Sir John Croft, 1st Baronet
Sir John Croft, 1st Baronet, DL, FRS (1778–1862) was an English diplomat, and spy for Wellington against Napoleon. Life He was born in Porto, Portugal, the son of John Croft, merchant, and Henrietta Maria, daughter of James Tunstall. He was educated in a British school run by an Anglican clergyman Dr. Bell, who taught his pupils fluency in six languages. In 1795, at his father's request, Jack (his nickname), joined the family Port house. Five years later he sailed to London to become a scientist. His first work was as an assistant to Humphry Davy, the inventor of the miners' safety lamp. In 1803 he went to assist the botanist Joseph Banks. Croft was later admitted to the Royal Society, with recommendations by Davy and Banks and Peter Mark Roget. In 1814 he was also appointed an Associate of The Royal Academy of Science in Lisbon. In 1810 in the midst of the Peninsular Wars he met Charles Stuart, the British Minister to Portugal, who invited him to undertake a six-month espiona ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Espionage
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''espionage agent'' or ''spy''. A person who commits espionage as a fully employed officer of a government is called an intelligence officer. Any individual or spy ring (a cooperating group of spies), in the service of a government, company, criminal organization, or independent operation, can commit espionage. The practice is clandestine, as it is by definition unwelcome. In some circumstances, it may be a legal tool of law enforcement and in others, it may be illegal and punishable by law. Espionage is often part of an institutional effort by a government or commercial concern. However, the term tends to be associated with state spying on potential or actual enemies for military purposes. Spying involving corporations is known as c ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1778 Births
Events January–March * January 18 – Third voyage of James Cook: Captain James Cook, with ships HMS ''Resolution'' and HMS ''Discovery'', first views Oʻahu then Kauaʻi in the Hawaiian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, which he names the ''Sandwich Islands''. * February 5 – In the United States: **South Carolina becomes the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation. **General John Cadwalader shoots and seriously wounds Major General Thomas Conway in a duel after a dispute between the two officers over Conway's continued criticism of General George Washington's leadership of the Continental Army.''Harper's Encyclopaedia of United States History from 458 A. D. to 1909'', ed. by Benson John Lossing and, Woodrow Wilson (Harper & Brothers, 1910) p166 * February 6 – American Revolutionary War: In Paris, the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce are signed by the United States and France, signaling official French re ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Baronets In The Baronetage Of The United Kingdom
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th century; however, in its current usage it was created by James I of England in 1611 as a means of raising funds for the crown. Baronets rank below barons, but seemingly above all knights grand cross, knights commander and knights bachelor of the British chivalric orders, that are in turn below in chivalric precedence than the most senior British chivalric orders of the Garter and the Thistle. Like all British knights, baronets are addressed as "Sir" and baronetesses as "Dame". They are conventionally seen to belong to the lesser nobility, although William Thoms in 1844 wrote that: The precise quality of this dignity is not yet fully determined, some holding it to be the head of the , while others, again, rank Baronets as the l ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fellows Of The Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, including mathematics, engineering science, and medical science". Overview Fellowship of the Society, the oldest known scientific academy in continuous existence, is a significant honour. It has been awarded to :Fellows of the Royal Society, around 8,000 fellows, including eminent scientists Isaac Newton (1672), Benjamin Franklin (1756), Charles Babbage (1816), Michael Faraday (1824), Charles Darwin (1839), Ernest Rutherford (1903), Srinivasa Ramanujan (1918), Jagadish Chandra Bose (1920), Albert Einstein (1921), Paul Dirac (1930), Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1944), Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (1945), Dorothy Hodgkin (1947), Alan Turing (1951), Lise Meitner (1955), Satyendra Nath Bose (1958), and Francis Crick (1959). More recently, fellow ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Deputy Lieutenants Of Kent
Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italian Chamber of Deputies, Italy, Spanish Congress of Deputies, Spain, Argentine Chamber of Deputies, Argentina, or Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, Brazil. ** A member of the Dáil Éireann (lower house of the Oireachtas). ** A member of a National Assembly, as in National Assembly (Azerbaijan), Azerbaijan, National Assembly (Bulgaria), Bulgaria, National Assembly of the Republic of the Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica, Costa Rica, French national assembly, France, National Assembly of Pakistan, Pakistan, Parliament of Poland, Poland or National Assembly of Quebec, Quebec. ** A member of the Parliament, as in Parliament of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan and P ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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British Spies
