, Charles Greenstreet (youngest son of Wm. Dering Addison of Newark house, Maidstone); barrister Inner Temple 10 June 1842; went home circuit; revising barrister for East Kent; author of The history of the knights templars, the Temple church and the Temple 1842, 3 ed. 1852; A treatise on the law of contracts, 2 vols. 1845–47, 8 ed. 1883; Wrongs and their remedies 1860, 5 ed. 1879. (m. 19 Nov. 1848 Frances Octavia 8 dau. of James Wolfe Murray, Lord Cringletie). d. 29 Alfred place west, Thurloe square London 19 Feb. 1866.

ADDISON, Edward Phillips, stage name of Edward Philip Haddy. b. Plymouth Dock (name changed to Devonport 1 Jany. 1824) 24 Feb. 1809; acted in the provinces; first appeared in London at Lyceum theatre 1 April 1839 in “Dark Events”; acted at Drury Lane, Olympic, Prince of Wales’s and Lyceum theatres; played Pickwick in Albery’s dramatic version of it at Lyceum theatre 23 Oct. 1871 to Nov. 1871; lessee of Doncaster theatre many years. d. Plymouth 16 April 1874. bur. there 19 April.

ADDISON, Henry Robert. b. Calcutta; cornet 2 dragoon guards 12 July 1827; lieut. 15 March 1831 to 21 June 1833 when placed on half pay; began writing for the stage 1830; author of about 60 dramas and farces; lessee of Queen’s theatre London Aug. 1836–1837; wrote many songs and articles in monthly magazines; edited Who’s Who 1849–50; special correspondent of a morning paper at Paris exhibition 1867; deputy chairman of London steamboat company; author of about 12 novels and stories. d. Albion st. Hyde park, London 24 June 1876 aged 71. Dublin Univ. Mag. xviii, 505 (1841) portrait.

ADDISON, John (son of John Addison of Preston, recorder of Clitheroe who d. 1837 in his 83 year, by Agnes dau. of Thomas Batty of Avenham house, Preston). b. Fishergate, Preston 21 April 1791; ed. at Blanchard’s school, Nottingham; articled with Aspden and Shuttleworth of Preston, solicitors; barrister Inner Temple 6 Feb. 1818; went northern circuit; recorder of Clitheroe 1837 to death; judge of county court number 4 circuit, Lancashire March 1847 to death; his first court was held at Blackburn 7 June 1847; presented with valuable piece of plate by registrars of his circuit 1857; alderman of Preston 25 Sep. 1832, again 27 Feb. 1846; mayor 1833 and 1843; councillor for St. John’s ward 1842. d. Winckley sq. Preston 14 July 1859. bur. St. Leonard’s ch. Balderston 20 July.

ADDISON, Joseph (youngest son of Rev. Wm. Addison, R. of Dinsdale, Durham). b. 1789; ed. at gr. sch. Richmond, Yorkshire and Lincoln coll. Ox., B.A. 1811, M.A. 1813; barrister Inner Temple 28 Jany. 1831; went northern circuit; bencher of his inn 1857. (m. 28 Dec. 1824 Jane 1 dau. of Thomas Beckett of Thornton le Moor near Northallerton). d. 7 Dean’s yard, Westminster 10 April 1858.

ADDISON, Laura, stage name of Laura Wilmshurst (dau. of Thomas Wilmshurst of Colchester, grocer). b. Colchester 15 Nov. 1822; first appeared on stage at Worcester theatre, Nov. 1843, as Lady Townley in The provoked husband; played at Glasgow, Dublin and Edinburgh; at Sadlers Wells theatre, London 26 Aug. 1846 to 1848; at Drury lane 26 Dec. 1849 to 1850; at the Haymarket 6 March 1851 to 31 July 1851; made her first appearance in New York, at the Broadway theatre 29 Sep. 1851, as Lady Teazle in The school for scandal. d. from congestion of the brain, on board the steamer Oregon, between Albany and New York 3 Sep. 1852, bur. in Second Avenue burying-ground, New York. Theatrical Times, i, 185 (1847) portrait; Tallis’s Drawing room table book (1851) 23–24, portrait.

