Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Romilly, Sir Samuel

(Encyclopedia)Romilly, Sir Samuel rŏmˈĭlē [key], 1757–1818, English law reformer. Admitted to the bar in 1783, he soon developed a wide practice in the court of chancery. He was in sympathy with Rousseau's vi...

Percy, Sir Henry

(Encyclopedia)Percy, Sir Henry, 1366–1403, English nobleman, called Hotspur or Henry Hotspur; son of Henry Percy, 1st earl of Northumberland. In 1388 he participated in the famous battle of Otterburn, or Chevy Ch...

Fowler, Sir John

(Encyclopedia)Fowler, Sir John, 1817–98, English engineer. With Benjamin Baker, he designed and built the Forth Bridge (1882–90) in Scotland, the first major structure made of steel. He also designed much of th...

Huntington, Lucius Seth

(Encyclopedia)Huntington, Lucius Seth, 1827–86, Canadian politician, b. Quebec prov. A lawyer, he served in the Legislative Assembly and in its successor, the House of Commons, from 1861 to 1882. In 1873, he laun...

Darwin, Sir George Howard

(Encyclopedia)Darwin, Sir George Howard, 1845–1912, English astronomer and mathematician; 2d son of Charles Darwin. He was Plumian professor (from 1883) of astronomy and experimental philosophy at Cambridge, and ...

Engleheart, George

(Encyclopedia)Engleheart, George, 1752–1829, English miniature painter. He studied with Sir Joshua Reynolds and made copies in miniature of Reynolds's paintings. Court miniaturist under George III, he competed su...

Bennett, Sir William Sterndale

(Encyclopedia)Bennett, Sir William Sterndale, 1816–75, English musician. Bennett was a friend of Mendelssohn and Schumann, both of whom influenced his work. Besides composing, he was active as a pianist and condu...

Pembroke, Mary Herbert, countess of

(Encyclopedia)Pembroke, Mary Herbert, countess of, 1561–1621; sister of Sir Philip Sidney. His Arcadia was written for her, and after his death she prepared it and his other works for publication. Patron of a num...

Pembrokeshire

(Encyclopedia)Pembrokeshire, Welsh Sir Benfro, county, 614 sq mi (1,590 sq km), SW Wales. In 1974, the county of Pembrokeshire became part of the nonmetropolitan county of Dyfed, but in 1996 Dyfed was dissolved and...

Smith, Sir William

(Encyclopedia)Smith, Sir William, 1813–93, English editor and lexicographer. He was editor of the Quarterly Review from 1867 until his death and also edited reference works esteemed for their accuracy and compreh...
 

Browse by Subject