Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Paterson, Daniel

1074180Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 44 — Paterson, Daniel1895George Clement Boase

PATERSON, DANIEL (1739–1825), author of ‘The Road Book,’ born in 1739, was gazetted an ensign in the 30th foot on 13 Dec. 1765, promoted to be a lieutenant on 8 May 1772, was advanced to a captaincy in the 36th foot on 11 July 1783, became a major in the army on 1 March 1794, and a lieutenant-colonel on 1 Jan. 1798. For many years he was an assistant to the quartermaster-general of his majesty's forces at the Horse Guards, London. On 31 Dec. 1812 he was made lieutenant-governor of Quebec, and held the appointment to his death. In 1771 he published ‘A New and Accurate Description of all the Direct and Principal Cross Roads in Great Britain, containing: i. An Alphabetical List of all the Cities, Boroughs, Market and Sea-port Towns in England and Wales; ii. The Direct Roads from London to all the Cities, Towns, and Remarkable Villages in England and Wales; iii. The Cross Roads of England and Wales; iv. The Principal Direct and Cross Roads of Scotland; v. The Circuits of the Judges.’ The work, which is dedicated ‘To Lieutenant Colonel George Morrison, Quarter Master General of His Majesty's Forces,’ soon became very well known in the army, as by its use all the distances of military marches were calculated and charged in the public accounts. The second edition was called ‘Paterson's British Itinerary: being a new and accurate Delineation and Description of the Roads of Great Britain,’ 1776, 2 vols.; the third edition bore the original title.

Paterson latterly lived so retired a life that, when Edward Mogg brought out a ‘remodelled, augmented, and improved’ sixteenth edition of Paterson's ‘Roads’ in 1822, he in the preface spoke of the ‘death of the late proprietor.’ The eighteenth and last edition came out in 1829. Paterson died at the residence of his friend, Colonel Dare, on Clewer Green, near Windsor, in April 1825, and was buried at Clewer on 21 April.

Besides the works already mentioned, he wrote: 1. ‘A Travelling Dictionary, or Alphabetical Tables of the Distances of all the Cities, Boroughs, Market Towns, and Seaports in Great Britain from each other,’ 1772, 2 vols.; 5th edit. 1787. 2. ‘Topographical Description of the Island of Grenada,’ 1780. 3. ‘A New and Accurate Description of all the Direct and Principal Cross Roads in Scotland,’ 5th edit. 1781.

[Biogr. Dict. of Living Authors, 1816, p. 264; Royal Military Calendar, 1820, iv. 311; Gent. Mag. 1825, i. 568; Army List, May 1825, p. 84; information from the rector of Clewer.]