OpenLLM-France/wikimedia huggingface dataset:
# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Gretton, William

​GRETTON, WILLIAM (1736–1813), master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, son of John Gretton of Bond Street, London, born in 1736, was educated at St. Paul's School and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1758 and proceeded M.A. in 1761. Having taken holy orders, he was presented in 1766 to the vicarage of Saffron Walden, Essex. In 1784 Lord Howard of Walden appointed him his domestic chaplain. He was subsequently presented to the rectory of Littlebury, Essex, of which county he was in the commission of the peace, and was made archdeacon on 2 Dec. 1795. In 1797 he was elected master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, and was vice-chancellor of the university in 1800-1. He died on 29 Sept. 1813.
J. M. R.
# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Gresswell, Dan

​GRESSWELL, DAN (1819–1883), veterinary surgeon, was born 13 May 1819 at Kelsey Hall, Spilsby, Lincolnshire. He became in 1840 member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons; and in the same year was elected fellow of the Veterinary Medical Association in recognition of an essay upon ‘Lactiferous Glands.’ He settled in Louth about the same time, and became widely known as a veterinary surgeon. On 20 Feb. 1877 he was elected fellow of the College of Veterinary Surgeons as a reward for original research. He wrote many original papers on ‘Paralysis in the Horse,’ ‘Excision of the Uterus in the Cow,’ ‘Treatment and Ætiology of Splenic Apoplexy or Anthrax,’ ‘Tetanus,’ ‘Arsenical Poisoning,’ and other subjects. His sons have, since his death, published several works upon veterinary science, partly embodying his manuscripts and verbal instructions. He took an active part in local politics as a strong conservative, and did much to improve the sanitary arrangements of Louth. He was elected to the town council 1 Nov. 1862, alderman in April 1871, and mayor 9 Nov. of the same year. He continued to be an alderman until his death at Kelsey House, Louth, 13 March 1883. He married, 18 Dec. 1845, Anne Beastall of Reston, near Louth, by whom he had eight sons and seven daughters. They all survived him.
[Information from the family.]
# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Greville, Algernon Frederick

​GREVILLE, ALGERNON FREDERICK (1798–1864), private secretary to the Duke of Wellington, born on 29 Jan. 1798, was the second son of Charles Greville (1762-1832), fifth son of Fulke Greville of Wilbury, Wiltshire, by his marriage with Lady Charlotte Bentinck, eldest daughter of William Henry Cavendish, third duke of Portland; he was consequently brother of Charles Cavendish Fulke Greville [q. v.] and Henry William Greville [q. v.] On 1 Feb. 1814 he obtained his commission as ensign in the Grenadier guards (then called the 1st regiment of foot guards), and was present at Quatre Bras and at Waterloo; he was also at the attack and capture of Péronne. He was appointed shortly afterwards aide-de-camp to General Sir John Lambert, with whom he served in the army of occupation in France until he was appointed aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington, on whose staff he served until the army came home in 1818. He was afterwards the duke's aide-de-camp in the ordnance office in January 1819. On the duke being appointed commander-in-chief in January 1827, he selected Greville for his private secretary, which post he held while the duke was prime minister, secretary of state for foreign affairs, and commander-in-chief for the second time in December 1842. Greville was Bath king of arms, an office he held for many years, and during the Duke of Wellington's lifetime was secretary for the Cinque ports. He died at Hillingdon, Middlesex, the seat of his brother-in-law, on 15 Dec. 1864. He married, on 7 April 1823, Charlotte Maria, daughter of Richard Henry Cox, who died on 10 April 1841. His eldest daughter, Frances Harriett, married, on 28 Nov. 1843, Charles, sixth duke of Richmond, Lennox and Gordon, K.G., and died on 8 March 1887.
G. G.
# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Gresley, Roger