ADDISON, Thomas (younger son of Joseph Addison of Long Benton, near Newcastle, grocer, who d. 1823 aged 67, by Sarah dau. of Mr. Shaw of Newcastle, grocer, she d. 1841 aged 80). b. Long Benton, April 1793; ed. at Newcastle gr. school, and Univ. of Edin.; M.D. 1 Aug. 1815; pres. of royal medical society of Edin. 1814; house surgeon to Lock hospital, London; L.R.C.P. 22 Dec. 1819 and F.R.C.P. 4 July 1838; a medical officer of general dispensary 8 years; assistant phys. at Guy’s hospital 1824 and phys. 1837–60; lecturer on Materia Medica there 1827–37; and on practice of medicine 1837–60; pres. of royal medico-chirurgical society 1849 and 1850; discovered disease of the supra renal capsules, called after him “Addison’s disease.” Author of The elements of the practice of medicine, vol. 1 only 1839; On the constitutional and local effects of disease of the supra renal capsules 1855. (m. 14 Sep. 1847 Elizabeth Catherine, widow of W. W. Hanxwell, she d. 30 May 1872 aged 72); placed under medical care, May 1860; attempted to destroy himself several times. d. 29 June 1860 at 15 Wellington villas, Brighton, from injuries caused by jumping down the area there, 27 June, buried near north eastern corner of Lanercost abbey churchyard 5 July; A collection of the published writings of the late Thomas Addison, M.D. 1868; H. Lonsdale’s Worthies of Cumberland, iv, 239–72 (1873) portrait; Munk’s Roll of physicians, 2 ed. iii, 205–211 (1878).

Note.—A bust of him by Joseph Towne, is in the pathological museum of “Guys,” one of the medical wards in new portion of the hospital is named after him, and in the chapel there is a marble tablet to his memory.

ADDISON, Thomas Batty (eld. son of John Addison of Preston, barrister who d. Nov. 1837 in 83 year, by Agnes dau. of Thomas Batty of Avenham house, Preston). b. Fishergate, Preston 17 June 1787; ed. at Charter house; barrister Inner Temple 1 July 1808; went northern circuit; recorder of Preston 1819 to death; a magistrate for Lancashire 1821; chairman of Preston quarter sessions 1821 to March 1874; commissioner of Bankrupts for Preston district. d. 23 Winckley square, Preston 6 June 1874.

ADDISON, William, L.S.A. 1824, M.R.C.S. 1825, F.R.S. 29 Jany. 1846, F.R.C.P. 1858; Gulstonian lecturer 1859; physician Brighton and Hove dispensary; author of A dissertation on the Malvern water 1828; Cell therapeutics 1856. d. 10 Albert road, Brighton 26 Sep. 1881 in 80 year.

ADEANE, Henry John. b. Babraham, Cambs. 9 June 1833; M.P. for Cambs. (lib.) 6 April 1857 to 6 July 1865. d. 8 Seamore place, London 17 Feb. 1870.

ADEY, Reverend John. b. Painswick, Gloucs. 15 May 1793; in business at Winslow, Bucks; began first voluntary Sunday school in Gloucester; founded a Sunday school at Great Horwood; ordained congregational minister there 1820; moved to Cranbrook, Kent then to Ramsgate; minister at Horselydown, Surrey 1836–58; at Bexley Heath, Kent 1858–68 when he retired; author of The eleventh hour 1835; The convert from popery 1851. d. Bexley Heath 16 Dec. 1869. bur. Abney Park cemetery.

ADIE, Alexander James. b. Edinburgh 1775; an optician there; much employed by all kinds of inventors to give their schemes a practical form; erected on his house in Merchant court an observatory, long before any public observatory existed in Edin.; invented the sympiesometer 1818 which contributed much to the safety of shipping; F.R.S. Edin. d. Canaan near Edinburgh 4 Dec. 1858.

ADIE, Alexander James (son of the preceding). b. Edinburgh 1808; ed. at the high school and univ.; apprenticed to James Jardine, C.E.; resident engineer of Bolton Chorley and Preston railway 1836; engineer and manager of Edinburgh and Glasgow railway to about 1863; made a series of important experiments on the expansion of stone by heat; M.R.S. Edin. 1846. d. Rockville near Linlithgow 1879.

