Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 42.djvu/419

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Owen
413
Owen

100l. in his will and such of his Hebrew books as he cared to take. Nichols dedicated to Owen ‘Bowyer's Greek Testament,’ 1783, 4to, and Owen helped to complete many of Bowyer's works. Owen died at Edmonton on 14 Oct. 1795. He married, on 30 Sept. 1760, Mary, daughter of Dr. Butts, bishop of Norwich, who survived him, dying at Bromley College on 18 June 1804. By her he had a son, Henry Butts Owen, and five daughters. The son was elected, in 1791, afternoon lecturer of All Hallows, Barking.

Owen's chief works, not already noticed, were: 1. ‘Harmonica Trigonometrica; or a short Treatise of Trigonometry,’ 1748, 8vo (anonymous). 2. ‘Observations on the Four Gospels; tending chiefly to ascertain the time of their Publication, and to illustrate the form and manner of their Composition,’ 1764, 8vo. 3. ‘Directions for young Students in Divinity, with regard to those Attainments which are necessary to qualify them for Holy Orders,’ 1st edit. 1766, 2nd edit. 1773 8vo and 1773 12mo, 3rd edit. 1782, 4th edit. 1790, 5th edit. 1809, all London. 4. ‘An Enquiry into the present State of the Septuagint Version of the Old Testament,’ 1769, 8vo. 5. ‘Critica Sacra; or a short Introduction to Hebrew Criticism,’ 1774, 8vo; a supplement, in answer to some remarks by Raphael Baruh, appeared in the following year. 6. ‘Collatio codicis Cottoniani Geneseos cum editione Romana a Joanne Ernesto Grabe jam olim facta nunc demum summa cura edita ab Henrico Owen, M.D.,’ &c., London, 1778 (Grabe's Collation of the Cotton MS., with the Codex Vaticanus; see Nichols, Literary Anecdotes, ii. 433, iv. 198, and a long review of it in Gent. Mag. 1778, p. 594). 7. ‘A brief Account, historical and critical, of the Septuagint Version of the Old Testament, to which is added a Dissertation on the comparative Excellency of the Hebrew and Samaritan Pentateuch,’ London, 1787, 8vo. 8. ‘The Modes of Quotation used by the Evangelical Writers, explained and vindicated,’ London, 1799, 4to, with a long and influential list of subscribers. 9. ‘Sixteen Sermons on various Subjects, by the Rev. Dr. Henry Owen,’ 2 vols. London, 1797; a posthumous publication by his son, for the benefit of two unprovided daughters.

[Foster's Alumni Oxon. (1715–1886); Nichols's Literary Anecdotes, ii. 433, iii. 6, 81, 99, &c. (loc. cit.), Illustrations of Literary History, v. 613, 795, vi. 669, viii. 268; Gent. Mag. 1760 pp. 203, 489, 1776 p. 95, 1794 p. 670, 1795 pp. 884, 1111; information from the Rev. Canon Shelford, rector of Stoke Newington and prebendary of St. Paul's; Works in Brit. Mus.; Watt's Bibl. Brit.]


OWEN, HENRY CHARLES CUNLIFFE- (1821–1867), lieutenant-colonel royal engineers and brevet-colonel, son of Captain Charles Cunliffe-Owen, R.N., and of his wife Mary, daughter of Sir Henry Blosset, knt., chief justice of Bengal, was born at Lausanne, Switzerland, on 16 Oct. 1821. Sir Francis Philip Cunliffe-Owen [q. v.] was his brother. He was educated privately, and, after passing through the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, obtained a commission as second lieutenant in the corps of royal engineers on 19 March 1839. He went to Chatham for the usual course of professional instruction, and thence to Devonport. In January 1841 Owen was sent to the Mauritius. On 30 Sept. he was promoted lieutenant. In January 1845 he was ordered to the Cape of Good Hope, where he took part in the campaign then going on against the insurgent Boers, and in the Kaffir war of 1846–7. He was thanked for his services in general orders by Sir P. Maitland and Sir G. Pechels, and he received the Kaffir war medal. On 28 Oct. 1847 he was promoted second captain. Owen returned to England in April 1848, and was first quartered at Devonport and then at Chatham, until, in November 1850, he was permitted by the commander-in-chief to accept an appointment under the royal commission for the exhibition of 1851 as computer of space for the United Kingdom, and later as superintendent of the foreign departments, and finally, after the exhibition was opened, as its general superintendent. Owen's courtesy, firmness, and business habits won him golden opinions. When the exhibition closed, Owen was appointed to another civil post—inspector of art schools in the department of practical art, then under the board of trade, with offices at Marlborough House. He was elected an associate-member of the Institution of Civil Engineers on 3 Feb. 1852.

On the outbreak of the Crimean war Owen resigned his civil appointment. In January 1855 he joined the army before Sebastopol. He was very severely wounded by a musket-ball when engaged in the trenches in directing his men to turn some rifle-pits in front of the Redan, which had just been captured from the Russians. He lost his leg, and was invalided home. Owen was mentioned in despatches by Lord Raglan. He was made a C.B., given a pension of 100l. per annum, received the war medal and clasp, was appointed officer of the Legion of Honour, and received the fifth class of the Medjidie and the Turkish war medal. On 17 July 1855 he was promoted brevet-major.

In October 1855 he was appointed assistant