Modern English biography

270; _Sussex Daily News 9 Jany. 1884_. MERRIFIELD, JOHN. _b._ Peter Tavy near Tavistock 24 Aug. 1834; schoolmaster at Mary Tavy; founder of a navigation school Gascoyne place, Plymouth 1860, head master to his death; Ph.D. 1870; member of Plymouth school board 1880 to death; discovered a method of clearing the lunar distance in finding the longitude at sea; invented an artificial horizon for use at sea; author of Magnetism and deviation of the compass 1872; A treatise on navigation for the use of students 1883; A treatise on nautical astronomy 1886; and with Henry Evers, Navigation and nautical astronomy 1868. _d._ 7 Hobart terrace, Plymouth 27 June 1891. _bur._ Dolvin cemetery, Tavistock 30 June. _The Western Morning News 29 June 1891 p._ 5, _1 July p._ 3. MERRIFIELD, MRS. MARY PHILADELPHIA. Granted civil list pension of £100, 2 May 1857, in consideration of the valuable services she had rendered to literature and art; translated C. Cennini’s A treatise on painting 1844; author of The art of fresco painting. Brighton 1846; Original treatises on the arts of painting in oil, miniature, mosaic and on glass, of gilding, dyeing and preparation of colours and artificial gems 2 vols. 1849; Practical directions for portrait painting in water colours 1851; Dress as a fine art 1854; Handbook of light and shade with reference to model drawing 1855; Brighton past and present, a handbook 1857; A sketch of the natural history of Brighton 1864. _m._ John Merrifield of Tavistock, called to bar at M.T. 16 May 1828. _d._ Brighton 1 May 1877 aged 88. MERRIMAN, NATHANIEL JAMES (3 son of Thomas Merriman of Marlborough). _b._ 1810; ed. at Winchester and Brasenose coll. Oxf., B.A. 1831, M.A. 1834; V. of Street, Somerset 1847–8; archdeacon of Grahamstown, South Africa 1847–68, the success of mission work among the natives was largely due to his exertions; one of the accusers at the trial of bishop J. W. Colenso 1863; dean of Capetown 1868–71; bishop of Grahamstown 1871 to death, consecrated 5 Dec. 1871; excommunicated Frederick Henry Williams dean of Grahamstown 1880; author of The Kaffir, the Hottentot and the frontier farmer 1854; The bishop’s ride through Independent Kaffraria to Natal and back 1872. _d._ from effects of a carriage accident 16 Aug. 1882. MERRIMAN, SAMUEL (son of Benjamin Merriman, brewer). _b._ Marlborough 25 Oct. 1771; studied medicine in London from 1784, M.S.A. 1800; partner with Mr. Peregrine in London 1807; hon. M.D. Marischal coll. Aberdeen 1808; phys. accoucheur to Westminster general dispensary 1808–15; phys. accoucheur to Middlesex hospital 17 Aug. 1809 to 7 March 1826; lectured on midwifery 1810–25; practised at 34 Brook st. Grosvenor sq. 1822 to death; treasurer of Royal med. and chir. soc. 1837; examiner to the Apothecaries’ Society 1831–8, one of the court of assistants 1838; author of Dissertation on the retroversion of the womb 1810; A synopsis of the various kinds of difficult parturition 1814, 4 ed. 1826, translated into Italian, German and French; The validity of Thoughts on medical reform 1833. _d._ 34 Brook st. London 22 Nov. 1852. _Lives of British physicians_ (1857) 342–59; _Lancet 30 Nov. 1850 pp._ 610–5, 682, _portrait_, _27 Nov. 1852 p._ 498; _G.M. Feb. 1853 pp._ 207–9; _Medical Circular_, _i_ 462 (1852). MERRIMAN, SAMUEL WILLIAM JOHN (only son of the preceding). _b._ 22 Oct. 1814; ed. at Caius coll. Camb., B.A. 1835, M.B. 1836, M.L. 1837, M.D. 1841; M.R.C.P. 1840; physician to Western general dispensary and then physician accoucheur; retired to Sandown 1862; author of Arguments against the indiscriminate use of chloroform in midwifery 1848; resided 34 Brook st. London. _d._ Marlborough house, Sandown, Isle of Wight 20 Feb. 1873. _Medical Times 1 March 1873 p._ 238; _Proc. of Med. and Chir. soc. vii_ 228 (1875). MERRITT, HENRY (5 child of Joseph Merritt, tailor). _b._ Oxford 8 June 1822; ed. at Blue coat school 1833–8; sang the alto and the solo parts in the choir of Carfax church 1833; apprentice to a carver and gilder 1838, a journeyman gilder 1844; a freed man of the city of Oxford; walked to London 1846 where he lived in much poverty working at his trade to 1850; employed by Joseph Parrinton to repair pictures 1851; wrote in The Reasoner under pseudonym of Christopher; published in The Leader 8 Jany. to 26 Feb. 1853 ten chapters on the Works of the old masters, their ruin and renovation; contributed