Sir Alexander Burnes was an English soldier. He was born in 1805 at Montrose and died in 1841. He studied at the academy at Montrose, and having obtained a cadet-ship in the Indian army arrived at Bombay in 1821. His promotion was rapid, and in 1832 he was sent on a mission to Central Asia, and visited Afghanistan, Bokhara, Merv, etc, returning by way of Persia. He was then sent to England, and published his travels, which were read with a kind of enthusiasm. In 1839 he was appointed political agent at Kabul. Here, in 1841, he was murdered on the breaking out of an insurrection. Research Alexander Burnes
Sir Antony Van Dyck was a Dutch artist. He was born in 1599 at Antwerp and died in 1641. He studied under Hendrik van Balen, and in 1618 became a freeman of the guild of St Luke. About the latter date he entered Rubens' studio as an assistant, where he was employed in copying that master's pictures for the engravers, making large cartoons from his sketches, and painting historical pieces on the Rubens model. He had, however, embarked on portraiture with considerable success before his first visit to England in 1620. The artist returned to Antwerp early in 1621, and later in the same year went to Genoa, thence to Rome, Mantua, Palermo, and Brescia, and back to Genoa, where he remained until 1627.
After working at Antwerp and The Hague, he was induced by the offer of a pension to visit England, which he did in March, 1632. A few months later he was knighted.
Between 1635 and 1640 he was settled in England, engaged upon the many portraits of the court and its entourage, by which he is mainly remembered. His output was enormous; he is reputed to have painted Charles I 36 times. Handsome and agreeable in person, he lived, as he painted, magnificently and prodigally, his ambition ever growing with his success. The king married him to Mary Buthven of Montrose in order to check, if possible, his dissipated habits. In 1640, Rubens having died, Van Dyck hurried to Antwerp in order to secure the patronage of the Spanish king. His demands, however, were too high, and he went on to Paris, only to find that his objective, the decoration of the Louvre, had been given to Nicholas Poussin. He returned to London, seriously ill, and died on December the 9th, 1641, and was buried in St Paul's. His tomb was destroyed in the Great Fire. Research Anthony Van Dyck
David Leslie was a Scottish soldier. He was born in 1601 and died in 1682. A younger son of Sir Patrick Leslie, a Fifeshire land-holder, he sought his fortune in the service of Gustavus Adolphus. He became a colonel in the Swedish army, and then returned home in 1640 upon hearing that war between Charles I and his enemies was imminent. He was made major-general in the army commanded by Alexander Leslie, that was raised to assist the English parliamentarians, and had much to do with the victory at Marston Moor. Upon being recalled to Scotland he defeated the Marquess of Montrose at Philliphaugh, and served in the Highlands. He stood aside from the disastrous expedition that ended at Preston, but was the real commander of the Scottish army raised to oppose Cromwell. His authority having been weakened, he was defeated at Dunbar, but continued to resist Cromwell in Scotland, and afterwards fought at Worcester. He was imprisoned until 1660, and fined. In 1661 Charles II made him a peer as Lord Newark. Research David Leslie
James Esdaile was a Scottish surgeon and hypnotist. He was born in 1808 at Montrose and died in 1859. He conducted experiments into the use of hypnosis to alleviate pain, and was entrusted with a small hospital in Calcutta to allow him to conduct further experiments in 1846. He achieved some success, which was documented in the Bombay Medical Times of June 7th 1851 and in British government Reports of 1847 and 1848. Research James Esdaile
John Nicol was a British author. He was born in 1833 at Montrose and died in 1894. From 1862 to 1889 he was professor of English literature at Glasgow University. In 1873 he published his strong dramatic poem 'Hannibal' , and in 1881 'The Death of Thermistocles and other Poems'. Research John Nicol
Joseph Hume was a Scottish politician and economist. He was born in 1777 at Montrose and died in 1855. After studying medicine at Edinburgh he was appointed marine assistant-surgeon in the service of the East India Company. Having qualified himself by a diligent study of the native languages he obtained several lucrative posts connected with the commissariat and the pay-office, and in 1808, when only 31 years old, he was able to return to Europe with a considerable fortune.
