Editing Antoine Thomson d'Abbadie (section)

==Biography==
Antoine Thomson d’Abbadie was born a British subject in [[Dublin]], Ireland, to a family of partial [[Basques|Basque]] noble descent from the [[Provinces of France|French province]] of [[Soule]]. His mother, Madame Thompson, was Irish, and his father, Michel d’Abbadie, was a native of [[Arrast-Larrebieu]]. He descended from an ancient lineage of [[lay abbot]]s based in Arrast, a commune in the canton of Mauléon. These lay abbots were originally instituted by [[Charlemagne]] to protect the borderlands against [[Saracen |Saracen incursions]]. Residing in the abbeys of the Basque region, they lived with weapons in hand, ever prepared to defend their territories. They were granted the right to collect tithes and participated in the appointment of priests, selecting candidates in collaboration with the bishop. The name "d’Abbadie" originally referred not to a surname but to their ecclesiastical function ("abbatia," "abbadia").

In 1818, the family relocated to France, where Antoine and his brother received a rigorous scientific education.<ref name="EB" />{{refn|group=nb|The date of the move to France by the family is given as 1820 by some.<ref name="ww" /> }} Antoine earned a bachelor's degree in [[Toulouse]] in 1827 and began studying law in Paris in 1829.<ref name="ww">{{harvnb|Debus|Calinger|Collins|Kennedy|1968|p=400}}</ref>

On 21 February 1859, he married Virginie Vincent de Saint-Bonnet.<ref name="ww" /> He later settled in [[Hendaye]] where he acquired 250[[Hectare|ha]] of land to construct a castle. He also served as the mayor of Hendaye from 1871 to 1875.

D’Abbadie was made a Knight of the [[Légion d’honneur|Legion of Honour]] on 27 September 1850<ref name="ww" /><ref>{{harvnb|Anon|2014}}</ref> and later served as president of the [[French Academy of Sciences]]. Upon his death in 1897, he bequeathed the Abbadia estate and castle in Hendaye, generating an annual revenue of 40,000 francs, to the Academy of Sciences. This legacy came with the stipulation that the academy compile a catalog of 500,000 stars within fifty years.{{sfn|Keltie|1911}}