Thomas Armitage
Encyclopedia
Thomas Rhodes Armitage was a British
physician
, and founder of the Royal National Institute of Blind People.
He was born on 2 April 1824 at Tilgate in Sussex into a family of wealthy Yorkshire industrialists, the son of James Armitage (1793-1872) and Anne Elizabeth Armitage née Rhodes (1788-1833), of Farnley Hall
, just south of Leeds
, Yorkshire
. His great-grandfather James (1730-1803) bought Farnley Hall from Sir Thomas Danby (of the family of Thomas Dany
, first mayor of Leeds) in 1799, and in 1844 four Armitage brothers (including his father) founded the Farnley Ironworks, utilising the coal, iron and fireclay on their estate. His brother Edward Armitage
was a member of the Royal Academy
.
Armitage was the uncle of Robert Armitage (MP), the great-uncle of Robert Selby Armitage
, and first cousin twice removed of Edward Leathley Armitage
.
He was raised at Avranches in France
, and at Frankfurt and Offenbach in Germany
. He attended the Sorbonne
and King's College London
. He became a physician, practising at the Marylebone Dispensary, in the Crimean War, and as a private consultant in London. He was forced to abandon his medical career because of deteriorating vision, eventually becoming blind.
Armitage decided to help make literature available to blind people through embossed type: in Britain this had become complicated by the proliferation of different standards. He formed the "British and Foreign Society for Improving the Embossed Literature of the Blind", later the "British and Foreign Blind Association for Promoting the Education and Employment of the Blind" and (after his death) the "National Institute for the Blind". This group decided to adopt the system of Louis Braille
, and Armitage worked tirelessly for the adoption of Braille
.
In 1871 he helped to establish the Royal Normal College for the Blind (later the Royal National College for the Blind) in London
.
He was married to Harriett Black, and he died on 23 October 1890 at Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland, following a riding accident.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, and founder of the Royal National Institute of Blind People.
He was born on 2 April 1824 at Tilgate in Sussex into a family of wealthy Yorkshire industrialists, the son of James Armitage (1793-1872) and Anne Elizabeth Armitage née Rhodes (1788-1833), of Farnley Hall
Farnley Hall (West Yorkshire)
Farnley Hall is a stately home in Farnley, west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is a grade II listed building. It was built in Elizabethan times by the Danbys...
, just south of Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. His great-grandfather James (1730-1803) bought Farnley Hall from Sir Thomas Danby (of the family of Thomas Dany
Thomas Danby (mayor)
Thomas Danby of Farnley and Thorpe Perrow was the first Mayor of Leeds .He was born in 1631, the son of Sir Thomas Danby of Farnley Hall , and married Margaret Eure in 1659....
, first mayor of Leeds) in 1799, and in 1844 four Armitage brothers (including his father) founded the Farnley Ironworks, utilising the coal, iron and fireclay on their estate. His brother Edward Armitage
Edward Armitage
Edward Armitage was an English Victorian era painter whose work focussed on historical, classical and biblical subjects.-Family background:...
was a member of the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
.
Armitage was the uncle of Robert Armitage (MP), the great-uncle of Robert Selby Armitage
Robert Selby Armitage
Lieutenant-Commander Robert Selby Armitage GC, GM, RNVR won both the George Cross and George Medal for his bomb disposal work during the Second World War, one of only eight people to have been awarded both....
, and first cousin twice removed of Edward Leathley Armitage
Edward Armitage (cricketer)
Edward Leathley Armitage was an Irish born English cricketer, the son of John Leathley Armitage and his wife Annie Jessie, née Nicholas...
.
He was raised at Avranches in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and at Frankfurt and Offenbach in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He attended the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
and King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
. He became a physician, practising at the Marylebone Dispensary, in the Crimean War, and as a private consultant in London. He was forced to abandon his medical career because of deteriorating vision, eventually becoming blind.
Armitage decided to help make literature available to blind people through embossed type: in Britain this had become complicated by the proliferation of different standards. He formed the "British and Foreign Society for Improving the Embossed Literature of the Blind", later the "British and Foreign Blind Association for Promoting the Education and Employment of the Blind" and (after his death) the "National Institute for the Blind". This group decided to adopt the system of Louis Braille
Louis Braille
Louis Braille was the inventor of braille, a system of reading and writing used by people who are blind or visually impaired...
, and Armitage worked tirelessly for the adoption of Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
.
In 1871 he helped to establish the Royal Normal College for the Blind (later the Royal National College for the Blind) in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
He was married to Harriett Black, and he died on 23 October 1890 at Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland, following a riding accident.