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

BRANDRETH, Thomas Alston. Second lieut. R.A. 19 July 1797; colonel 23 Nov. 1841 to death; served in the Peninsula 1812–14; C.B. 26 Sep. 1831. d. Chudleigh, Devon 24 Sep. 1851 aged 72.

BRANDRETH, Thomas Shaw ( 2 son of Joseph Brandreth M.D. of Liverpool, physician 1746–1815 ). b. 24 July 1788; ed. at Eton and Trin. coll. Cam., 2 wrangler, 2 Smith’s prizeman and chancellor’s medallist 1810, B.A. 1810, M.A. 1813; fellow of his college 1811; barrister I.T. 5 June 1818; revising barrister for Liverpool, Bolton and other towns in Lancashire many years; invented a logometer or ten-foot gunter, a friction wheel, and a double-check clock escapement, all of which he patented; invented a machine in which the weight of a horse was utilised on a moving platform, this invention was used where steam power proved too expensive as in Lombardy and in some parts of the United States where it is still employed; F.R.S. 8 March 1821; author of Homer’s Iliad with notes 2 vols. 1841 in which the Digamma was restored throughout for sake of the metre; A dissertation on the metre of Homer 1844; Homer’s Iliad , translated 2 vols. 1846. d. The Steyne, Worthing 27 May 1873.

BRANDT, Francis Frederick ( eld. son of Rev. Francis Brandt R. of Gawsworth Cheshire who d. 1870 ). b. Gawsworth rectory 1819; ed. at Macclesfield gr. sch.; practised as special pleader; barrister I.T. 30 April 1847; leader of Chester and Knutsford sessions; reported for the Times in Court of Common Pleas; contributed to Bells Life in London ; author of Habet, a short treatise on the law of the land as it effects pugilism 1857; Fur and feathers 1859; Frank Marland’s Manuscripts 1859; Games, gaming and gamester’s law 1871, 2 ed. 1873. d. 8 Fig tree court, Temple London 6 Dec. 1874.

BRANDT, Robert. Barrister L.I. 1 June 1821; went northern circuit; commissioner in Bankruptcy for Manchester; judge of Bury Court of Requests; judge of Manchester county court March 1847 to death. d. Pendleton near Manchester 15 April 1862. Law Times xxxvii , 321 (1862).

BRANKS, Rev. William. Minister of parish of Torpichen; published anonymously Heaven our Home 1861, new ed. 1864, sale of which reached considerably over 100,000 copies; Zion’s King 1859; preserved anonymous character of his works to the last. d. Torpichen 18 Feb. 1879.

BRANSON, William Scholes. Member of company of T.R. Liverpool 1847 or before; manager of Adelphi theatre Liverpool; author of many plays. d. Fairfield, Liverpool Jany. 1884 aged 74.

BRANT, James. Vice consul at Trebizond 31 March 1830; consul at Erzeroom 27 April 1836 and at Damascus Sep. 1856 to 2 Nov. 1860 when he retired on a pension; C.B. 31 Oct. 1860. d. Cliftonville, Brighton 24 Nov. 1861.

BRANT, Rev. William Holt. Consular chaplain at St. Michael’s in the Azores 11 Nov. 1834 to 25 April 1865. d. Lisbon 20 April 1867 aged 90.

BRANWHITE, Charles ( son of Nathan Branwhite of Bristol, miniature painter ). b. Bristol 1817; landscape painter especially of frost scenes; exhibited 9 pictures at R.A., 25 at British Institution and 2 at Suffolk st. gallery 1845–57. d. Bramford house, Westfield park, Redland, Bristol 15 Feb. 1880. I.L.N. lxxvi , 285 (1880), portrait .

BRASIER, James. Entered navy 3 Dec. 1799; captain 10 Jany. 1837; V.A. on h.p. 14 Nov. 1863. d. Bradney near Bridgnorth 28 July 1864 aged 80.

