PIDGEON, Henry Clarke. b. March 1807; an artist and teacher of drawing in London to 1847, and 1851 to death, also at Liverpool 1847–51; professor of school of drawing at the Liverpool institute a short time; member of Liverpool academy 1847, non-resident member 1850–65, secretary 1850; exhibited 4 pictures at R.A., 2 at B.I., 15 at Suffolk st. 1838–53, and about 50 at Liverpool academy; founded with Joseph Mayer and Abraham Hume the Historic society of Lancashire and Cheshire 1848, an honorary member 7 May 1851, joint secretary with Hume till Jany. 1851, contributed many lithographs and etchings to the society’s publications; associate of Institute of painters in water-colours 1846, member 1861; president of the Sketching club, d. 39 Fitroy road, Regent’s park, London 6 Aug. 1880. Journal of British archæol. assoc. xxxvi 355 (1880).
PIERCE OR PEIRCE, Earl Horton. b. New York 1823; appeared with Raymond’s circus at Philadelphia; joined Dan Emmet’s minstrel party at Franklin theatre, New York 1842; joined E. P. Christy’s minstrels; came to England in 1856; member of the Christy minstrels St. James’s hall, London, where he became well known by singing a song entitled Hoop de-dooden-do. d. suddenly in the Holloway road, London from effusion of serum on the brain 5 June 1859, inquest 7 June.
PIERCE, Evan. b. 1808; L.F.P.S. Glasgow 1836; L.S.A. London 1836; L.R.C.S. Edinb. 1836, F.R.C.S. 1870; M.D. St. Andrews 1844; mayor of Denbigh; coroner for county of Denbigh about 1831 to death; during the cholera in 1832 he was most active in his exertions; a column with a statue raised in his honor at Denbigh 23 Nov. 1876. d. Salusbury place, Denbigh 15 March 1895. Y Darlunydd, Carnarvon Dec. 1876 pp. 1–2 portrait and view of column; Lancet 9 Dec. 1876 p. 821.
PIERCE, James Hart, stage name of James Hart Glen. b. Leith, near Edinburgh 1856; a clerk; a gymnast, had a serious fall at South of England music hall, Portsmouth; partner with. Mike Mac as a gymnastic clown and pantomimist; music hall comedian; partner with George Monaghan to 1889; went to South Africa with Luscombe Searelle’s No. 6 company 1893; m. 1892 as his 2 wife Fanny Robina, widow of Frederick Stanislaus, musical composer. d. Walcot sq. Kennington, Surrey 5 Jany. 1894. bur. Tooting cemetery 10 Jany.
PIERCY, Benjamin (3 son of Robert Piercy, surveyor). b. Trefeglwys, Montgomeryshire 16 March 1827; in his father’s office to 1847; chief assistant to Charles Mickleburgh, surveyor, Montgomery 1847–51; with Henry Robert made survey for Shrewsbury and Chester railway 1851; engineer of Red Valley railway bill 1852; engaged on the Cambrian system and on most of the railway schemes in Wales; made the railway bridge at Barmouth and the bridge near Portmadoc; engaged in surveying and making 300 miles of railways in Sardinia 1862–81, and a harbour at the Golfo de Aranci; a commendatore of the Crown of Italy 1881; acquired large estates in Sardinia and bred cattle, horses and sheep; a great friend of Garibaldi; made railway lines in Italy, France and India; purchased Marchwiel hall and estate near Wrexham 1881, where he had a cricket ground; M.I.C.E. 8 Jany. 1860; a candidate for Peterborough 1883. d. 15 Portman square, London 24 March 1888. Min. of Proc. of Instit. of C.E. xcvi 333–9 (1889).
PIERREPONT, Henry Manvers (3 son of Charles Pierrepont, 1 earl Manvers 1737–1816). b. 18 March 1780; educ. Ch. Ch. Oxf., B.A. 1800, D.C.L. 1834; envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Sweden 20 April 1804 to 19 Jany. 1807; P.C. 20 May 1807; member of the Dandy club of which he was the last survivor. d. Thoresby park, Ollerton, Notts. 10 Nov. 1851. G.M. xxxvii 184 (1852).
