John Bigland (175022 February 1832) was an English

schoolmaster The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled afte ...

and later a

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

Early life and education

He was born of poor parents at

Skirlaugh Skirlaugh is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in an area known as Holderness. It is situated approximately north-east of Kingston upon Hull, Hull city centre on the A165 road. Origi ...

in the

Holderness Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the north-east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common wit ...

area of the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

Career

Bigland began his career as a village schoolmaster. In 1803, he published his first work occasioned, on his own account, by his religious scepticism. His work was a success, and he became a professional author, publishing in rapid succession a series of popular books, mainly connected with geography and history.

Works

He was the author of articles in magazines; of a continuation to April 1808 of George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton's ''History of England in a Series of Letters from a Nobleman to his Son''; and of an addition of the period of George III to Oliver Goldsmith's ''History of England''. His other works include: * ''Reflections on the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ'' (1803) * ''Letters on the Study and Use of Ancient and Modern History'' (1804) * ''Letters on the Modern History and Political Aspect of Europe'' (1804) * ''Essays on Various Subjects'' (1805), two volumes * ''Letters on Natural History'' (1806) * ''A Geographical and Historical View of the World, Exhibiting a Complete Delineation of the Natural and Artificial Features of Each Country, &c.'' (1810), five volumes * ''A History of Spain from the Earliest Period to the Close of the Year 1809'' (1810); translated and continued by Le Comte Mathieu Dumas to the epoch of the Restoration (1814), two volumes * ''A Sketch of the History of Europe from the Year 1783 to the Present Time'' (1811); in a later edition continued to 1814 (translated, and augmented in the military part, and continued to 1819 by Jacques W. MacCarthy, Paris, 1819), two volumes * ''The Philosophical Wanderers, or the History of the Roman Tribune and the Priestess of Minerva, Exhibiting the Vicissitudes That Diversify the Fortunes of Nations and Individuals'' (1811) * ''Yorkshire'', being the 16th volume of the '' Beauties of England and Wales'' (1812) * ''A History of England from the Earliest Period to the Close of the War, 1814'' (1815) two volumes * ''A System of Geography for the Use of Schools and Private Students'' (1816) * ''An Historical Display of the Effects of Physical and Moral Causes on the Character and Circumstances of Nations, Including a Comparison of the Ancients and Moderns in Regard to Their Intellectual and Social State'' (1816) * ''Letters on English History for the Use of Schools'' (1817) * ''Letters on French History for the Use of Schools'' (1818) * ''A Compendious History of the Jews'' (1820) * ''Memoirs'' (1830)

Personal life

Towards the end of his life, Bigland resided at Finningley, near

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and metropolitan county, metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of City of Doncaster, Doncaster and City of Sh ...

. He died, age eighty-two, in Finningley.

References

*'' Dictionary of National Biography'', "Bigland, John (1750–1832), schoolmaster and author", by James Mew. Published 1885. ;Attribution

External links