BRASSEY, Thomas ( son of John Brassey of Buerton, Aldford, Cheshire, farmer ). b. Buerton 7 Nov. 1805; land surveyor at Birkenhead 1826; railway contractor in London 1836; made line from Paris to Rouen 1841–3 and from Rouen to Havre 1843–5; contractor for Great Northern railway 1847–51, railways in Italy 1850–3, Grand Trunk railway of Canada 1852–9 and railways in Australia 1859–63; established with E. T. Betts and M. Peto Canada works at Birkenhead 1853. d. Hastings 8 Dec. 1870. Life by Arthur Helps 1872, portrait ; J. Devey’s Life of Joseph Locke (1862) 145–54; Work and wages practically illustrated , by T. Brassey, M.P. 1872 .

Note.—He laid out £78,000,000 of other people’s money and upon that outlay retained £2,500,000 being as nearly as possible three per cent.; he had in his employ at one time upwards of 30,000 men on railways in Europe; his will was proved in London 7 Feb. 1871, personalty being sworn under £3,200,000.

BRAVO, Charles Delauney Turner ( only son of Charles Turner of the Isle of Jersey ). b. 39 Upper Charlotte st. Tottenham Court road, London 30 Nov. 1845; ed. at King’s coll. London and Trin. coll. Ox., admitted gentleman commoner 16 Jany. 1864, B.A. 1866, M.A. 1868; barrister M.T. 30 April 1870, went Home circuit; changed his name to Bravo 1868 or 1869. ( m. 7 Dec. 1875 Florence eld. dau. of Robert Campbell of Buscot park near Reading, she was b. 5 Sep. 1845, m. (1) 21 Sep. 1864 Alexander Lewis Ricardo, Ensign Grenadier Guards (who d. 19 April 1871), she d. at Lumps villa Southsea 17 Sep. 1878 and was bur. at Farringdon, Berkshire 21 Sep.) C. D. T. Bravo d. suddenly and mysteriously from taking tartar emetic at The Priory Bedford hill road, Balham Surrey 21 April 1876. bur. Lower Norwood cemetery 1 May. The Balham mystery or the Bravo poisoning case 7 numbers 56 pages (1876), portraits .

Note.—There was a coroner’s inquest held at which no conclusion was arrived at as to how the poison was administered, a renewed inquest was opened by the Coroner for East Surrey 11 July 1876 which lasted till 11 Aug. when the coroner’s jury returned the following verdict, “We find that the deceased did not commit suicide, but that he was wilfully murdered by the administration of tartar emetic, but there is not sufficient evidence to fix the guilt upon any person or persons.” In consequence of this decision the Government offered a reward of £250 for information leading to the conviction of the murderer, but nothing more was ever found out.

BRAY, Anna Eliza ( only dau. of John Kemp of the Mint, London, bullion porter 1748–1823 ). b. St. Mary Newington, Surrey 25 Dec. 1790; author of Traditions, legends, superstitions and sketches of Devonshire, the Tamar and the Tavy 3 vols. 1838; Trelawnie of Trelawne or the prophecy 3 vols., 2 ed. 1845; Henry de Pomeroy or the eve of St. John 3 vols. 1842, new ed. 1846; Handel, his life personal and professional 1857; Joan of Arc 1874. ( m. (1) Feb. 1818 Charles Alfred Stothard, historical draughtsman who d. 28 May 1821, m. (2) 1822 Rev. Edward Atkyns Bray, V. of Tavistock who d. 1857). She d. 40 Brompton Crescent, London 21 Jany. 1883. Mrs. Bray’s Autobiography 1844, portrait ; Library Chronicle i , 126–9 (1884); I.L.N. lxxxii , 197 (1883), portrait .

BRAY, Charles ( son of Mr. Bray of Coventry, ribbon manufacturer who d. 1835 ). b. Coventry 31 Jany. 1811; ribbon manufacturer at Coventry 1835–56; helped to establish Coventry Labourers’ and Artisans’ Society 1843 which developed into a co-operative society of which he was president; started a working man’s club 1845; purchased The Coventry Herald and Observer 1846 which he sold to J. M. Scott 1874; author of Education of the feelings 1838, 4 ed. 1872; Philosophy of necessity 2 vols. 1841, 2 ed. 1863; Outlines of social systems and communities 1844; A manual of anthropology 1871, 2 ed. 1883; Psychological and ethical definitions on a physiological basis 1879 and a number of pamphlets. d. 5 Oct. 1884. C. Bray’s Phases of opinion and experience during a long life (1884), portrait ; George Eliot’s Life, by J. W. Cross 1885.