Modern English Biography (volume 1 of 4) A-H. Frederic Boase
Abbott, of Calcutta, merchant). b. London 7 Jan. 1804; ed. at Warfield in Berks, Winchester, and Addiscombe; 2 lieut. Bengal artillery 16 April 1819; commanded the artillery in defence of Jellalabad, Nov. 1841 to April 1842; Col. 14 Nov. 1858 to death; served in Afghan war 1838–42; principal commissary of ordnance 12 Dec. 1847 to 9 Feb. 1855; inspector-general of ordnance and magazines Bengal 9 Feb. 1855–18 Jan. 1858; commander at Meerut 27 Jan. 1858; M.G. 13 April 1860; Douranee order conferred on him Nov. 1840, but he never wore it; C.B. 11 Oct. 1842; one of the finest artillery officers of his time. d. 4 Paragon buildings, Cheltenham 25 Feb. 1867. The Afghan War, 1838–1842, from the Journal of the late Augustus Abbott. By C. R. Low. 1879.
ABBOTT, Rev. Edward Singleton. Preb. of St. Michael’s in Ch. Ch. cathedral, Dublin 13 Aug. 1844; preb. of St. John’s 11 Mch. 1845; preb. of St. Michan’s 12 Feb. 1854–55; R. of St. Mary’s, Dublin 1855 to death; sub.-dean of chapel royal Dublin 1858 to death; committed suicide by shooting himself at 7 North Frederick st. Dublin 12 June 1865 aged 63.
ABBOTT, Edwin. b. London 12 May 1808; principal of Philological school 248 Marylebone road, London 1827–72; and secretary 1872 to death; one of the first to advocate a more thorough English training in schools; author of A second Latin book 1858; Greek tragic iambics 1864; Complete concordance to works of Alexander Pope 1875. d. 18 Palace sq. Upper Norwood 27 May 1882. bur. Kensal Green 31 May.
ABBOTT, John (son of Robert Abbott of Halifax, carpet manufacturer, who founded the carpet trade in Halifax with Mr. Crossley, and d. 1825). b. Halifax 20 July 1796; a woolstapler there; took a leading part in all matters of social improvement and left charitable bequests of £61,500. d. Halifax 13 May 1870.
ABBOTT, Rev. Joseph. b. Cumberland 1789; ed. at Bampton sch. and Marischal coll. Aberdeen; Missionary of the S.P.G. at St. Andrew’s, Grenville, Lower Canada 1818–47, when he retired; wrote The Emigrant to North America from memoranda of a settler in Canada, first published in the Quebec Mercury 1842, republished in many leading Canadian papers and in several English papers, including Emigration Gazette, and in pamphlet form by the Emigration agent. 2nd ed. 1843, it was also pub. in a more extended form by John Murray in the Home and Colonial library, under the title of Philip Musgrave or the adventures of a Missionary in Canada; contributed many tales to Canadian periodicals. d. Montreal, Jany. 1863. Morgan’s Bibliotheca Canadensis (1867) pp. 3–4.
ABBOTT, Thomas Eastoe. b. East Dereham, Norfolk 1779; author of Peace; a lyric poem 1814; The triumph of Christianity 1819; The soldier’s friend 1828. d. Darlington 18 Feb. 1854.
ABDY, Maria. b. London; wrote in the New Monthly, The Metropolitan and the Annuals; privately printed Poems 8 series, 8 vols. 1830–62; An appeal on behalf of governesses, her longest poem gained first prize offered for literary productions on that subject, (m. Rev. John Channing Abdy, R. of St. John’s Southwark who d. 27 Jany. 1845 aged 52.) d. 7 Upper Marine terrace, Margate 19 July 1867 aged 70. bur. St. Peter’s church yard Isle of Thanet.
ABDY, Sir Thomas Neville, 1 Baronet (only son of Anthony Thomas Abdy, captain R.N. who d. 9 June 1838, by Grace dau. of admiral Sir Thomas Rich). b. 21 Dec. 1810; ed. at St. John’s coll. Cam., B.A. 1833; M.P. for Lyme Regis, (lib.) 30 July 1847–1 July 1852; cr. baronet 8 Jan. 1850; sheriff of Essex 1875. (m. 19 Oct. 1841 Harriet 2nd dau. of Rowland Alston, M.P. of Pishiobury, Herts, she d. 8 July 1877.) d. 6 Grosvenor place, London 20 July 1877.
ABDY, Sir William, 7 Baronet. b. 1779; succeeded 21 July 1803. d. 20b. Hill st. London 15 Apl. 1868.