​GRESLEY or GREISLEY, Sir ROGER (1799–1837), author, born on 27 Dec. 1799, was son of Sir Nigel Bowyer Gresley, 7th baronet, of Drakelow Park, Burton-on-Trent, by his second wife, Maria Eliza, daughter of Caleb Garway of Worcester. He succeeded his father in 1808 and entered Christ Church, Oxford, 17 Oct. 1817, where he remained until 1819, leaving the university without a degree. After an unsuccessful attempt to obtain a seat in parliament at Lichfield in 1826, he was returned for Durham city in 1830, New Romney, Kent, in 1831, and South Derbyshire in 1835, but failed at the election of July 1837. He was a moderate tory. In June 1821 he married Lady Sophia Catharine, youngest daughter of George William Coventry, seventh earl of Coventry, and had issue one child only, Editha, who died an infant in 1823. He was groom of the bedchamber to the Duke of Sussex, captain of the Staffordshire yeomanry cavalry, and an F.S.A. He died on 12 Oct. 1837, and was buried on 28 Oct. at Church Gresley, Derbyshire. Gresley, who usually wrote his name Greisley, was the author of the following:
* `A Letter to the Right Hon. Robert Peel on Catholic Emancipation. To which is added an account of the apparition of a cross at Migné on the 17th. December, 1826,' translated from the Italian, London, 1827, 8vo.
* 'A Letter to … John, Earl of Shrewsbury, in reply to his reasons for not taking the Test,' London, 1828, 8vo.
* 'Sir Philip Gasteneys; a Minor,' London, 1829, 12mo. This tale contains a spirited description of the evils of contemporary Rome, but is otherwise thin and puerile.
* 'The Life and Pontificate of Gregory the Seventh,' an antipapal essay, London, 1832, 8vo.
[Gent. Mag. 1837, pt. ii. p. 649; Burke's Baronetage; Foster's Alumni Oxon.; Athenæum, 1832 p. 615, 1829 p. 547; Return of Members of Parliament, vol. ii.]
W. F. W. S.
# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Annesley, Alexander

​ANNESLEY, ALEXANDER (d. 1813), legal and political writer, was a London solicitor and member of the Inner Temple. After many years' practice, by which he acquired a large fortune, he retired to Hyde Hall, Hertfordshire, and died there on 6 Dec. 1813. Annesley was a man of many accomplishments, paid repeated visits to the continent, and was an enthusiastic sportsman. In politics he followed Pitt. His works, which evince wide historical reading, are: 1. 'Strictures on the true Cause of the present alarming Scarcity of Grain and Provisions, and a Plan for permanent Relief,' 1800. The pamphlet was dedicated to Pitt, and attempted to trace the cause of the high prices of the time to 'the rage for accumulating wealth' which led the merchants to raise prices by arbitrarily restricting production. To meet the evil, Annesley proposed 'bounties on production rather than on importation, an excise on all grain, the establishment of public granaries and additional corn-mills.' He justly protested in behalf of the poor against the methods employed in enclosing common lands, and advocated a system of peasant proprietorship by colonising the common lands with superannuated soldiers and sailors, beginning as an experiment with the New Forest. 2. 'Observations on the Danger of a Premature Peace,' 1800. 3. 'A Compendium of the Law of Marine Insurance, Bottomry, Insurance on Lives, and of Insurance against Fire, in which the mode of calculating averages is defined and illustrated by example,' 1808, A brief history of English commerce and navigation forms the introduction to the treatise, and very full references are given to the leading law cases bearing on the subject. It is dedicated to John Julius Angerstein. Testimony to the usefulness of the book at the present time is borne by Mr. Cornelius Walford in his 'Insurance Cyclopædia' (i. 96) published in 1871. Annesley contributed largely to Tomlin's 'Law Dictionary,' and to the 'Edinburgh Encyclopædia.'
S. L. L.
# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Hamilton, Robert (1749-1830)

