such as temporarily to endanger the health of the men. His ‘Journal,’ published in 1851, was ‘a model of the journal of a scientific traveller … abounding in varied information in relation to the geology of the country passed through, its natural productions, and inhabitants.’
Being refused the appointment of director-general of the medical department of the navy, on the ground of his age, Richardson now, after forty-eight years' service, retired and passed the greater part of his remaining years at Lancrigg, Grasmere, the property of his mother-in-law, Mrs. Fletcher, and, after her death in 1858, of his wife. Here he accomplished much literary work, writing the articles ‘Ichthyology’ and ‘Franklin’ for the ‘Encyclopædia Britannica’ during the winter of 1856–7, and that on ‘Polar Regions,’ afterwards expanded into a volume, in 1859, and editing a second edition of Yarrell's ‘British Fishes’ in 1860. He also contributed to the ‘Museum of Natural History,’ and read Burns's works, Gawain Douglas's ‘Virgil,’ and Blind Harry's ‘Wallace’ for the Philological Society's ‘Dictionary,’ published by Oxford University. He gave medical aid to the poor, acted as a magistrate, and spent much time in gardening, while his characteristic energy was evinced almost to the last in a tour of the picture galleries of Paris, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Venice between November 1862 and March 1863.
Richardson died at Lancrigg on 5 June 1865, and was buried in Grasmere churchyard. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1825, and received the royal medal in 1856. He was knighted in 1846, made companion of the Bath in 1850, and received the degree of LL.D. from the university of Dublin in 1857.
Richardson was thrice married—first, on 1 June 1818, to Mary, daughter of William Stiven of Leith, who died on 25 Dec. 1831; secondly, in January 1833, to Mary, daughter of John Booth of Stickney, near Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire, and niece of Sir John Franklin, who died on 10 April 1845; and thirdly, on 4 Aug. 1847, to Mary, youngest daughter of Archibald Fletcher [q. v.] of Edinburgh and Eliza Fletcher [q. v.] By his second wife he had four sons and two daughters.
Richardson's chief works, especially as an ichthyologist, were his appendices to the official narratives of various voyages, which included, in addition to those of Franklin and Parry, already mentioned: 1. ‘The Zoology of Captain Beechey's Voyage to the Pacific and Behring's Straits in H.M.S. Blossom,’ 4to, 1839, in conjunction with E. T. Bennett, R. Owen, J. E. Gray, W. Buckland, W. Sowerby, &c. 2. The fish in ‘Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Sulphur,’ 4to, 1843. 3. ‘The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Erebus and Terror, under Sir James Clark Ross, 1839–1843,’ 2 vols. 4to, 1844–1875, in conjunction with J. E. Gray and others. 4. The fish in ‘Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Samarang, under Sir Edward Belcher, 1843–1846,’ 4to, 1848. 5. The fossil mammals in ‘Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Herald, under Captain Henry Kellett, 1841–1845,’ 4to, 1852. 6. ‘Notes on the Natural History’ in ‘The Last of the Arctic Voyages (Sir E. Belcher's, in H.M.S. Assistance), 1852–1854,’ 8vo, 1855, in conjunction with R. Owen, Lovell Reeve, Thomas Bell, and J. W. Salter. His other works included: 1. ‘Icones Piscium,’ pt. i., all published, 8vo, 1843. 2. ‘An Arctic Searching Expedition: a Journal of a Boat-voyage through Rupert's Land and the Arctic Sea in search of the Discovery Ships under the command of Sir John Franklin; with an appendix on the Physical Geography of North America,’ 2vols. 8vo, 1851. 3. ‘Catalogue of Apodal Fish in the … British Museum; translated from the German MS.,’ 8vo, 1856. 4. ‘Second Supplement to the first edition of William Yarrell's “History of British Fishes,” being also a First Supplement to the second edition,’ 8vo, 1860. 5. ‘The Polar Regions,’ enlarged from the ‘Encyclopædia Britannica’ article, 8vo, 1861.
[‘Life’ by John MacIlraith, 8vo, 1868; Allibone's Dict. of English Literature; Proceedings of the Royal Society, vol. xv. 1867; Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, vol. xxxvi. 1866.]
RICHARDSON, JOHN (1817–1886), Cumberland poet, was born at Stone House (now called Piper House) in Naddle Vale, near Keswick, Cumberland, on 20 Aug. 1817. His father, Daniel Richardson, and his mother, Mary Faulder, were natives of the Vale. He was educated under ‘Priest’ Wilson, who taught the school of St. John's in the Vale, and was incumbent of its little church. On leaving school Richardson followed his father's trade as a mason, and eventually as a builder. Among other works of a public character he rebuilt the church of St. John's in the Vale, the parsonage, and the schoolhouse. About 1857 he became master of the school, in which he laboured with untiring energy and remarkable success till partially disabled by a paralytic seizure about a year before his death. He died on the fell side, near his residence, Bridge House, on 30 April 1886. He married Grace Birkett, who, with eight of their family of ten children, survived him. Many of his writings, which are