After making a tour in Southern Europe and Egypt in 1812 he became Tory member of Parliament for the 'rotten borough' of Weymouth; but losing his seat in 1813 began to take an active part in regard to Lancasterian schools, savings'-banks, and other measures of social reform. In 1818 he was again returned to parliament as member for the Aberdeen district of burghs. It was now that he began his career as an active advocate of reforms, such as the emancipation of the Catholics, the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, economy in public expenditure, etc.
He had no power as an orator, his strength lying in his handling of figures and the tenacity and energy with which he carried on his crusade against corruption. After representing Middlesex and Kilkenny county he was returned by the Montrose burghs in 1842, which he continued to represent until his death in 1855. Research Joseph Hume
James Graham, the Marquess of Montrose, was a Scottish soldier. He was born in 1612 and died in 1650. he started his military career in 1638 in the Covenanter army commanded by Alexander Leslie. Within a few years he had earned himself a reputation, but had also become disillusioned with the Covenanters and like some others within the army was using the Covenant as a means to achieve his own control in Scotland. During the English Civil War he fought with the Royalists, and following the Royalist defeat escaped to Europe, where, upon hearing of the execution of the king Charles I, he swore revenge and returned with an army to Scotland. His army was all but wiped out in a shipwreck and the few that did land were quickly defeated. After a short time on the run Montrose was captured and taken to Edinburgh where he was publicly hanged in the High Street. His body was not buried for a further eleven years, when he was finally laid to rest in St Giles' Cathedral. Research Marquess of Montrose
Robert Brown (Robert Browne) was the founder of an English religious sect first called Brownists, and afterwards Independents. He was born about 1540 and died in 1633. Educated at Cambridge, where, in 1580, he began openly to attack the government and liturgy of the Church of England as anti-Christian. After attacking the Established Church for years he was excommunicated, but was reinstated, and held a church living for over forty years. The sect of Brownists, far from expiring with their founder, soon spread, and a bill was brought into parliament which inflicted on them very severe pains and penalties. In process of time, however, the name of Brownists was merged in that of the Congregationalists or Independents.
Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist. He was born in 1773 at Montrose and died in 1858. The son of a Scotch Episcopalian clergyman, he received his education at Marischal College, Aberdeen, and afterwards studied medicine at Edinburgh. In 1800 he was appointed naturalist to Flinders' surveying expedition to Australia. He returned with nearly 4000 species of plants, and was shortly after appointed librarian to the Linnsean Society. In 1810 he published the first volume of his great work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen. No second volume of it ever appeared.
He was the first English writer on botany who adopted the natural system of classification, which has since entirely superseded that of Linnaeus. In 1814 he published a botanical appendix to Flinders' account of his voyage, and in 1828 A Brief Account of Microscopical Observations on the Particles contained in the Pollen of Plants, and on the General Existence of Active Molecules in Organic and Inorganic Bodies. He also wrote botanical appendixes for the voyages of Ross and Parry, the African exploration of Denham and Clapperton and others, and described, with Dr. Bennet, the plants collected by Dr. Horsfield in Java. In 1810 he received the charge of the collections and . library of Sir Joseph Banks. He transferred them in 1827 to the British Museum, and was appointed keeper of botany in that institution.
He became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1811, DCLOxford in 1832, a foreign associate of the French Academy of Sciences in 1833. He had the Copley medal in 1839, and was appointed president of the Linnaean Society in 1849. As a naturalist Robert Brown occupied the very highest rank among men of science. A collection of his miscellaneous writings was published by the Ray Society in 1866 and 1867. Research Robert Brown
The Battle of Alford was fought on July the 2nd 1645 during the English Civil War when General Baillie with a large body of covenanters who was defeated by the Marquis of Montrose.
Montrose drew the Covenanters south from Strathbogie and prepared to meet them of the high ground south of the River Don, about a mile west of Alford. The armies were roughly equally matched in numbers of infantry, but Baillie had more cavalry. However, Montrose had chosen his ground well and Baillie's cavalry had to ford the river in order to attack, and after fording were attacked by Lord Gordon on Montrose's right flank before they had a chance to regroup. Lord Gordon succeeded in forcing Baillie's cavalry off the field before turning his attack on the Covenanting centre. While Lord Gordon was attacking the Covenanting centre, LordAboyne and ColonelO'Kean also advanced against the enemy infantry and Montrose's forces were victorious. In the resulting pursuit of Baillie's forces, however, Lord Gordon was killed. Research Battle of Alford
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Abbreviations
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