PIERSON, Henry Hugh (son of Hugh Nicholas Pearson, dean of Salisbury). b. Oxford 14 April 1815; educ. Harrow 1829, and Trin. coll. Camb.; studied music in Germany from 1839; Reid professor of music in univ. of Edinb. 1 June 1844, but never officiated as professor; resided in Germany 1844 to death; wrote music under pseudonym of Edgar Mannsfeldt-Pierson; produced an opera The elves and the earth king at Brunn, and another opera Leila at Hamburg 1848; his oratorio Jerusalem, produced at the Norwich festival 1852, was performed by the Harmonic union at Exeter hall 18 May 1853 and at Wurzburg 1862; composed incidental music to the second part of Goethe’s Faust produced at Stadt-theater, Hamburg 1854, printed at Mayence 1856, for which Leopold I of Belgium gave him the gold medal for art and science; his unfinished oratorio Hezekiah was performed at Norwich festival 1869; his opera Contarini in five acts was produced at Hamburg April 1872; three of his orchestral overtures Macbeth 1860, Romeo and Juliet 1870, and As you like it, have been given at Crystal palace concerts; wrote All my heart’s thine own, song 1844; Salve eternum, a Roman dirge 1853; The office for holy communion 1870; Thirty hymn tunes 1870, Second series 1872; Ye mariners of England, a part song 1880; Hurrah for merry England 1885. d. Leipzig 28 Jany. 1873. bur. Sonning, Berkshire 6 Feb. Robin Legge’s History of the Norwich festivals, with portrait; H. H. Pearson’s Collected songs, Leipzig with portrait; Graphic vii 215, 220 (1873) portrait; Grove’s Dictionary of music ii 752 (1880).
PIERSON, Sir William Henry. b. Plymouth 1782; entered navy 27 May 1796, served in the Belleisle at Trafalgar when he was wounded; employed on the coast of Spain 1814; knighted by marquis of Normanby, lord lieut. of Ireland, on the occasion of his visiting the “Madagascar” at Kingstown, Dublin Oct. 1836; captain 28 June 1838; retired rear-admiral 10 Sept. 1857. d. Langstone, near Havant 25 March 1858. G.M. May 1858 p. 553.
PIERSON, William Henry (eld. son of Charles Pierson of Cheltenham). b. Havre, France 23 Nov. 1839; educ. Cheltenham college 1853–6, head of the college; won the British Association’s gold medal 1856; gained the Pollock medal Dec. 1858, and six prizes at Addiscombe college 1858; a performer on the piano, cornet and concertina; a chess player; an actor, and a Sanscrit scholar; lieut. Bengal engineers 10 Dec, 1858, major 25 Nov. 1880 to death; designed and constructed the new palace of the British legation at Teheran; director of the Persian telegraph Oct. 1871 to Oct. 1873; secretary to the Indian defence committee July 1877; military secretary to lord Ripon, governor general of India, Sept. 1880; commanding engineer of the field force proceeding against the Mahsoud Waziri tribe March 1881. d. at Bunnoo 2 June 1881, marble tablet with medallion relief of his head in Cheltenham college chapel. H. M. Vibart’s Addiscombe (1894) 185, 643–6, 726.
PIESSE, George William Septimus (7 child of Charles A. J. Piesse, chief clerk in war office). b. 30 May 1820; a practical optician; studied chemistry under professor Graham at University college, London; an analytical chemist; in the employment of J. and E. Atkinson, perfumers, and then with Francis Henry Breidenbach; in partnership with Wilhelm Lubin, as perfumers at 2 New Bond st. London with large cellars under the street 1855, flower farmers near Nice, lavender gardeners at Mitcham, Surrey, bonded warehouses in the London docks where the perfumed spirits for exportation were made; introduced frangipani, kiss-me-quick, the trump card, and other mixed perfumes; makers of toilet and medicated soaps and of ribbon of Bruges; an adept in the art of conjuring; an early associate of Chemical soc., F.C.S. Dec, 1862; wrote the Scientific and useful column in Family Herald during 25 years; author of Is selenium a true element 1842; The art of perfumery and the methods of obtaining the odours of plants 1855, 5 ed. 1891; Chymical, natural and physical magic 1858; The laboratory of chemical wonders 1860; Lectures on perfumes, flower farming, and of obtaining the odours of plants 1865. d. Hughendon house, Grove park, Chiswick 23 Oct. 1882. G. L. M. Strauss’ England’s Workshops (1864) 170–8; Chemist and Druggist 15 Nov. 1882 p. 496 portrait; Journal of Chemical Soc. xliii 255 (1883).