PURCELL, John Baptist. b. Mallow, co. Cork 26 Feb. 1800; educ. Ashbury coll. Baltimore 1818, and Mount St. Mary, Emmettsburg 1820; ordained in Notre Dame, Paris 1826; professor of philosophy at St. Mary’s coll. 1827, and president 1828; bishop of Cincinnati, consecrated 13 Oct. 1833; archbishop 1850 with 4 suffragan bishops attached to his see; received the Pallium from the Pope’s hands in Rome 1851; his later days were troubled with great financial difficulties 1879 to death; author of A debate on the Roman Catholic religion between A. Campbell and the rev. J. B. Purcell 1837; The Vickers and Purcell controversy 1868; Marriage and family duties in general 1881. d. in Brown county, Ohio 4 July 1883. Appleton’s American biography v 136 (1888).
PURCELL, Theobald Andrew. Called to the Irish bar 1840, junior counsel 1865; county court judge and chairman of quarter sessions of county of Limerick and Queen’s county 16 Oct. 1874; Q.C. 8 Feb. 1865; bencher of Kings Inns 1886; author of A summary of the criminal law of Ireland 1848; A summary of the principles of pleading and evidence 1849; A suburb of Yedo 1889. d. 71 Harcourt st. Dublin 6 March 1894.
PURCHAS, John (eld. son of Wm. Jardine Purchas, captain in the navy). b. Cambridge 14 July 1823; educ. Rugby and Christ’s coll. Camb., B.A. 1844, M.A. 1847; C. of Elsworth, Cambs. 1851–3; C. of Orwell, Cambs. 1856–9; C. of St. Paul’s, West st. Brighton 1861–6; P.C. of St. James’s chapel, Brighton 1866 to death; charged before sir Robert Phillimore in the Arches court by colonel Charles James Elphinstone with infringing the law of the established church by using a cope and other ritualistic practices, judgment given against him on eight points with costs 3 Feb. 1870, Elphinstone appealed to the queen in council for a fuller condemnation of Purchas, but dying 30 March 1870, Henry Hebbert of Brighton was permitted to take his place 4 June 1870; the privy council decided against Purchas on practically all the points raised 16 May 1871 and suspended him from the discharge of his clerical office for 12 months 7 Feb. 1872, but he continued his services as usual to his death; upward of 17 works were printed on the Purchas case 1871–7; edited the Directorium Anglicanum 1858; author of The miser’s daughter, or the lover’s curse 1839, a comedy; Ode upon the death of the Marquis Camden 1841; The birth of the prince of Wales, a poem 1842; Poems and ballads 1846; The book of feasts 1853; The priest’s dream: an allegory 1856; The death of Ezekiel’s wife, three sermons 1866. d. 7 Montpellier villas, Brighton 18 Oct. 1872. bur. in the parochial cemet. 23 Oct. Annual Register (1871) 187–210.
PURDAY, Charles Henry. b. 1799; professor of music at 4 Hunter st. Brunswick sq, 1848–51; music publisher at 24 Madox st. Regent st. 1854, at 15 Mill st. Hanover sq. to 1864, and at 24 Great Marlborough st. to 1870; author of A catechism of music 1854; One hundred and one popular psalm and hymn tunes 1860; edited Abyssinian captives, recent intelligence from H. A. Stern 1866; composer of The denounced, a ballad 1830; Jehovah Jireh, sacred song 1847; Elementary exercises on the art of singing 1851; One hundred rounds for two-six voices 1852; A few directions for chaunting 1855; Admiral Blake, a song 1859; For the homes of our fathers, recitative and aria 1880; edited The sacred musical offering 1830; Songs for the young 1851; One hundred tunes for infants and juvenile schools 1855; A church and home tune book 1857; Fifty three popular rounds 1858; Routledge’s Church and home metrical psalter 1860; The royal naval song book 1867; Sinclair & Co.’s Fifty songs for young people 1867; The songs of Wales 1874; his name is attached to upwards of 50 pieces of music 1828–85. d. 27 Portland place, Notting Hill, London 23 April 1885.
