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

BROOKE, Sir Richard, 6 Baronet. b. Norton Priory, Cheshire 18 Aug. 1785; succeeded 6 March 1795; sheriff of Cheshire 1817. d. Norton Priory 11 Nov. 1865.

BROOKE, Rev. Richard Sinclair. Educ. at Trin. coll. Dublin, B.A. 1827, M.A. 1858, B.D. and D.D. 1860; minister of Mariners’ church Kingstown, Dublin 1835–62; R. of Wyton, Hunts. 1862–77; author of The sheaf of corn, or mornings with a scripture class 1850; Poems illustrative of Grace-Creation-Suffering 1852; Recollections of the Irish church 1877. d. 11 Herbert st. Dublin 6 Aug. 1882 aged 80.

BROOKE, Thomas (2 son of Sir Richard Brooke, 6 Baronet 1785–1865). b. Norton Priory 2 April 1816; ensign 12 Foot 31 Oct. 1834, lieut. col. 19 May 1854 to 22 Feb. 1861 when placed on h.p.; col. 28 Foot 30 Sep. 1878 to death; general 27 April 1879. d. 13 Manson place, Queen’s gate, London 4 Nov. 1880.

BROOKE, William. b. Burnham Market, Norfolk 1 Aug. 1795; kept a school at Norwich 1820–65; supplied records of his meteorological observations to local papers and scientific journals 1829 to death; F.R.A.S. 1849. d. Upper Surrey st. Norwich 1 Aug. 1867. Monthly notices of Royal Astronom. Soc. xxviii, 77 (1868).

BROOKE, William (eld. son of Wm. Brooke, M.D. of Dublin). b. Dublin 22 July 1796; ed. at Trin. coll. Dublin, scholar 1812, B.A. 1814; called to Irish bar 1817; Q.C. 7 Feb. 1835; bencher of King’s Inns 1846; a master in court of chancery 1846–74; a comr. of the Great Seal Feb. 1874; P.C. June 1874. d. Taney hill house, Dundrum, co. Dublin 19 Aug. 1881.

BROOKE, William Henry. b. 1781; clerk in bank of John Trotter in London who established first bazaar in this country namely in Soho sq. 1816; pupil of Samuel Drummond, A.R.A. who in his etching from his own painting of “The death of Nelson” has introduced a portrait of Brooke as one of the sailors; exhibited 9 pictures at the R.A., 6 at the B.I. and 9 at Suffolk st. gallery 1808–33; portrait painter in London 1798; contributed drawings to the Satirist 1812 to Sep. 1813; illustrated Moore’s Irish Melodies 1822; Keightley’s Greek and Roman Mythology 1831 and many other popular books; many of his drawings on wood were engraved by Thomson, Branston and other eminent xylographers. d. Chichester 12 Jany. 1860. C. R. Smith’s Collectanea Antiqua v, 273–6 (1861); C. R. Smith’s Retrospections i, 281–5 (1883).

BROOKES, Warwick. b. Birtles’ sq. Greengate, Salford 1806; entered print works of John Barge near Broughton Bridge, Salford; artist at Manchester. d. Egerton grove, Stretford new road, Manchester 11 Aug. 1882. Manchester City News 26 Aug. 1882 and following weeks.

BROOKFIELD, Rev. William Henry (2 son of Charles Brookfield of Sheffield, solicitor). b. Sheffield 31 Aug. 1809; ed. at Sheffield, Leeds and Trin. coll. Cam., B.A. 1833, M.A. 1836; C. of Maltby near Bawtry Dec. 1834; C. of St. Luke’s Berwick st. London 1841; inspector of elementary church schools 11 Feb. 1848 to 1865; R. of Somerby near Grantham 1861 to death; hon. chaplain in ord. to the Queen 24 March 1862, chaplain in ord. 1 Jany. 1867 to death; chaplain of Rolls chapel, Chancery lane 1866 to death; preb. of St. Paul’s cath. 1868 to death; he is described in Thackeray’s Curates Walk as Frank Whitestock; author of Paris exhibition Reports on classes. Printing and books, class vi, (reprinted in Illustrated London News 17 Aug. 1867). d. 16 Hereford sq. West Brompton, London 12 July 1874. Sermons by the late Rev. W. H. Brookfield edited by Mrs. Brookfield 1875, portrait.

BROOKS, Charles William Shirley (son of Wm. Brooks of London, architect who d. 11 Dec. 1867 aged 80). b. 52 Doughty st. London 29 April 1816; articled to his uncle Charles Sabine of Oswestry, solicitor 1832–7; wrote parliamentary summary in Morning Chronicle 1848–52, special correspondent for it in Russia, Syria and Egypt 1853; contributed to Punch 1851 to death, editor June 1870 to death, wrote Punch’s Essence of parliament; edited Literary Gazette 1858–9 and Home News 1867; author of The Creole or love’s fetters, produced at Lyceum theatre 8 April 1847; The daughter of the stars, produced at New Strand theatre 5 Aug. 1850; Aspen Court, a story of our own time 3 vols. 1854; The gordian knot 1859; The silver cord 3 vols. 1861. d. 6 Kent terrace, Regent’s park, London 23 Feb. 1874. G.M. xii, 561–9 (1874); Illust. review iii, 545–50 (1872), portrait; E. Yates’s Recollections ii, 143–9 (1884); Cartoon portraits (1873) 128–33, portrait.

BROOKS, George Benjamin. Entered Bombay army 1799; colonel 20 Bombay N.I. 8 Oct. 1839 to death; commanded the field force in Upper Scinde 1840; general 30 Aug. 1860. d. Clewer hill, Windsor 4 Oct. 1862. The memorial of G. B. Brooks to the Honorable the Court of directors of the East India Company 1842.

