DAVIDSON, Thomas (son of Jonah Davidson of Oxnam Row farm near Jedburgh, shepherd). b. Oxnam Row 7 July 1838; entered Univ. of Edin. 1855; schoolmaster at Forres 1860–61, in Edinburgh 1861; licensed as a preacher in united presbyterian church 2 Feb. 1864; obtained second prize in rhetoric class for a poem on ‘Ariadne at Naxos’ 1859, one of his friends sent this poem to Thackeray who inserted it in Cornhill Mag. Dec. 1860; sent songs and short poems to the ‘Scotsman.’ d. Bankend, Jedburgh 29 April 1870. The life of a Scottish probationer, being a memoir of Thomas Davidson by James Brown (1878), portrait.
DAVIDSON, Thomas. b. Nottingham 28 Aug. 1828; went to Philadelphia 1832, ship builder there 1850–61; quartermaster in Philadelphia navy yard 1861, assistant naval constructor 1863, naval constructor 1866 to death; his greatest feat was the building in 70 days of the “Juanita” (1240 tons 7 guns) from the frame of a Florida frigate; executed the models and drawings for first large torpedo boats built in New York. d. Philadelphia 18 Feb. 1874.
DAVIDSON, Thomas. b. Edinburgh 17 May 1817; ed. in France, Italy and Switzerland; pupil of P. Delaroche and H. Vernet; matric. at Univ. of Edin. 1835; hon. sec. of Geol. Soc. 1858, Wollaston gold medallist 1865, Silurian medallist 1868; F.R.S. 11 June 1857, royal medallist 1870; author of British Fossil Brachiopoda 6 vols. and of the article ‘Brachiopoda’ in 9th ed. of Encyclopædia Britannica. d. 16 Oct. 1885. Proc. of Royal Soc. xxxix, 8–11 (1886).
DAVIE, James. Violinist and composer at Aberdeen; published The music of the church of Scotland 1841; Caledonian Repository 6 vols.; established the Aberdeen Choral Society which held a Musical Festival 1834; choir master in St. Andrew’s ch. Aberdeen about 1835. d. Aberdeen 19 Nov. 1857 aged 74. W. Anderson’s Precentors and musical professors (1876) 85–94.
DAVIES, Rev. Benjamin. b. Werne near St. Clears, Carmarthenshire 26 Feb. 1814; ed. at Baptist college, Bristol, Univ. of Glasgow, Trin. coll. Dublin and Leipzig; Ph.D. Leipzig 1838; pres. of Baptist coll. Stepney 1844–7; a professor in Mac Gill coll. Montreal 1847–57; professor of oriental and classical languages in Baptist coll. Regents park, London 1857; one of the revisers of the Old Testament; published translations of Gesenius’s Hebrew Grammar and Lexicon; the Paragraph Bible issued by Religious Tract Society was chiefly his work. d. Frome, Somerset 19 July 1875.
DAVIES, David. Ensign 62 foot 4 June 1812, lieut. 13 Feb. 1814 to 25 June 1816 when placed on h.p.; fired a pistol loaded with ball at Lord Palmerston (the sec. of state for war) at the War Office, London 8 April 1818, tried at the Old Bailey 1 May 1818 when acquitted on ground of insanity; confined in Bethlehem hospital, May 1818 to death. d. of apoplexy in Bethlehem hospital 30 Dec. 1861 aged 67.
DAVIES, Sir David (only son of Robert Davies of Llwyn, Cardiganshire). b. 1793; physician at Hampton; domestic phys. to William iv, 1830 to 1837, and to Queen Adelaide 1837 to 1849; K.C.H. June 1837; knighted by Queen Victoria at St. James’s palace 19 July 1837. d. Lucca 1 May 1865.
DAVIES, David Arthur Saunders. b. 9 June 1792; M.P. for Carmarthenshire 27 Dec. 1842 to death; chairman of Cardiganshire quarter sessions. d. United University club, 4 Pall Mall, East London 22 May 1857.
DAVIES, David Christopher. b. Oswestry 1827; a mining engineer 1852; visited Norway on business 9 times; F.G.S. 1872; contributed numerous papers to Geological Mag.; author of Christ for all the ages and other lay sermons 1871; Treatise on slate and slate quarrying 1878, 2 ed. 1880; Metalliferous minerals and mining, 2 ed. 1880; Treatise on earthy and other minerals and mining 1884. d. suddenly on board the steamer Angelo while returning from Norway to Hull 19 Sep. 1885. Quarterly Journal of Geol. Soc. xlii, 43 (1886).
DAVIES, Rev. Evan. b. Hengwm, Lledrod, county of Cardiganshire 1805; ordained at Wycliffe Congregational chapel, London as a missionary to the Chinese 1835; sent to Penang by London Missionary Soc. 1835, returned home 1839; superintendent of Boys’ Mission school at Walthamstow 1842–44; pastor at Richmond, Surrey 1844–57; author of China and her spiritual claims 1845; Memoirs of the Rev. Samuel Dyer 1846; Revivals in Wales 1859. d. Llanstephan near Carmarthen 18 June 1864.