PURDEY, James. Founded the gunmaking business at 4 Princes st. Leicester sq. London 1818, at 314½ Oxford st. 1827–60, removed to South Audly street 1882; had Pigeon shooting grounds at Willesden 1856; made the first express rifles 1857; invented the expanding bullet; made the patent double bolt for breechloaders 1864; patented the rebounding hammerless gun 1881; a maker of weapons of the finest quality. Shooting, field and covert (Badmington library) 1886 pp. 52, 381; Sporting Mirror March 1882 pp. 73–4; Puseley’s Commercial companion (1858) 172.
PURDY, Elizabeth (eld. child of Frederick and Elizabeth Purdy). Studied under John Forster, signor Ciabatta and Madame Giacinta Puzzi; first appeared at the Hanover sq. rooms, London 3 May 1871; studied singing at Milan 1876; appeared as Siebel in Faust at Dublin 1877 and at Her Majesty’s, London 19 Nov. 1877 under the name of Lisa Perdi; played Maddalena in Rigoletto; had a mezzo soprano voice with command of contralto and soprano notes. d. 35 Victoria road, Kensington, London 29 April 1881. Musical World 21 May 1881 p. 323; Illust. Sp. and Dr. News 22 Dec. 1877 pp. 327, 347 portrait.
PURDY, Frederick. b. 1812; principal of the Statistical department of poor law board; fellow of Statistical soc. 1837 to death; a member of the council, and one of honorary secretaries; author of Summary digest, return to parliament of owners of land, England and Wales 1876; wrote Suggestions on the printing of parliamentary statistics, in Journal R. Statistical soc. xxxiv 21–56 (1871), and ten other papers. d. 35 Victoria road, Kensington, London 12 Oct. 1888.
PURDY, Wellington. b. Killucan, co. Westmeath 24 May 1815; employed under Mr. Vignoles on Manchester and Sheffield railway 1838–40, and under Joseph Locke 1840–5; resident engineer Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford railway 1846–56; in India reporting on Eastern Bengal railway 1856–7, made the railway 1858 etc.; partner with W. B. Lewis as engineers, London 1864; reported on the Dublin tramways 1871; retired from business 1880. d. 14 Feb. 1889. Min. of Proc. of Instit. C.E. xcvii 408–13 (1889).
PURKESS, George (son of George Purkess of 59 Dean st. Soho, London, publisher, d. 1862). b. Wardour st. Soho, London 1840; publisher and bookseller at 16 St Alban’s place, Edgware road, London 1858–63; proprietor of The Family Doctor and people’s medical adviser, a weekly publication, No. 1 March 7, 1885 to death; proprietor of The Illustrated Police news at 83 Fleet st. 1863–5, at 275 Strand 1865–8, at 286 Strand 1868–90, and at 34 Catherine st. Strand 1890 to death; one of the founders of the old Unity club. d. 25 Avenue road, Regent’s park, London 10 Dec. 1892. bur. Highgate new cemetery 15 Dec. The Referee 18 Dec. 1892 p. 7; Illust. Police News 17 Dec. 1892 p. 2.
PURKISS, Henry John. b. 1842; educ. City of London school; obtained the first queen’s prize given at South Kensington; matric. at univ. of London 1860, where he took three mathematical scholarships, an M.A. degree, and the gold medal as the best mathematician of his year; scholar Trin. coll. Camb., senior wrangler, first Smith prizeman and B.A. 1864; vice-principal of College of naval architecture South Kensington 1864, principal 1865 to death; editor of The Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin messenger of mathematics to death; drowned while bathing in the river Cam 17 Sept. 1865. Times 19 Sept. 1865 p. 10, 21 Sept. p. 4, 22 Sept. p. 8; Cambridge Chronicle 23 Sept. 1865 pp. 4, 7.