Impressed with these ideas, the author of this work, who had during a period of twenty years made a collection of notes relating to English persons deceased since 1850, thought it not improbable that by printing his materials, he might be able to make a useful contribution to biographical literature. The first volume of “Modern English Biography” is the result; in it will be found memoirs referring to the period mentioned, of all privy councillors, knights, judges, recorders, queen’s counsel, serjeants, stipendiary magistrates, benchers of the inns of court, bishops, deans, archdeacons, chancellors, admirals, generals and members of parliament; other persons too, frequently omitted in biographical works, such as architects, engineers, inventors, ship builders, electricians, railway managers, publishers, actors, dramatists, musicians, music hall artistes, painters, sculptors, engravers, physicians, surgeons, sporting celebrities, eccentric characters and notorious criminals have also been inserted, in fact any one who has been well known and about whom a question might arise in general conversation. In addition, many foreigners who have spent portions of their lives in England and some few natives of the British colonies have been included. The plan in these memoirs, of which there are nearly 8,000 in this volume, has been first to give the main facts in each life, then, in the case of authors, short though exact titles of their chief works, concluding with references to books where longer accounts are to be found. The subject of portraits has been made a speciality, and thousands of notices of likenesses in books, periodicals and newspapers have been inserted. The Transactions of the most important scientific and literary societies as well as the best known magazines and newspapers have been examined and the biographical notices extracted. The memoirs, though short, will be found to contain many exact facts not given in larger works. Great trouble has been taken about births and deaths, the dates of births frequently cannot be obtained and the places and dates of deaths of even very well known individuals are sometimes not easily settled. Information has been sought from all printed sources, from private individuals, and from church registers; reference has been also continually made to the books of the registrar general at Somerset House. Froude in one of his Essays says “We want the biographies of common people;” this adage has been acted on in Modern English Biography, and many hundred notices of the less known authors, artists, newspaper proprietors and journalists, merchants, country gentlemen and others, which can be found in no other book, are here recorded.