British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture * British English, the English language as spoken and written in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and, more broadly, throughout the British Isles * Celtic Britons, an ancient ethno-linguistic group * Brittonic languages, a branch of the Insular Celtic language family (formerly called British) ** Common Brittonic, an ancient language Other uses *People or things associated with: ** Great Britain, an island ** British Isles, an island group ** United Kingdom, a sovereign state ** British Empire, a historical global colonial empire ** Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) ** United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922) * British Raj, colonial India under the British Empire * British Hong Kong, colonial Ho ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Croft Baronets
There have been three baronetcies created for persons with the surname Croft, one in the Baronetage of England and two in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Baronets are hereditary titles awarded by the Crown. The current baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier, existing baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland and Great Britain. To be recognised as a baronet, it is necessary .... All three creations are extant as of . * Croft baronets of Croft Castle (1671) * Croft baronets of Cowling Hall (1818) * Croft baronets of Bournemouth (1924): see Baron Croft {{set index, titles of nobility ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Factory House
The British Factory House (), also known as the British Association House, is an 18th-century Neo-Palladian building located in the Norte Region, Portugal, northern Portugal, Portuguese centre of Porto, associated with the influence of Britain in the port wine industry. This building is part of a group of buildings and infrastructure that mark the British presence in the city of Porto, which include the Oporto Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club (founded 1855) and the Oporto British School (1894). History The building reflects the 600-year Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, and the importance of the city's British community and its prominent role in the Port trade. The oldest British Factory (trading post), factory in the north of Portugal, the building dates from the 16th century, when the association was established in Viana do Castelo. The charter for the first Porto Factory House dates to 1727, where it was located along the . With the construction of the building occurring between 1785 an ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vila Nova De Gaia
Vila Nova de Gaia (; ), or simply Gaia, is a city and a municipality in Porto District in Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region, Portugal. It is located south of the city of Porto on the other side of the Douro River. The city proper had a population of 178,255 in 2001. The municipality has an area of and a population of 303,824 inhabitants in 2021, making it the most populous municipality in Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region, and the third most populous in the country, after Lisbon and Sintra. Gaia along with Porto and 16 other municipalities make up the Porto metropolitan area. The city contains many cellars (locally known as "caves") where port wine is stored and aged. These cellars have become a major tourist attraction. History Origins and Roman era The territory of Vila Nova de Gaia has been inhabited since at least 100,000 years ago, as evidenced by Middle Paleolithic archaeological findings. This presence continued through the Chalcolithic period, marked by the const ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Baronetcy
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th century; however, in its current usage it was created by James I of England in 1611 as a means of raising funds for the crown. Baronets rank below barons, but seemingly above all knights grand cross, knights commander and knights bachelor of the British chivalric orders, that are in turn below in chivalric precedence than the most senior British chivalric orders of the Garter and the Thistle. Like all British knights, baronets are addressed as "Sir" and baronetesses as "Dame". They are conventionally seen to belong to the lesser nobility, although William Thoms in 1844 wrote that: The precise quality of this dignity is not yet fully determined, some holding it to be the head of the , while others, again, rank Baronets as the lowest ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Order Of The Tower And Sword
The Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of Valour, Loyalty and Merit (), before 1917 the ancient and most noble order of the Tower and of the Sword, of valour, loyalty and merit (), is one of the four former ancient Portuguese military orders and the pinnacle of the Portuguese honours system. It was created by King Afonso V in 1459. The order may be bestowed on people or on Portuguese municipalities. History The order was originally created by King Afonso V of Portugal in 1459, under the name of the ''Order of the Sword'', inspired by the legend that Arab rule in Africa would end when a Christian prince would besiege the fortress at Fez. Knighthood in the Order of the Sword was given as reward to those who participated in the conquests and battles in Africa. The order fell into disuse after the conquest of Tangiers and Asilah. The order was revived on 29 November 1808, by Prince Regent John, later John VI of Portugal. It commemorated the safe arrival of the R ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |