He was an industrious collector of local proverbial lore. His works are: 1. ‘A Collection of Proverbs and Popular Sayings relating to the Seasons, the Weather, and Agricultural Pursuits, gathered chiefly from oral tradition,’ London, 1846, printed by the Percy Society. 2. ‘The Slogans, and War and Gathering Cries of the North of England,’ 1850, and with additions, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1851, 4to. 3. ‘A Collection of Bishoprick Rhymes, Proverbs, and Sayings,’ to which he afterwards added four tracts of the same kind, completing the last about 1858. 4. ‘Cumberland Rhymes, Proverbs, and Sayings,’ in four parts, the last of which appeared in 1854. 5. A similar work relating to Westmoreland, in two parts, 1858, &c. 6. ‘Roman Imperial Gold Coin,’ being a description of a coin of the Emperor Maximus [Durham (?) 1856], 8vo, under the pseudonym ‘Archæus.’ 7. ‘Folklore of the North,’ in six parts, whereof the last appeared in 1856. 8. ‘Folklore, or a Collection of Local Rhymes, Proverbs, Sayings, Prophecies, Slogans, &c., relating to Northumberland, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and Berwick-on-Tweed;’ Richmond, Yorkshire, 1858, 8vo. The impression was limited to fifty copies. 9. ‘Minor Tracts on Folklore,’ to the number of twenty, commencing about 1849 and terminating about 1854. 10. ‘A Classified Catalogue of the Antiquarian Tomes, Tracts, and Trifles’ which had been edited by himself, 1859.
[Gent. Mag. ccvii. 539; Notes and Queries, 4th ser. xi. 163, 5th ser. iii. 170; Cat. of Printed Books in Brit. Mus.; Lowndes's Bibl. Man. (Bohn), Suppl. p. 63.]
DENHOLM, JAMES (1772–1818), teacher of drawing in Glasgow, rightly described as one of the ablest of the local chroniclers (Glasgow, Past and Present, i. 62), was author of ‘An Historical and Topographical Description of the City of Glasgow. By James Denholm, writer’ (Glasgow, 1797, 12mo), the contents of which have been largely appropriated by later compilers of local histories and guide-books. An enlarged edition appeared, in 12mo, in 1798, and the little book is understood to have gone through other editions. Denholm also wrote ‘A Descriptive Tour to the Principal Scotch and English Lakes. By James Denholm, of the Drawing and Painting Academy, Argyle Street, Member of the Philosophical and Philotechnical Societies’ (Glasgow, 8vo). The Philosophical Society was founded in 1802, and, according to the minute-book, Denholm became a member in 1803, and was president from 1811 to 1814. Biographical particulars of him are scanty. He died in Glasgow, at the age of forty-five, on 20 April 1818. The ‘Scots Magazine’ states that the productions of his pencil were much valued, and refers to the useful work done by him as a teacher of drawing, geography, &c. His name does not appear in any list of British artists.
[Denholm's Works, see Brit. Mus. Cat. Printed Books; Glasgow, Past and Present (1884, 8vo), 3 vols.; Scots Magazine, new ser. ii. 392.]
DENIS, Sir PETER (d. 1778), vice-admiral, son of a protestant minister expelled from France, consequent on the revocation of the edict of Nantes, and younger brother of Charles Denis [q. v.], was promoted to be a lieutenant in the navy on 12 Nov. 1739; and was serving in one of the ships which left England under Commodore Anson, when, on 2 Nov. 1740, he was moved by the commodore into the Centurion, in which ship he continued during the rest of the voyage; and on her return home and Anson's being called to a seat at the admiralty, was promoted to be post-captain 9 Feb. 1744–5. In 1746 he commanded the Windsor of 60 guns, and in 1747 his old ship, the Centurion, with a reduced armament of 50 guns. In her he took part in Anson's action with De la Jonquière, and afterwards carried home Anson's despatches. In the autumn, he joined the fleet under Hawke, but not till after the defeat of L'Etenduère. In 1754 he was returned to parliament for the borough of Hedon in Yorkshire, and early in 1755 was appointed to command the Medway of 60 guns. In her he continued on the home station during 1756, and sat as a member of the court-martial which tried and condemned Admiral John Byng. In 1757 he had command of the 90-gun ship Namur, which formed part of the fleet under Sir Edward Hawke in the unsuccessful expedition against Rochefort. In 1758 he commanded the Dorsetshire of 70 guns, in which ship he captured, after a sharp action, the French 64-gun ship Raisonnable on 19 April, and the following year shared in the great victory in Quiberon Bay. In March 1760 he was moved into the Thunderer, and in August 1761 commanded the Charlotte yacht, as flag-captain to Lord Anson, on the occasion of bringing over George III's bride, the Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg. He continued to command the yacht until 18 Oct. 1770, when he was promoted to be rear-admiral of the blue, having already been made a baronet, 19 Sept. 1767. In the spring of 1771 he was commander-in-chief of the Medway, and in the summer went out to the Mediterranean, with his flag in the Trident. His command there was unevent-