A’BECKETT, Arthur Martin (youngest son of Wm. A’Beckett of Golden square, London, long known as the Reform solicitor, who d. 23 Feb. 1855 aged 77, by his 1 wife Sarah who d. 25 Aug. 1817). b. Golden square, London 1812; ed. at London univ. 1834 and at Paris; M.R.C.S. 9 March 1838, F.R.C.S. 13 Dec. 1855, M.D.; Staff surgeon to British legion in Spain; on staff of Sir De Lacy Evans 1835–37; arrived in Sydney 1838; practised there 1838–58; member of legislative council of N.S.W. to 1858; knight of San Ferdinand; F.R.G.S. 1860. (m. 15 May 1838 Emma Louisa 1 dau. of Marsham Elwin of Thirning, Norfolk, she was b. 26 Aug. 1814). d. Sydney 23 May 1871. Medical Times and Gazette, ii, 263 (1871); Heads of the people, ii, 83 (1848) pt.
A’BECKETT, Gilbert Abbot (2 son of Wm. A’Beckett of Golden sq.) b. The Grange, Haverstock hill, London 9 Jany. 1811. ed. at Westminster school; sole proprietor of following periodicals, The terrific penny magazine, The Ghost, The Lover, The gallery of terrors, The Figaro monthly newspaper, and The Figaro caricature gallery; proprietor with Thomas Littleton Holt of following periodicals, The evangelical penny magazine, Dibdin’s penny trumpet, The thief, Poor Richard’s journal, and The people’s penny pictures; student at Gray’s Inn 25 Apl. 1828; dramatic critic of the Weekly Despatch; edited Figaro in London comic weekly paper, 160 numbers 1 Dec. 1831 to 27 Dec. 1834; joint manager with Edward Mayhew of the Fitzroy theatre, Fitzroy st. Tottenham court road, London 1834 where he produced his first burlesque Glaucus and Scylla; edited The Wag 1837, and The Squib 1842, comic weekly papers; one of the original staff of Punch or the London Charivari, which appeared 17 July 1841, wrote in it from number 4 to his death; wrote leading articles in The Times one year, and in Morning Herald; wrote humorous articles in Pictorial Times; barrister G.I. 27 Jany 1841; poor Law comr. to inquire into iniquities practised in Andover union, March 1846; magistrate at Greenwich and Woolwich police court, Feb. 1849, and at Southwark, Dec. 1849 to death; went to Boulogne 17 July 1856; author of Scenes from the rejected comedies, a series of parodies upon living dramatists 1844; The quizziology of the British drama 1846; The comic Blackstone 1846; The comic history of England, 2 vols. 1847–8; The comic history of Rome 1852; wrote more than 50 plays; dramatised with Mark Lemon, Dickens’s novel “The Chimes,” produced at Adelphi theatre 19 Dec. 1844. (m. about 1836 Mary Anne eld. dau. of Joseph Glossop, she was granted a civil list pension of £100, 23 Oct. 1856. She m. (2) George Jones, barrister, and d. 11 Dec. 1863 aged 46). d. of typhus fever at Rue Neuve Chaussée, Boulogne 30 Aug. 1856, body removed to Highgate cemetery. The Critic, xv. 436 (1856); Mr. Punch, his origin and career 1870; Alfred Bunn’s A word with Punch 1847, pp. 5–7 pt.; I.L.N. xxx, 570 (1857), view of his tomb in Highgate cemetery.
Note.—There is a portrait of him by Leech in his two page cartoon, called “Mr. Punch’s fancy ball” in Punch 9 Jany. 1847, where he is represented as playing the violin in the orchestra between the double bass and the clarionet. His first contribution to Punch, entitled “The above bridge navy,” appeared in No. 4, 7 Aug. 1841 with John Leech’s earliest cartoon, “Foreign Affairs.”
A’BECKETT, Sir William (eld. son of Wm. A’Beckett of Golden square). b. London 28 July 1806; ed. at Westminster; barrister L.I. 30 June 1829; went to Sydney 1837; solicitor general of New South Wales 1841; a judge of court of N.S.W. 24 Nov. 1845; resident judge at Port Philip 3 Feb. 1846; chief justice and judge of admiralty court of Victoria 25 Aug. 1851; knighted by patent 19 Nov. 1852; returned to England 1858; author of great part of The Georgian Era 4 vols. 1832–34; of Universal biography 3 vols. 1840; and of The Earl’s choice and other poems 1863. (m. (1) 1832 Emily dau. of E. Hayley, she d. 1 June 1841. m. (2) 1849 Matilda dau. of E. Hayley, she d. 8 Aug. 1879 aged 64). d. Abbotsville, Upper Norwood, Surrey 27 June 1869.
Note.—He edited at Sydney from 1837–38 a periodical called the Literary News, of which no copies are supposed to be now in existence.
ABELL, Lucia Elizabeth (2 dau. of Wm. Balcombe, navy agent, purveyor to Napoleon Bonaparte at St. Helena, and afterwards the colonial treasurer of N.S.W. who d. 19 March 1829). Author of Recollections of the Emperor Napoleon during the first three years of his captivity on the island of St. Helena 1848, including the time of his residence at her father’s house, “the Briars.” (m. Edward Abell). d. 18 Chester terrace, Eaton sq. London 29 June 1871. Recollections of the Emperor Napoleon