​HAMILTON, ROBERT, M.D. (1749–1830), physician, of Ipswich, was born at Coleraine, co. Londonderry, in 1749, and educated to medicine at Edinburgh. He entered the army as surgeon, and joined the 10th regiment of foot. In 1780 he proceeded M.D. at Edinburgh (thesis 'De Nicotians viribus in Medicina') and probably left the army about the same time. His tract 'Description of the Influenza,' dedicated 28 May 1782 to the colonel of the 10th regiment, shows him to have been then in practice in and near Luton, Bedfordshire. (Munk says he practised first at Dorchester.) He joined the College of Physicians in 1784. In 1785 he was practising at Ipswich, where he resided until his death, on 29 May 1830. His practice came to an end in 1795, owing to total blindness following a rheumatic affection. He is best known as the author of 'Duties of a Regimental Surgeon,' London, 1788, based on his experience in the 10th regiment. It was the first systematic treatise of the kind, and was used by E. B. G. Hebenstreit as the basis of his 'Handbuch' on the same subject, Leipzig, 1790. It was republished in 1798, 2 vols., London, along with his tract on influenza and further remarks on the same epidemic at Luton. His other writings are: 1. 'On the Establishment of a Regimental Fund for the Relief of the ​ Sick . . . Wives of Private Soldiers,' Lincoln, 1783. 2. 'On the Means of Obviating the Fatal Effects of the Bite of a Mad Dog,' &c., Ipswich, 1785; 2nd edit. 2 vols., London, 1798. 3. 'Opium as a Poison,' Ipswich, 1791. 4. 'Rules for Recovering Persons recently Drowned,' London, 1795. A work on the vital statistics of Suffolk, announced in 1800, was not published. He was a warm supporter of civil and religious liberty, and an advocate of the abolition of the slave trade.
[Gent. Mag. 1830, i. 564; Munk's Coll. of Phys. ii. 443; Hamilton's writings.]
C. C.
# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Hamilton, Robert (1750?-1831)

​HAMILTON, ROBERT (1750?–1831), legal writer and genealogist, distantly connected with the ducal house of Hamilton, was born about 1750. He entered the army, and was present at Bunker's Hill and other battles of the American war of independence, where he fought gallantly and was wounded. He afterwards studied law, became a member of the Faculty of Advocates, sheriff of Lanarkshire, and finally one of the clerks of session. He married a daughter of Lord Westhall, a lord of session. He died in 1831.
Hamilton was an intimate friend of his colleague Sir Walter Scott. They were both commissioners of the northern lights, and went together the sea voyage of inspection in 1814 described in Lockhart. Hamilton is noted therein as good-humoured, even when troubled with the gout, 'a brother antiquary of the genuine Monkbarns breed.' On his deathbed he gave Scott the sword he had carried at Bunker's Hill. The version of Sir Patrick Spens in Scott's 'Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border' (1802) was taken down from his recitation. Unfortunately Hamilton has left no record of the source whence he obtained it, and so his connection with it does not help to prove or disprove the theory started by Robert Chambers in his journal in 1843, and afterwards elaborated in 'The Romantic Scottish Ballads; their Epoch and Authorship,' in 1849, to the effect that this and others were the work of Lady Wardlaw. The 'quaint tune' to which he sang the ballad is preserved in the 'Albyns Anthology' of Alexander Campbell, the musician [q. v.]
Hamilton had the credit of being a good lawyer, and it is said 'obtained much professional reputation for getting up the case for Hamilton of Wishaw, which carried the peerage of Belhaven before a committee of privileges. He also drew up the elaborate claim of Miss Lennox of Woodhead to the ancient earldom of Lennox, an interesting production, but based on a fallacy.' He is very possibly the editor of 'Decisions of the Court of Session from November 1769 to January 1772' (Edinb. 1803, fol.), mentioned in Watt's 'Bibliotheca Britannica' as by Robert Hamilton, esq., advocate, but neither in the British Museum Catalogue nor in the Catalogue of Advocates' Library, nor in any of the usual books of legal reference is there any mention of this work.
[Lockhart's Life of Scott; Notes and Queries, 14 July 1860, p. 31. A good summary of the controversy as to the authorship of Sir Patrick Spens is given in the Romantic Scottish Ballads and the Lady Wardlaw Heresy, by Norval Clyne, Aberdeen. 1859.]
F. W-t.
# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Hamilton, Robert (1743-1829)

