Alexander John Forsyth

Alexander John Forsyth , 1769-1843, Scottish inventor. He invented in 1807 the first workable percussion cap for the ignition of gunpowder in firearms. Forsyth refused an offer from Napoleon of £20,000 for the secret and was later pensioned by the British government.

Abercrombie, (John Ralph) Alexander (Giles) (b London, 1949). Eng. pianist and composer. Début London 1972. Gave f.ps. of pf. works by Finnissy, Xenakis, Skalkottas, etc.

Knox, Alexander (1757–1831), Church of Ireland layman and theologian. Largely self‐taught, Knox was much influenced in his early life by John Wesley, with whom his family was intimate. However, his theological studies led him to a position very much in tune with that of the Oxford movement; while claims that he was a key figure in this attempt to reassert the Catholic element within Anglicanism have been challenged, none deny that his views on the nature of the church influenced many. After an early interest in politics, which brought him the position of private secretary to Castlereagh, then Irish chief secretary, he abandoned a promising public career for a life of study and reflection. Much of this was spent in his rooms in Dawson Street, Dublin (where he was much sought after as a conversationalist), and with the Latouche family in Delgany, Co. Wicklow. As a young man, he wrote on politics, but is best remembered for his published Remains (1834–7) and correspondence with John Jebb (bishop of Limerick, 1823–33).

Kenneth Milne