NICHOLSON, Thomas William. Lieutenant 55 foot 11 Oct. 1805, major 12 June 1839; placed on h.p. with rank of lieut. col. 28 June 1839; served in the campaign of 1814 in Holland, severely wounded at storming of Bergen-op-Zoom; lieut. col. 88 foot 31 Dec. 1841, but sold out same day; K.H. 1835. d. 1883.
NICHOLSON, William (son of Miles Nicholson, farmer). b. Tretting Mill, Lamplough, Cumberland 27 Feb. 1816; went to Melbourne Oct. 1841, kept a grocer’s shop there, which became the mercantile firm of W. Nicholson & Co. of Flinders street; member of the city council for Latrobe ward 1848–52, alderman 1850, mayor 9 Nov. 1850; member for North Bourke in the legislative council Oct. 1852; moved a resolution that any electoral act should be based upon the principle of voting by ballot 18 Dec. 1855, which he carried against the ministry by eight votes; went to England 1856, became known as the ‘Father of the ballot’; member of legislative assembly for Murray Jany. 1859, and for Sandridge Aug. 1859; chief secretary 27 Oct. 1859 to 26 Nov. 1860; settled the land question by the Land act of 1860; chairman of Melbourne chamber of commerce 1859. d. St. Hilda, Melbourne 10 March 1865, portrait in council chamber of Melbourne town-hall. Heaton’s Australian dictionary (1879) 153, part ii 158.
NICHOLSON, William Adams (son of James Nicholson, a carpenter). b. Southwell, Notts. 8 Aug. 1803; articled to J. B. Papworth of London, architect July 1821–4; architect at Lincoln 1828 to death; partner with Goddard 1839–46; designed the churches at Glandford-Brigg, at Wragby, and at Kirmond; restored many churches; designed Worsborough hall, Yorkshire, the castle of Bayons manor, and Elkington hall near Louth; designed the town-hall at Mansfield; superintended rebuilding of village of Blankney, near Lincoln, erected the Wesleyan chapel, Lincoln 1837, and the corn exchange 1847; F.R.I.B.A. d. Boston, Lincs. 8 April 1853. bur. churchyard of St. Swithin, Lincoln. Dictionary of architecture vi 29 (1881).
NICHOLSON, William Norris (eld. son of Isaac Nicholson of Clapham common, Surrey). b. 1815; ed. at Charterhouse and Trin. coll. Camb., B.A. 1838, M.A. 1841; rowed in the first match against the Leander club 9 June 1837, and again in 1844; barrister L.I. 11 June 1841; a visitor in lunacy 1860 to 1877; master in lunacy, with salary of £2,000, 1877 to death; an active member of Marylebone cricket club; author of A statement of the case of the deposed Rajah of Sattara 1845. d. 43 Phillimore gardens, Kensington, London 17 Jany. 1889. Law Times 23 Feb. 1889 p. 322.
NICKINSON, John (son of a Chelsea pensioner). b. London 1808; a drummer boy in 24 foot 1823, a sergeant 1825, bought his discharge 1830; first appeared on the stage at Albany, New York 6 Oct. 1830; played engagements at the Franklin, Park, and Olympic theatres, New York; the original Mr. Dombey in John Brougham’s play Dombey and Son at Burton’s theatre, New York 1848; played Haversac in Napoleon’s Old Guard, Monsieur Jacques, and other character parts in the country; went to Canada with a company of his own 1852; lessee of the royal Lyceum theatre, Toronto 1852–8; stage manager at Pike’s opera house Cincinnati to death. d. suddenly in a drug store at Cincinnati 9 Feb. 1864. H. P. Phelps’s Players of a century, Albany (1880) 149, 204, 206, 241, 257, 259.
NICKLE, Sir Robert (son of Robert Nicholl of the 17 dragoons, who changed his name to Nickle). b. at sea 12 Aug. 1786; ensign loyal Durham fencibles 16 Dec. 1798; ensign 60 foot 22 Jany. 1801; ensign 15 foot 19 May 1801, lieut. 26 Jany. 1802; lieut. 8 garrison brigade 1803; lieut. 88 foot 4 Aug. 1804, major 28 Nov. 1822; led the forlorn hope at Buenos Ayres 7 July 1807, when severely wounded; served through the Peninsular war, present at 9 battles, severely wounded at Toulouse; served in the American war 1814; lieut. col. 36 foot 15 June 1830 to 22 Aug. 1834; acting governor of St. Christopher 14 July 1832 to March 1833; served in Canadian rebellion 1838, when he raised several volunteer forces; colonel on h.p. 29 Aug. 1843; M.G. 11 Nov. 1851; commanded the forces in Australia 1853 to death; K.H. 1832; knighted at St. James’s palace 13 March 1844. d. Jolimont, Melbourne 26 May 1855.
NICOL, Emma (eld. dau. of Mrs. Nicol, actress, who d. about 1834). b. 1801; appeared at Edinburgh as a dancer 2 May 1808; played at the Royal or Minor theatre, Edinb. 1808–24; played Flora in The Wonder at Drury Lane 9 Nov. 1824, acted there till 1829, then at Surrey theatre 1830–1; played old-women parts at T.R. Edinb. 1834–59; played Mrs. Macleary in Waverley 18 Sept. 1852, and Marjory in The heart of Midlothian 4 Oct. 1852; was the original hon. Mrs. Falconer in Ebsworth’s comedy £150,000, 1 Sept. 1854, and Matty Hepburn in Ballantine’s Gaberlunzie Man 7 June 1858; played Mrs. Major de Boots in Coyne’s Everybody’s Friend at New Queen’s theatre, Edinb. 25 June 1859, and Queen Elizabeth in the burlesque of Kenilworth 6 Aug. 1859; made her last appearance 31 May 1862 as the Hostess in The Honeymoon; her best parts were Meg in Twas I, and Miss Lucretia Mactab in The poor gentleman. d. London Nov. 1877. J. C. Dibdin’s Annals of the Edinburgh stage (1888) 361, 476.
NICOL, Henry. Philologist; author of An account of M. Gaston Paris’ method of editing in his Vie de Saint Alexis 1874. d. Algiers 30 Dec. 1880.
NICOL, James (son of James Nicol, minister of Traquair, Peebleshire, and poet 1769–1819). b. Traquair manse 12 Aug. 1810; entered univ. of Edinb. 1825; studied geology at univs. of Bonn and Berlin; a clerk in Geological society of London 1840, assistant secretary to the society 1847–9; professor of geology in Queen’s college, Cork 1849–53; professor of civil and natural history in Marischal coll. and univ. of Aberdeen 1853–60; professor of natural history in univ. of Aberdeen 1860–78; F.G.S. 1847; F.R.S. Edinb. 1847; the first to perceive the true relations of the rock-masses in the Highlands of Scotland; author of Guide to the geology of Scotland 1844; Introductory book of the sciences 1844, 9 ed. 1872; Manual of mineralogy 1849; Elements of mineralogy 1858, 2 ed. 1873; The geology and survey of the North of Scotland 1866, and of 18 papers on geological subjects. d. London 8 April 1879. Quarterly Journal of Geol. Soc. xxxvi 33–6 (1880).
NICOL, James Dyce (only son of W. Nicol, M.D.) b. Stonehaven 13 Aug. 1805; partner in firm of Nicol & Co. Bombay to 1844; M.P. Kincardineshire 17 July 1865 to death; F.R.G.S. d. 13 Hyde park terrace, London 16 Nov. 1872. I.L.N. lxi 503 (1872).