​HAMILTON, ROBERT (1743–1829), political economist and mathematician, was born in Edinburgh on 11 June 1743. He was the eighth son of Gavin Hamilton, a bookseller and publisher; and his grandfather, Dr. William Hamilton, had been professor of divinity and principal in Edinburgh University. After being clerk in a bank he became a partner in the management of a paper-mill. In 1769 he was appointed rector of the Perth Academy, and in 1777 appeared the first edition of his 'Introduction to Merchandise,' the first of a number of unpretending but useful and well-written treatises. In 1779 he was appointed to the chair of natural philosophy in Aberdeen University, but soon after made an arrangement with Mr. Copland, the professor of mathematics, to exchange classes till 1817, when Hamilton was appointed to the mathematical chair. He published in 1790 'Peace and War,' showing philanthropic tendencies, and in 1800 'Heads of a Course of Mathematics.' His chief work first appeared in 1813, under the title ' Inquiry concerning the Rise and Progress, the Reduction and Present State, and the Management of the National Debt of Great Britain and Ireland.' A second edition was issued in 1818. This book commanded attention from its bold attacks on prevailing views of national finance, as well as from its philosophic tone. 'This important work,' says McCulloch, 'opened the eyes of the public to the delusive nature of the sinking fund' (see also Leczy, Hist. of England, v. 53). In it there is much sound reasoning as to principles combined with a great body of well-marshalled historical and statistical facts. After nearly completing half a century of teaching, Hamilton died on 14 July 1829. His last work, the 'Progress of Society,' was published posthumously in 1830.
[Chambers's Eminent Scotsmen; Irving's Book of Scotsmen.]
R. E. A.
# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Hamilton, Mrs.

Esther Brand in the ODNB.
​HAMILTON, Mrs. (fl. 1745–1772), actress, made her first recorded appearance at Covent Garden on 12 Dec. 1745 as the Queen in ‘King Henry V.’ She was then, and for some years later, known as Mrs. Bland, her husband being an actor of small parts in the theatre. In the summer season of 1746 she supported Garrick in a short engagement, playing Regan in ‘Lear,’ Lady Anne in ‘King Richard III,’ Emilia in ‘Othello,’ and Dorinda in the ‘Stratagem.’ She went to Dublin in 1748, and played at Smock Alley Theatre. She improved greatly, and reappeared at Covent Garden on 25 Sept. 1752 as Clarinda in the ‘Suspicious Husband.’ Rich signed a long engagement on favourable terms. She remained at Covent Garden until 1762. She played Queen Elizabeth in the ‘Earl of Essex’ of Henry Jones on 21 Feb. 1753, an original part, and long a special favourite with her. She played Emilia when Murphy appeared as Othello on 18 Oct. 1754, and spoke the prologue that he wrote for the occasion. She was now described as Mrs. Hamilton, late Mrs. Bland. She appeared as Portia, Lady Jane Grey, Hypolita, Jane Shore, and Cleopatra in ‘All for Love,’ Mrs. Sullen, Millamant, Rosalind, &c. Her second husband seems to have lived upon her, and robbed her at one time of 2,000l. She was fine-looking, inclined from the first to portliness, and in the end very stout; had a mass of black hair, wore no powder, was generous, but vulgar, quarrelsome, and conceited. She had much comic spirit, and was respectable in tragedy, which was scarcely her forte. An unlucky quarrel with George Anne Bellamy won her the nickname of ‘Tripe.’ Beard and Bencraft, who succeeded Rich at Covent Garden, found her intractable. Believing herself to be quite necessary to the theatre, she let out that a secret clause in her agreement with Rich released either of them in the case of a change of management, and was dismissed at the close of the season 1761–62. She went to Dublin, and was unsuccessful, married in Ireland (at Kilkenny?) a third husband, Captain Sweeney, who also lived upon her. Tate Wilkinson found her at Malton playing the Nurse in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with a wretched company, and engaged her through charity. She appeared at York in January 1772 as Queen Elizabeth, and some interest was inspired by her misfortunes. ​ An accident to her false teeth as she played Lady Brumpton turned applause into ridicule. Her last appearance in York, and probably on any stage, was on 11 April 1772. She returned to Covent Garden an object of charity. Her distresses were the cause of the establishment of the Theatrical Fund, from which, as she was not on the books of either Drury Lane or Covent Garden, she could receive nothing but a donation. Through the influence of Thomas Hull [q. v.] and his wife she was made wardrobe-keeper and dresser at the Richmond Theatre. She died in poverty and obscurity.
J. K.
# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Hamilton, Robert (1721-1793)