ADOLPHUS, John Leycester (only son of John Adolphus 1768–1845, barrister, F.S.A., by Martha Elizabeth only dau. of Rev. Ralph Leycester of White place, Berks). b. 11 May 1795; ed. at Merchant Taylor’s school 1802–11, head monitor, elected to fellowship at St. John’s coll. Ox. 1811; Newdigate English verse prizeman 1814; B.A. 1815, M.A. 1819; visited Sir Walter Scott at Abbotsford; barrister Inner Temple 21 June 1822; went northern circuit; Bencher of his inn 1851; reported in Court of King’s Bench, first with Richard Vaughan Barnewall 1831–35, then with Thomas Flower Ellis 1835–52; solicitor general of county palatine of Durham; judge of county courts circuit 44 Marylebone, Oct. 1852 to death; sat for the first time 14 Oct. 1852; author of Letters to Richard Heber, Esq., containing critical remarks on the series of novels, beginning with “Waverley,” and an attempt to ascertain their author; author with Richard Vaughan Barnewall, of Reports in court of King’s Bench 1830–34, 5 vols. 1831–35; with Thomas Flower Ellis, of Reports in court of King’s Bench and Queen’s Bench 1834–41, 12 vols. 1835–42 and Queen’s Bench reports, new series 1841–52, 18 vols., 1842–56; Letters from Spain 1858, and of many metrical jeux d’esprit. (m. 10 Sep. 1822 Clara dau. of Rowland Richardson of Streatham, Surrey). d. 12 Hyde park sq. London 24 Dec. 1862. G.M. xiv, 246 (1863).

ADY, Joseph (son of John Ady of London, recording clerk of the Society of Friends, who d. 17 Nov. 1812 aged 68). b. London 1775 or 1776; a hatter and hosier at 6 Charlotte st. Wapping; hatter at 11 Circus, Minories 1831–33; accountant at same address 1833; was accustomed to examine lists of unclaimed dividends, estates and bequests, and to send letters always unstamped to all persons he could find who were called by any of the names mentioned in the lists, stating to each person that on his remitting a fee of 20/– he would be informed of something to his advantage. The Lord Mayor, Sir Peter Laurie, in 1833, publicly advertised people to be cautious of him, and the Court of Aldermen the same year directed measures to be taken against him. His lucrative trade was at last stifled by a new section in the Post Office Act, which made the writers of letters that were refused, liable for the postage; he then resorted to a new device, this was to post his letters really unstamped, but bearing marks on them as of stamps removed, so as to furnish ground for his asseveration that stamps had really been put on them. In the year 1835 he was indicted by the Rev. Francis Tebbutt for a misdemeanour, under statute 7 & 8, George iv, cap. 29 sec. 53, for obtaining a sovereign by various false pretences, he was tried at the Central criminal court 7 Feb. 1835, found guilty and sentenced to 7 years transportation, which was commuted to 1 year’s imprisonment in the House of Correction. He was sent to prison again in the year 1851 for a similar offence, but was released early in 1852 by order of the Home Secretary in consequence of his declining health. d. 89 Fenchurch st. London 17 July 1852 aged 77. bur. Friend’s burial ground, Whitechapel 22 July. Central criminal court minutes of evidence, by Henry Buckler, i, 646–52 (1835); De Quincey’s Works, vi, 258, 327 (1862). The epistle of which the following is an exact copy, was received by the Duke of Wellington 5 Dec. 1833, and sent by him to the Lord Mayor the next day:

My Lord,

The undersigned is able to inform you of something considerably to your advantage on receipt of 20 shillings, by post office order or otherwise for his trouble.

Yours respectfully,

Joseph Ady, Accountant,

11 Circus, Minories,

London.

Nov. 29th, 1833.

No letters received unless postpaid.

To His Grace The Duke of Wellington,

Strathfieldsaye, Hants.

The annexed is copied from a letter of his, which was received by a gentleman in the country.

“The undersigned is able to inform you of something considerably to your advantage (value £100 and upwards), on receipt of 20/– by order on Whitechapel post office as an equivalent for his trouble and costs generally.

Respectfully

Joseph Ady, Accountant,

No. 5 York St Charlotte St.

¼ mile East of Whitechapel Chh.

London.

Personally known to each of the Aldermen of London, having been a Freeman and Housekeeper 50 years.

April 5th, 1847.