Richardson, David Lester, 1801-1865

Epithet: Captain Bengal Army, Principal of Hooghly College

Englishman David Lester Richardson (1801–1865) served in the East India Company's Bengal army when he began to write poetry. Due to health concerns, Richardson returned to England in 1824. There he published several poetry volumes and founded the London Weekly Review . He returned to India in 1829, soon retiring from the military and holding a variety of education-related posts. Richardson continued to publish during the next two decades. He left India for the last time in 1861, returning to England where he served as editor of the Court Circular and Allen's Indian Mail . Richardson's poems are often incorporate Indian themes. He is also known (and occasionally criticized) for the lengthy notes which often accompany his poems.

G. S. Boulger, "Richardson, David Lester (bap. 1801, d. 1865)," rev. Rebecca Mills, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/23550 (accessed August, 15 2007).