​HAMILTON, ROBERT, M.D. (1721–1793), physician, of Lynn, was born at Edinburgh 6 Dec. 1721, and educated at the high school. He was apprenticed to William Edmonston, surgeon-apothecary of Leith, and attended the medical lectures. In 1741 he entered the navy as surgeon's mate, and remained in the service until 1748, occasionally attending the lectures of William Hunter and of Smellie in London. Having settled at King's Lynn, he acquired a good practice, and was consulted by patients from a distance. He was a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians at Edinburgh, and a member of several other learned societies. In 1773 he sent to the Royal Society of Edinburgh a paper on mumps (printed in vol. ii. of the 'Transactions,' 1790). Another paper, on a case of tapping the bladder per rectum, is printed in the 'Philosophical Transactions,' lxvi. (1776). His longest essay is 'Observations on Scrophulous Affections, with remarks on Schirrus (sic) Cancer and Rachitis,' communicated to the Medical Society of London, but published by himself, London, 1791. He died 9 Nov. 1793. Two works bearing his name were published posthumously, 'Observations on the Marsh Remittent Fever, on Water Canker and Leprosy, with Memoir of the Author's Life' London, 1801, and 'Letters on the Cause and Treatment of the Gout,' Lynn, 1806. In most works of reference he is confused and combined with his contemporary of the same name who practised at Ipswich.
[Memoir prefixed to Marsh Remittent Fever, London, 1801; Gent. Mag. 1793, ii. 1060.]
C. C.
# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Holcroft, Francis

