tory,' 1804. 3. 'Letters on the Modern History and Political Aspect of Europe,' 1804. 4. 'Essays on Various Subjects,' 2 vols. 1805. 5. 'Letters on Natural History,' 1806. 6. 'A Geographical and Historical View of the World, exhibiting a complete Delineation of the Natural and Artificial Features of each Country,' &c., 5 vols. 1810. 7. 'A History of Spain from the Earliest Period to the close of the year 1809,' (translated and continued by Le Comte Mathieu Dumas to the epoch of the Restoration, 1814), 5 vols. 1810. 8. 'A Sketch of the History of Europe from the year 1783 to the Present Time,' in a later edition continued to 1814 {translated, and augmented in the military part, and continued to 1819 by J. MacCarthy, Paris, 1819), 2 vols. 1811. 9. '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. 10. 'Yorkshire,' being the 16th volume of the 'Beauties of England and Wales,' 1812. 11. 'A History of England from the Earliest Period to the Close of the War, 1814,' 2 vols. 1815. 12. 'A System of Geography for the Use of Schools and Private Students,' 1816. 13. '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. 14. 'Letters on English History for the Use of Schools,' 1817. 15. 'Letters on French History for the Use of Schools,' 1818. 16. 'A Compendious History of the Jews,' 1820.
[Watt's Bibl. Brit.; Rhodes's Yorkshire Scenery; Gent. Mag. 1832; Brit. Mus. Cat.; Poulsons History of olderness, ii. 19; Annual Biography.]
BIGLAND, RALPH (1711–1784), Garter king-of-arms, was born at Kendal in Westmoreland in 1711, his father being Richard Bigland, the descendant of an old family originally from Bigland in Lancashire. He was appointed head of the College of Arms in 1780, after passing through all the minor offices. He had been elected Bluemantle in 1757, Somerset and registrar 1763, Norroy king-of-arms May 1773, Clarenceux August 1774; but he enjoyed his elevation as Garter king-of-arms only a few years, dying 27 March 1784 at the age of seventy-three, in St. James's Street, Bedford Row. He married at Frocester, 13 June 1737, Ann, daughter of John Wilkins of that town, by whom he had one son, born on 3 April 1738, and who died at the early age of twenty-two on 1 Dec. 1738. Bigland afterwards married Ann, daughter of Robert Weir; this marriage also being of short duration, for she died 5 April 1766, leaving no issue. The collections which he had made during his lifetime for a history of Gloucestershire were intended to have been arranged and presented by him to the public. After his death they were partly published by his son, Richard Bigland of Frocester, Gloucestershire, under the title of ‘Historical, Monumental, and Genealogical Collections relative to the County of Gloucester' (fol. 1791-2). Among some of his other literary labours may be mentioned his ‘Account of the Parish of Fairford, co. Gloucester, with a description of the celebrated windows and monuments.' In 1764 he also published a small work entitled ‘Observations on Marriages, Baptisms, and Burials, as preserved in Parochial Registers,' in which he pointed out the necessity of these documents being accurately kept ‘for the benefit of society.’ An interesting correspondence between him and Mr. G. Allan on various subjects was published in Nichols's ‘Literary Anecdotes.'
[Noble's History of the College of Arms, 1804, 417-18; Lowndes's Bibliographers' Manual, 1864, i. 203; Nichols's Literary Anecdotes, 1814, viii. 713-18; Gent. Mag. 1788, lviii. 344; 1791. lxi. 345, 725; 1793, lxiii. 655.]
BIGNELL, HENRY (1611–1660?), divine, the son of Foulk Bignell of Souldern, Oxfordshire, was born in the parish of St. Mary, Oxford, in July 1611. In 1629 he became a servitor of Brasenose College, and subsequently entered at St. Mary's Hall. After taking the degree of B.A. he was ordained and set up as a schoolmaster. In 1645 he was made rector of St. Peter-le-Bayly, Oxford, but was ejected from his benefice for scandalous conduct. Shortly before the Restoration he went out to the West Indies, where he seems to have died. According to Wood he published, in 1640, a book ‘for the education of youth in knowledge,' called ‘The Son's Portion,' and was the author of some other ‘trivial things not worth mentioning.'
[Wood's Athenæ, iii. 406, and Fasti, i. 465.]
BIGNELL, Mrs. [See Bicknell, M-----.]
BIGOD or BYGOD, Sir FRANCIS (1508–1637), rebel, of Settrington and Mulgrave Castle in Yorkshire, was descended from John, brother and heir of Roger Bigod, sixth earl of Norfolk. His grandfather, Sir Ralph Bigod, died in 1515, leaving Francis, then aged seven, his heir (Inq. p.m. 7 Hen. VIII,
