Modern English Biography (volume 1 of 4) A-H. Frederic Boase
meeting of British Association at Glasgow 1840; lord rector of Univ. of Glasgow 1841; received Queen Victoria at Taymouth Castle, Perthshire on her first visit to Scotland 8 Sep. 1842; lord chamberlain of the household 1848–52 and 1853–58; P.C. 4 Sep. 1848; colonel of Argyll and Bute militia 18 Sep. 1854 to death. d. Lausanne 8 Nov. 1862. P. R. Drummond’s Perthshire in bygone days (1879) 6–17.
BREADALBANE, John Alexander Gavin Campbell, 6 Earl of. b. London 30 March 1824; ensign 79 Foot 2 Aug. 1842; captain 1 Foot 4 Aug. 1854 to 12 Jany. 1855 when he sold out; succeeded 8 Nov. 1862, confirmed as 6 Earl by Court of Session 1866 and by House of Lords 1867; a frequent correspondent of The Field; a great salmon fisher. d. 4B The Albany, Piccadilly, London 20 March 1871. J. Paterson’s Breadalbane succession case 1863.
BREEKS, James Wilkinson. b. Edengate, Warcop, Westmoreland 5 March 1830; entered Madras civil service 1849, private sec. to Sir W. T. Denison governor of Madras 1861–64; comr. of the Nilagiris, principal sanatorium of South of India to death; made a complete collection of arms, ornaments, dresses and implements in use among four aboriginal tribes of the Nilagiris and of contents of many cairns and cromlechs; author of An account of the primitive tribes and monuments of the Nilagiris 1873. (m. 19 Feb. 1863 Susan Maria eld. dau. of Sir. W. T. Denison). d. Madras 6 June 1872.
BREEN, James (2 son of Hugh Breen who superintended Lunar reductions at Royal Observatory, Greenwich). b. Armagh 5 July 1826; a calculator at Royal Observatory, Greenwich Aug. 1842 to Aug. 1846 and at Cambridge Observatory Aug. 1846 to Dec. 1858; observed the total eclipse of the sun at Camuesa in Spain 18 July 1860; F.R.A.S. 10 June 1862; author of The Planetary Worlds, the topography and telescopic appearance of the sun, planets, moon and comets 1854; contributed to Popular Science Review and other periodicals generally anonymously. d. 25 Aug. 1866. Monthly notices of Royal Astronom. Soc. xxvii, 104 (1867).
BREESE, Edward. b. 13 April 1835; ed. at Lewisham, Kent; admitted solicitor 1857; practised at Dolgelly to death; clerk of the peace for Merionethshire; F.S.A. 21 March 1872; author of Kalendars of Gwynedd, or chronological lists of lords-lieutenant, sheriffs and knights of the shire for the counties of Anglesey, Caernarvon and Merioneth 1873. d. Morva lodge, Portmadoc, Carnarvonshire 10 March 1881. Law Times lxx, 357, 413 (1881).
BREFFIT, Edgar. b. Cromford near Matlock 12 June 1810; founded a glass bottle manufactory in City of London which became the leading house, trading as Aire and Calder glass bottle company at Castleford Yorkshire and Free trade wharf London; took out patents for stoppered bottles and for making large bottles with taps for drawing off the contents; member of court of common council for Dowgate ward 1865; sheriff of London 1875–6; alderman of ward of Cheap 1877 to death. d. The Glebe, Lee Kent 18 Oct. 1882. I.L.N. lxvii, 475 (1875), portrait; Graphic xi, 446 (1875), portrait.
BREMNER, James. b. Keiss, parish of Wick, Caithnessshire 25 Sep. 1784; shipbuilder at Wick 1809 to death; designed and constructed many harbours and piers on north coast of Scotland; raised 236 wrecked vessels between Aberdeenshire and Isle of Skye; removed steamer Great Britain off strand in Dundrum bay 1847, she was stranded 22 Sep. 1846 and floated 27 Sep. 1847; author of Treatise on the planning and constructing of harbours in deep water 1845. d. Harbour place, Pulteney Town, Wick 20 Aug. 1856. Min. of Proc. of Instit. of C.E. xvi, 113–20 (1857).
BREMRIDGE, Richard. b. Barnstaple 1803; solicitor at Barnstaple 1825; M.P. for Barnstaple 1847–52, re-elected 8 July 1852 but election declared void; M.P. for Barnstaple 1863–65. d. Exmouth 15 June 1878.
BRENNAN, Very Rev. Patrick. b. Carlow; one of the Superiors of Carlow college 1812–20; priest of parish of Kildare 1820; Penitentiary of dioceses of Kildare and Leighlin. d. Kildare 1864.
