Astor, William Waldorf, first Viscount Astor (1848–1919), property owner and newspaper proprietor, was born on 31 March 1848 in New York, the only child of John Jacob Astor (1822–1890), manager of the family estate, and his wife, Charlotte Augusta Gibbes (1825–1887). He was educated privately and at ...
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John Turner
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Maker: Sir Hubert von Herkomer
William Waldorf Astor, first Viscount Astor (1848–1919) by Sir Hubert von Herkomer, 1898 Cliveden, The Astor Collection (The National Trust) NTPL / John Bethell
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Charlotte Mitchell
Blackmore, Richard Doddridge (1825–1900), novelist and fruit farmer, was born on 7 June 1825, at the vicarage, Longworth, Berkshire, the third but second surviving son of the Revd John Blackmore (1794–1858) and his first wife, Anne Basset Knight (1794–1825). Anne was the eldest daughter of the ...
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Richard Doddridge Blackmore (1825–1900) by Frederick Jenkins © National Portrait Gallery, London
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Alan G. Crosby
Blundell, Nicholas (1669–1737), diarist and landowner, was born on 1 September 1669 at Little Crosby Hall, Lancashire, the son of William Blundell (1645–1702) and his wife, Mary (d. 1707), daughter of Rowland Eyre of Hassop in Derbyshire. The eldest of fourteen children, he was educated at home by his grandfather ...
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Blunt, Wilfrid Scawen (1840–1922), hedonist, poet, and breeder of Arab horses, was born at Petworth House, Sussex, on 17 August 1840, the second son of the three children of Francis Scawen Blunt (1790–1842) of Crabbet Park, Poundhill, and Newbuildings Place, Southwater, Sussex, and his wife, ...
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Wilfrid Scawen Blunt (1840–1922) by Elliott & Fry © National Portrait Gallery, London
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See Bridges, Thomas
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Paul David Nelson
Byrd, William (1674–1744), landowner and diarist, was born on 28 March 1674 near the fall line of the James River, Virginia, the first of five children of William Byrd (1652–1704), colonial officer and planter, and Mary Horsmanden Filmer (1650–1699), a well-connected widow and daughter of ...
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William Byrd (1674–1744) attrib. Hans Hysing, c. 1725 The Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, Virginia
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Carter, Landon (1710–1778), diarist and planter in America, was born on 18 August 1710 at Corotoman, his family's country seat in Lancaster county, Virginia, the son of a very wealthy first-generation Virginian, Robert (King) Carter (1663–1732), a planter–merchant member of the king's council in ...
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Eric H. Robinson
Clare, John (1793–1864), poet, farm labourer, and naturalist, was born on 13 July 1793 in West Street, Helpston, Northamptonshire, the son of Parker Clare (1765–1846), a thresher and local wrestler, known as 'the lame man of Helpstone', and his wife, Ann (1757–1835)...
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John Clare (1793–1864) by William Hilton, 1820 © National Portrait Gallery, London
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James Bettley
Clark, Charles (1806–1880), farmer and printer, was born at Heybridge, Essex, the only child of Robert Clark (d. 1850), farmer, and his wife, Mary Ann, née Pond (d. 1849). He was educated at the Revd J. S. Dunn's school at Witham Place, Witham, Essex...
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J. M. Rigg
revised by Lionel Alexander Ritchie
Clark, John (d. 1807), scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature and land agent, was, in the astringent judgement of the Celtic scholar Alexander Macbain, 'James Macpherson's fellow Badenoch man, contemporary, friend, and sincere imitator in poetry and literary honesty' (Macbain, 186...
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Cresswell [née Hogge], Louisa Mary [Louise] (1830–1916), farmer and autobiographer, was born in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, on 31 May 1830, the daughter of William Hogge (or Hogg) (1785/6–1862) and his wife, Eliza (or Elisabeth), née Wells (1786/7–1850). She was the tenth of eleven children, born into a prosperous and ambitious family. Her father was a successful businessman with interests in banking, brewing, and malting, and shops and premises in ...
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B. D. Jackson
revised by Alexander Goldbloom
Curtis, Samuel (1779–1860), nurseryman and magazine editor, was born at Alton, Hampshire, on 29 August 1779, the son of James Curtis and his wife, Sarah, who were Quakers. In 1800 he acquired Walworth nursery which he held until about 1825. In 1801 he married ...
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Davenport, William (bap. 1584, d. 1655), landowner and diarist, was baptized in Stockport, Cheshire, on 25 March 1584, the son and heir of Sir William Davenport (1563–1627) of Bramhall and Dorothy Warren (fl. 1566?–1615), the daughter of a neighbouring gentleman. William Davenport...
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Gordon Goodwin
revised by Douglas Brown
Drummond, Peter Robert (1802–1879), bookseller and agriculturist, was born at Madderty, Perthshire, the son of John Drummond, a small farmer, and his wife, Jean Gow. He was educated in Madderty, and in early life worked as a carpenter. He attained skill as a maker of picture frames, which brought him into the society of picture dealers and allowed him to gain some knowledge of art....
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Finlay, Ian Hamilton (1925–2006), poet, artist, and gardener, was born in Nassau, Bahamas, on 28 October 1925, the son of James Hamilton Finlay and his wife, Annie Whitelaw, née Pettigrew. According to his son James Finlay was a bootlegger who smuggled rum into the ...
