AITKEN, Rev. Robert (son of Robert Aitken). b. Crailing near Jedburgh 22 Jany. 1800; a schoolmaster in Sunderland; ordained deacon by Bishop Van Mildert 1823; minister of Wesleyan Zion chapel, Waterloo road, Liverpool to 20 Dec. 1840; C. of Perranuthnoe, Cornwall 1842–44; domestic chaplain to Earl of Caithness 1844–64; minister of Episcopalian church, Coatbridge about Oct. 1847 to 1848 or 1849; V. of Pendeen, Cornwall 1849 to death; the church, of which he was the architect, was built for him by his parishioners 1854; domestic chaplain to Earl of Seafield 1864 to death; well known throughout England as a preacher of almost unrivalled fervour; author of many sermons and pamphlets. d. on platform of Great Western railway station, Paddington 11 July 1873. bur. Pendeen 18 July. Boase and Courtney’s Bibliotheca Cornubiensis i, 2 and iii, 1025; John Smith’s Our Scottish clergy 2 Series 80–87 (1849); Church Times 6 Aug. to 24 Sep. 1875.
AITKEN, Robert Dickson. b. Hawick, Roxburghshire 8 May 1801; a gardener, then a horsebreaker; left Hawick 1857; purchased estate of Reston Mains, Berwickshire, worth many thousands; tried in the sheriff court at Greenlaw 31 May 1860, for making people of Dunse believe he was heir to a large estate, when found guilty and sentenced to 6 months imprisonment with hard labour; his career was dramatised by George Duckenfield, theatrical manager; he played the chief part in this drama at Berwick and other border towns; delivered a lecture in Hawick 31 May 1864 entitled “How I did the Dunse dunces.” d. the poor house, Hawick 30 April 1879.
AITKEN, William. b. Dunbar 1814; kept a school at Ashton-under-Lyne; went to the United States 1842; grand master of the Odd-fellows there 1846; author of A journey up the Mississipi river; and of articles in the Quarterly magazine of Odd-fellows; committed suicide at Ashton 27 Sep. 1869. Quarterly magazine of Odd-fellows i, 129–32 (1858) portrait.
AITKEN, William Costen. b. Dumfries 3 March 1817; worked for R. W. Winfield of Birmingham, brassfounder 1844–64; took out a patent for ornamenting cornice poles, &c. with porcelain or glass which was much used; manager at Skidmore’s Art manufacturing company, Coventry, retired 1872; chief organiser of Industrial Exhibition at Bingley house, Birmingham 1849, from which Prince Albert took the idea of Exhibition of 1851; contributed descriptive notes signed W.C.A. to Illustrated catalogue of Great Exhibition 1851; wrote about a third of Birmingham and the Midland hardware district 1865; wrote in the Art Journal. d. Birmingham 23 March 1875. Birmingham Daily Post 24 March 1875.
AITON, John (youngest son of Wm. Aiton 1760–1848, sheriff substitute of Lanarkshire). b. Strathaven, June 1797; studied theology at univ. of Edinburgh; licensed by presbytery of Hamilton 30 Nov. 1819; minister of parish of Dolphington 14 April 1825 to death; D.D. Glasgow, March 1836; author of Life and times of Alexander Henderson 1836; Clerical Economics 1842, 2 ed. 1846; The lands of the Messiah, Mahomet, and the Pope 1852; Manual of domestic economy 1857. d. Pyrgo park, Havering, Essex 15 May 1863.
AITON, John Townsend. Gardener at Kensington palace 1831 to death. d. Kensington palace 4 July 1851 aged 74.
AKERMAN, John Yonge (son of John Akerman of St. Mary Newington, Surrey who d. 2 Nov. 1835 aged 50). b. London 12 June 1806; F.S.A. 16 Jany. 1834; started the Numismatic Journal June 1836, the first English periodical devoted to the illustration of coins; one of the secretaries of Numismatic society 1836–60, the first regular meeting was held 22 Dec. 1836; edited Journal of Numismatic Society 1837–60; and Numismatic Chronicle 1838–60; gold medallist of French Institute; joint sec. with Sir Henry Ellis of Society of Antiquaries 2 May 1848 and sole sec. 1853–24 June 1860; lived at Abingdon 1860 to death; author of Numismatic Manual 1832; Descriptive catalogue of rare Roman coins, 2 vols. 1834; Legends of old London 1853 and 18 other books; author of many papers in the Archæologia and Numismatic Journal. d. Abingdon 18 Nov. 1873. Numismatic Chronicle xiv, 13–19 (1874).
AKHURST, William. b. Hammersmith 29 Dec. 1822; went to Australia 1850; sub-editor and musical critic on the Argus daily paper in Melbourne; wrote 14 pantomimes; wrote The siege of Troy burlesque which was performed 60 nights, a run without precedent in Australia; returned to England 1870; wrote pantomimes for Astley’s, Pavilion, and Elephant and Castle theatres. d. on board the “Patriarch” on his voyage to Sydney 7 June 1878.
ALABASTER, Harry. Interpreter in consulate Bangkok Siam 30 Nov. 1864 to 31 Dec. 1871; author of The modern Buddhist, translated by H.A. 1870; The wheel of the law, Buddhism, illustrated from Siamese sources 1871. d. Bangkok Siam 8 Aug. 1884.
ALBANO, Benedetto. b. in kingdom of Naples about 1796; fled to England at the Bourbon restoration 1815; employed by Messrs. Rennie in London; naturalised by 1 & 2 Vict. cap. 42, 9 May 1838; converted Covent garden theatre into an opera house at a cost of nearly £30,000, 1846; A.I.C.E. 1831, M.I.C.E. 1840. d. 75 Welbeck st. Cavendish sq. 7 Nov. 1881.