BRENT, John (eld. son of John Brent of Rotherhithe, Kent, shipbuilder 1786–1867). b. Rotherhithe 21 Aug. 1808; a miller at Canterbury; alderman; city treasurer; F.S.A. 7 April 1853; author of The sea wolf, a romance 1834; Lays and legends of Kent 1840, 2 ed. 1851; The battle cross, a romance of the fourteenth century 3 vols. 1845; Canterbury in the olden time 1860, 2 ed. 1879; Village bells and other poems 1865, 2 ed. 1868 and of many papers in antiquarian magazines. d. 8 Dane John grove, Canterbury 23 April 1882. C. R. Smith’s Retrospections i, 259, 303 (1883); Journal of Brit. Archæol. Assoc. xxxviii, 235–6 (1882).
BRENT, William Brent. Barrister L.I. 19 Nov. 1813; comr. of bankrupts to 1831; steward of Marshalsea Court and Palace Court, Great Scotland yard, Westminster 16 Sep. 1825 to 31 Dec. 1849 when they were abolished by 12 & 13 Vict. c. 101, s. xiii; probably dead.
BRENTON, John. b. 28 Aug. 1782; entered navy 28 Aug. 1798; captain 26 Dec. 1822; retired V.A. 5 Jany. 1858; knight of Russian order of St. Vladimir. d. Ryde, Isle of Wight 17 Sep. 1859.
BRENTON, Sir Lancelot Charles Lee, 2 Baronet (younger son of Vice Admiral Sir Jahleel Brenton, 1 Baronet 1770–1844). b. 1807; ed. at Hyde abbey sch. Winchester, and Oriel college Oxford; ordained 1830; seceded from Church of England Dec. 1831; took a small chapel at Bath and set up a new sect which died out with its founder; succeeded 21 April 1844; author of The Septuagint version of the Old Testament according to the Vatican text translated into English 2 vols. 1844; Cardiphonia Latina, 3 ed. 1850; Diaconia, or thoughts on the subject of Ministry 1852; Psalms: Bible and Prayer book version, parallel 1860. d. Montagu house, Ryde 13 June 1862. Memoir of Sir Jahleel Brenton re-edited by his son [Rev. L. C. L. Brenton] 1855, preface vii-cxxv; Rev. T. Mozley’s Reminiscences ii, 114–20 (1882).
BRERETON, Rev. Charles David (eld. son of Rev. Charles David Brereton, R. of Little Massingham, Norfolk). b. 19 April 1820; ed. at Trin. coll. Cam., B.A. 1843, M.A. 1846; C. of St. James Piccadilly 1848–49; R. of St. Edmund Norwich 1849–52; consular chaplain at Malaga, Spain 27 Aug. 1850 to 30 April 1859; R. of Bixley with Framlingham Earl, Norfolk 1863 to death; author of Lectures for travellers 1854; Verses and lectures 1868. d. Lowestoft 15 April 1876.
BRERETON, Sir William (son of major Robert Brereton who fought at Culloden). b. 1789; 2 lieut. R.A. 10 May 1805; lieut. col. 17 Aug. 1843 to 16 Dec. 1854; served in Spain, France and the Netherlands; granted service reward 1 April 1856; head of Irish constabulary short time; K.H. 1837; C.B. 19 July 1838; K.C.B. 28 June 1861; L.G. 27 June 1864; author of The British fleet in the Black Sea while under the command of Vice Admiral J. W. D. Dundas, privately printed 1857. d. 3E Albany, Piccadilly, London 27 July 1864. I.L.N. xlv, 154, 299 (1864).
BRERETON, William Westropp (4 son of Arthur Brereton of Ballyadams Queen’s county). b. 1810; ed. at Trin. coll. Dublin, B.A. 1832, M.A. 1856; called to Irish bar 1836; went Munster circuit; Q.C. 9 Nov. 1852; assistant barrister for co. Kerry 1858; chairman of quarter sessions for co. Galway 1858 to death. d. Fitzwilliam sq. north, Dublin 13 Dec. 1867. Law mag. and law review v, 260 (1855).
BRETT, Harry Augustus. Writer Madras civil service 1831; collector of Salem 1860; member of Board of Revenue 1862–65; pres. of Income tax commission 1862–67; resigned the service 27 May 1867. d. 20 Dec. 1867.
BRETT, John Watkins (son of Wm. Brett of Bristol, cabinet maker). b. Bristol 1805; Telegraphic engineer; laid a gutta percha wire between Dover and Cape Grisnez 1850 by which the first submarine message was sent from England to France; laid cables between Dover and Calais 1851, Dover and Ostend 1853, and Sardinia and France 1854; mainly instrumental in forming Atlantic Telegraph Company 1856; director of Submarine Telegraph Co.; made a splendid collection of works of art; author of On the origin and progress of the Oceanic telegraph 1858. d. Lunatic asylum, Coton Hill, Stafford 3 Dec. 1863 bequeathing one tenth of his large property to charity. Notes and Queries 3 S. viii, 203 (1865).
BRETT, Robert. b. at or near Luton Beds. 11 Sep. 1808; ed. at St. George’s hospital London, M.R.C.S. and L.S.A. 1830; assistant to Samuel Reynolds of Stoke Newington surgeon, partner with him 1860 to death; founded the Guild of St. Luke, a band of medical men who co-operate with the clergy; vice pres. of London Union on church matters 1850; one of founders and vice pres. with Dr.