Thomas Roebuck facts for kids

Thomas Roebuck (born 1781, died 1819) was a Scottish army officer. He worked for the East India Company, which was a big trading company from Britain. Thomas was also known as an 'orientalist' because he studied languages and cultures from the East, like India. He was also a 'lexicographer,' meaning he created dictionaries.

Thomas Roebuck's Life Story

Thomas Roebuck was born in 1781 in a place called Linlithgowshire, Scotland. His grandfather was a famous inventor named John Roebuck. Thomas also had a cousin, John Arthur Roebuck, who became a politician.

Thomas went to school in Alloa and then to Edinburgh High School. When he was older, his uncle helped him get a job with the East India Company. In 1801, Thomas left England to join the army in India as a cadet. He slowly moved up the ranks, becoming a captain by 1815.

While in India, Thomas learned Hindustani, which is a language spoken there. He was so good at it that his army regiment asked him to use his language skills during their missions.

Thomas's health wasn't always good. From 1806 to 1809, he took a break and went back to the United Kingdom. In 1811, he started working at Fort William College in Madras, India. This college was important for teaching British people about Indian languages and culture. Thomas worked there as an assistant and examiner. He was also a member of the Asiatic Society, a group that studied Asian history and culture.

Sadly, Thomas Roebuck died from a fever in Calcutta on December 8, 1819.

Thomas Roebuck's Books and Dictionaries

Thomas Roebuck was very busy writing and editing books. When he was back in Edinburgh for his health break, he helped another scholar, John Borthwick Gilchrist. They worked together on an English-Hindustani dictionary. He also helped with a publication called British-Indian Monitor.

While sailing back to India, Thomas wrote his own book. It was called An English and Hindustani Naval Dictionary. This dictionary helped sailors understand words in both languages. It was published in 1811 and was so useful that it was printed many times. Later, it was even updated and called a Laskari Dictionary.

At Fort William College, Thomas helped publish a Hindustani version of some Persian stories. He also edited a Hindu-Persian dictionary. Just before he passed away, he finished two more important books. One was The Annals of the College of Fort William, which was a history of the college. The other was A Collection of Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases in the Persian and Hindustani Languages. This book collected wise sayings from both languages.

Thomas also had many notes for a bigger Hindustani dictionary. These notes were kept in the college library after he died.