BROOKS, John (only son of Rev. John Brooks, R. of Walton-le-Dale, Lancs.) b. 7 April 1856; ed. at Harrow and Merton coll. Ox., B.A. 1878; barrister I.T. 29 June 1881; M.P. for Altrincham division of Cheshire 27 Nov. 1885 to death. d. Eaton place, London 8 March 1886.

BROOKS, Ven. Jonathan (son of Mr. Brooks of Liverpool, merchant). b. Oldhall st. Liverpool 1 Sep. 1775; ed. at Macclesfield sch. and Trin. coll. Cam., B.A. 1798, M.A. 1802; C. of Walton on the hill, C. of St. James’s Liverpool, and C. of St. George’s Liverpool successively; senior R. of Liverpool 7 Oct. 1829 to death; archdeacon of Liverpool 29 Sep. 1848 to death; chairman of Liverpool quarter sessions many years. d. Everton road, near Liverpool 29 Sep. 1855. G.M. xliv, 543–4 (1855).

BROOKS, Rev. Joshua William. Curate of East Retford 1821–7; V. of Clareborough 1827–43; R. of Grove 1837–43; V. of St. Mary’s Nottingham 1843–64; rural dean 1855–64; preb. of Linc. cath. 1858 to death; R. of Great Ponton 1864 to death; author of Elements of prophetical interpretation 1836; History of the Hebrew nation 1841; edited Abdiel’s Essays on the Advent of Christ 1844; Proverbs of Solomon 1860. d. 17 Feb. 1882 aged 92.

BROOKS, Robert. b. 1799; merchant and shipowner in London; M.P. for Weymouth 30 April 1859 to 11 Nov. 1868. d. 5 June 1882. Personalty sworn under £370,000, 15 July 1882.

BROOKS, Samuel (son of Wm. Brooks of Manchester, banker who d. about 1846). b. Great Harwood 1792; calico printer in Manchester; opened a bank at Manchester as a branch of Cunliffe’s bank Blackburn; a great land improver, purchased estates at Moss Side, Baguley, Sale, Timperley and Partington; chairman of original meeting of promoters of Lancashire and Yorkshire railway 18 Oct. 1830. d. Whalley house, Whalley range, Manchester 7 June 1864. L. H. Grindon’s Manchester Banks (1877) 197–214.

BROOKS, Vincent. Purchased large establishment of Day and Sons, lithographers, Gate st. Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London 1867, carried on the business under style of Vincent Brooks, Day and Son 1867 to death. d. of apoplexy in counting house of Spalding and Hodge, Drury Lane 29 Sep. 1885 in 70 year.

BROOKS, William Alexander (son of Wm. Brooks of London, architect). b. London 25 March 1802; engineer officer with Sir Robert Wilson in Spain 1822; resident engineer to Tees Navigation company 1828; engineer to corporation of Newcastle 1842–58; practised in London 1858 to death; made 4 journeys to Honduras 1870–6; sent out to investigate feasibility of a ship canal across Isthmus of Darien 1876; M.I.C.E. 10 June 1834, Telford medallist 1852; author of Treatise on the improvement of the navigation of rivers 1841; Honduras and the Inter-Oceanic railway 1874. d. Paya, in the Isthmus of Darien 26 Jany. 1877. Min. of Proc. of Instit. of C.E. l, 172–5 (1877).

BROOM, Herbert (only son of Herbert Broom of Kidderminster). b. Kidderminster 1815; ed. at Trin. coll. Cam., 40 wrangler 1837, B.A. 1837, M.A. 1854, LLD. 1864; barrister I.T. 20 Nov. 1840; professor of common law to council of legal education Jany. 1873 to 1875; author of Practical rules for determining parties to actions 1843, 2 ed. 1846; A selection of legal maxims 1845, 6 ed. 1884; Commentaries on the common law 1856, 7 ed. 1884; Constitutional law 1866, 2 ed. 1885, and of 2 novels The missing will 3 vols. 1877 and The unjust steward 2 vols. 1879. d. The Priory, Orpington, Kent 2 May 1882.

BROOME, Arthur. Second lieut. Bengal artillery 13 Dec. 1827, colonel 29 April 1861 to death; controller general of military expenditure Bengal 1 April 1864 to death; M.G. 6 March 1868; C.S.I. 1869. d. at sea on passage from India 27 March 1871.

BROOME, Henry Alfred. b. Birmingham 1826; beat Fred. Mason (the Bulldog) £50 a side 11 Oct. 1843; fought Joe Rowe £50 a side 10 Dec. 1844, beat him at renewed fight 13 May 1845; fought Ben Terry £100 a side 3 Feb. 1846; fought Wm. Perry (the Tipton Slasher) £200 a side and the championship at Mildenhall near Newmarket 29 Sep. 1851 and beat him; fought Harry Orme near Brandon 18 April 1853 £250 a side when Broome won after 31 rounds in 2 hours 18 minutes, this was the best fight for the championship ever seen; paid £180 forfeit to Tom Paddock 20 Feb. 1855 who beat Broome £200 a side 19 May 1856; landlord of the Opera tavern, Haymarket London 1851–56; kept the Albion tavern, Warblington st. Portsmouth 1856; kept the Crown and Cushion, Little Russell st. London; a public caterer at principal race meetings. d. 30 Frith st. Soho, London 2 Nov. 1865. H. D. Miles’s Pugilistica iii, 308–39 (1881), portrait; Fights for the championship by Francis Dowling (1860) 234–55; Illust. sporting news iv, 561 (1865), portrait.