to the Athenæum and the Empire; employed by sir Charles Eastlake on the restoration of the pictures in the National Gallery; wrote art notices for the Morning Star for £25 a year 1855; restored the paintings at Hampton court, and the battle scenes found under the coats of house paint on the staircases at Marlborough house; restored the portrait of Richard II. belonging to Westminster abbey 1865; wrote art notices for The Standard 1865 to death; lived with G. J. Holyoake at Dymoke lodge, Oval road, Regent’s park 1847 and at 1 Woburn buildings to 1866; author of Dirt and pictures separated in the works of the old masters 1854; Robert Dalby and his world of troubles 1865, anon., being his own autobiography; _m._ April 1877 at St. Pancras ch. Anna M. Lea a painter of domestic subjects, who exhibited 10 pictures at R.A. 1871–6 and 5 more in her married name 1878–80. _d._ 54 Devonshire st. Portland place, London 10 July 1877. _bur._ Brompton cemet. body removed to Woking. _G. J. Holyoake’s Sixty years of an agitator’s life_, _ii_ 232–47 (1892); _H. Merritt, art, criticism, and romance_ 2 _vols._ (1879), _recollections_, _i_ 1–65, _portrait_; _The Times 14 July 1877 p._ 13; _L’ Art. Paris 4 April 1880 pp._ 1–8. MERRY, JAMES (son of James Merry, merchant Glasgow). _b._ New Monkland, Lanarkshire 1805; ed. at univ. of Glasgow; ironmaster in partnership with Mr. Cunningham in counties of Ayr and Lanark; kept a large number of game cocks and continually had cock fights; contested Glasgow 6 March 1857; M.P. Falkirks burghs, Stirlingshire 1 April 1857 but unseated on petition July 1857; M.P. Falkirk burghs 3 May 1859 to 1874; commenced racing at Stirling 1838; kept his horses with George Dawson at Gullane 1842; with Chanticleer won 14 races in 1848; purchased Hobbie Noble for 6500 guineas 1852; won Two thousand guineas with Lord of the Isles 1855 and Macgregor 1870; won the St. Leger with Sunbeam 1855 and with Marie Stewart 1873; the Derby with Thormanby 1860 and with Doncaster 1873; the Ascot cup with Thormanby 1861; and the Oaks and St. Leger with Marie Stewart 1873; retired from the turf 1875; sold Doncaster for 14,000 guineas, the largest price ever given for a racehorse; purchased lord John Scott’s stud 1857; won £46,000 on the Derby of 1860. _d._ 68 Eaton sq. London 3 Feb. 1877. _Illust. sp. and dr. news_, _vi_ 512, 518–19 (1877), _portrait_; _Rice’s History of the British turf_, _ii_ 332–38 (1879); _Illust. sporting news_, _iv_ 369 (1865), _portrait_; _Henry Corbet’s Tales of sporting life_ (1864) 13–25; _Baily’s mag. ii_ 357–63 (1861), _portrait_; _W. Day’s Reminiscences 2 ed._ (1886) 301–25; _Thormanby’s Famous Racing Men_ (1882) _pp._ 100–107, _portrait_. MERRYWEATHER, MOSES. _b._ 1791; apprenticed to Hadley, Simpkin and Lott, fire engine makers, Longacre, London 1807, assistant 1822, became sole proprietor of the business 1832; introduced his famous London brigade manual engine shown at Great Exhibition 1851, this machine had patent metal valves and was called the Paxton; opened works in York road, Lambeth, where he built steam fire engines 1859; the house in Longacre was rebuilt 1873 and in 1876 the present works in Greenwich road, Greenwich, covering about three acres were acquired, _d._ Clapham house, Clapham Common, Surrey 25 Sep. 1872. _London Figaro 7 June 1894 pp._ 14–16; _Times 5 Oct. 1872 p._ 6. MERRYWEATHER, RICHARD MOSES (eld. son of the preceding). _b._ Longacre, London 1839; partner with his father 1859; invented with Edward Field ‘Field’s boiler’ which he applied to the steam fire engine. _d._ Clapham house, Surrey, June 1877. MERYON, CHARLES LEWIS (son of Lewis Meryon of Rye, Sussex). _b._ Rye 27 June 1783; ed. at Merchant Taylors’ school 1796–1802; Stuart’s exhibitioner St. John’s coll. Oxf. 1803; BA. 1806, M.A. 1809, M.B. and M.D. 1817; studied medicine at St. Thomas’s hospital; medical attendant on lady Hester Stanhope in Sicily and the East 1810–7; candidate of college of phys. 1820, fellow 1821; domestic phys. to sir Gilbert Heathcote 1822–7; attended on lady Hester Stanhope at Mount Lebanon, Syria in 1819, 15 Dec. 1830 to April 1831 and July 1837 to Aug. 1838; practised in London from 1838; author of Memoirs of the lady Hester Stanhope as related by herself in conversations with her physician 3 vols. 1845; Travels of lady Hester Stanhope 3 vols. 1846, with portrait of author. _d._ The Grove, Hammersmith, London 11 Sep.