​HOLCROFT, FRANCIS (1629?–1693), puritan divine, is said to have been the son of a knight, perhaps Sir Henry Holcroft, and to have been born at West Ham in Essex. Tillotson, afterwards archbishop of Canterbury, was his ‘chamber-fellow’ at Clare Hall, Cambridge, about 1650. While at Cambridge he embraced puritan principles, and became a communicant with the congregation of Mr. Jephcot at Swaffham Priors. He graduated M.A., was elected fellow of his college, took holy orders, and for some years voluntarily supplied the parish of Litlington, Cambridgeshire. About 1655 he accepted the living of Bassingbourne, Cambridgeshire, where he was a successful preacher, and, was assisted by the Rev. Joseph Oddy, fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. Holcroft eventually formed a church on congregational principles, and, after being ejected in 1662 from Bassingbourne, became a bitter opponent of episcopalianism. After his ejectment he formed his late parishioners into congregations at convenient centres, and acted as their minister, with the assistance of Oddy and S. Corbyn, both ejected fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge, who were appointed at a general meeting at Eversden. In 1663 Holcroft was imprisoned in Cambridge gaol, by order of Sir Thomas Chickley, for illegal preaching, but he was occasionally allowed by the warder to visit his congregations. At the assizes he was sentenced to abjure the realm, but on the Earl of Anglesea representing his case to Charles II he was allowed to remain in gaol. He was released at the Declaration of Indulgence in 1672, returned to his labours, and was again imprisoned. By means of a writ of certiorari he was removed as an insolvent debtor to the Fleet prison, London, and frequently preached there to large crowds of people. On discharging his debts he was released. During both these imprisonments he experienced much kindness from Tillotson. Until 1689 Holcroft took general charge of a number of congregations in Cambridgeshire and the adjoining counties. Soon after 1689 his health gave way, and he became a prey to melancholy, ‘which was promoted by grief for the headiness of some of his people, who turned preachers, or encouraged such as did so.’ His organization quickly came to grief, and he died on 6 Jan. 1692–3 at Triplow, Cambridgeshire, where he was buried. The inscription on his tombstone gives his age as fifty-nine, but a funeral sermon says he was in his sixty-third year. He left ‘a small estate’ to the poor of his congregations, and a piece of ground at Oakington for a burial-place. Calamy states that there is scarcely a village in Cambridgeshire in which Holcroft did not preach, and he was generally considered to have been the chief promoter of independency in that county. He wrote a tract called ‘A Word to the Saints from the Watch Tower,’ 1688. It appears to have been written while he was in Cambridge gaol.
[Palmer's Nonconformist's Memorial, i. 259; Wilson's Dissenting Churches, iv. 412; Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy, pt. ii. p. 143; Calamy's Baxter, ii. 86.]
A. C. B.
# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Holden, George

​HOLDEN, GEORGE (1783–1865), theological writer, only son of the Rev. George Holden, LL.D., head-master of the free grammar school at Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Yorkshire, was born at that place in 1783. He was educated at the Glasgow University, where he graduated. In 1811 he was presented to the perpetual curacy of the village of Maghull, near Liverpool. Living there in seclusion he read and wrote much. He succeeded his father as vicar of Horton in 1821, but resigned that living in 1825, preferring to devote himself to Maghull. He died suddenly at Maghull on 19 March 1865, aged 81. He was not married. His large library and more than half of his property were left for the benefit of clergy of the diocese of Ripon, who had not the means of gaining easy access to books (Howson, Funeral Sermon). The library is kept at the Palace, Ripon.
Holden's works prove him to be an accomplished hebraist and an able Christian apologist. Their titles are: 1. ‘An Attempt towards an Improved Version of the Proverbs of Solomon,’ 1819. 2. ‘The Scripture Testimonies to the Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ,’ 1820. 3. ‘An Attempt to Illustrate the Book of Ecclesiastes,’ 1822. 4. ‘A Dissertation on the Fall of Man,’ 1823. 5. ‘The Christian Sabbath,’ 1825. 6. ‘The Christian Expositor or Practical Guide to … the New Testament,’ 1830. 7. ‘The Christian Expositor of the Old Testament,’ 1834. 8. ‘Scriptural Vindication of Church Establishments,’ 1836. 9. ‘The Authority of Tradition in Matters of Religion,’ 1838. 10. ‘A Treatise on Justification,’ 1840. 11. ‘A Lecture on the Means requisite for the Profitable reading of the Holy Scriptures,’ 1842. 12. ‘The Anglican Catechist,’ 1855. 13. ‘An Explanation of some Scriptural Terms,’ 1856. 14. ‘An Essay on the Angels of the Church,’ 1862. 15. ‘The Ordinance of Preaching Investigated,’ 1863. For many years he compiled the ‘Liverpool Tide Tables,’ which were begun by his grandfather and continued by his father.
[Gent. Mag. 1865, pt. i. p. 657; Fishwick's Garstang (Chetham Soc.), i. 118; Cox's Literature of the Sabbath Question, ii. 330; Brit. Mus. Cat.]
C. W. S.