Modern English Biography (volume 1 of 4) A-H. Frederic Boase
Minutes of proc. of Instit. of C.E. xxxvi, 285–88 (1873); I.L.N. lx, 187, 207, 611 (1872)
BETTY, William Henry West (only child of William Henry Betty, M.D. of Lisburn, Ireland who d. 1811). b. Shrewsbury 13 Sep. 1791; made his début at Belfast theatre 16 Aug. 1803 as Osman in tragedy of Zara, and at Crow st. theatre Dublin 29 Nov. 1803 as Douglas; engaged at Covent Garden for 12 nights at £50 per night and a clear benefit, and at Drury Lane on intervening nights on same terms 1 Dec. 1804, after 3 nights his salary was raised to £100 per night; known as the young Roscius; fellow commoner of Christ’s college, Cambridge July 1808 to 1811; returned to the stage 1812 when he failed to draw; made his last appearance in London June 1813; took his farewell benefit at Southampton 9 Aug, 1824. d. 37, Ampthill sq. London 24 Aug. 1874. Roscius in London Biographical Memoirs of W. H. W. Betty 1805, portrait; Tinsley’s Mag. xv, 415–23 (1874); Temple Bar xlii, 346–61 (1874); Theatrical Inquisitor xii, 227 (1818), portrait; Graphic x, 227 (1874), portrait; The dawn of the 19th century in England by J. Ashton ii, 118–29 (1886), portrait.
BEVAN, Charles Dacres (son of Charles Bevan, Lieut. col. 4 Foot who d. 12 July 1811). b. 7 Nov. 1805; ed. at Charterhouse and Ball. coll. Ox., B.A. 1827, M.A. 1829; barrister M.T. 21 May 1830; recorder of Dartmouth 1845–55, of Truro 1848–49, of Falmouth 1850–56, of Helston 1850–56 and of Penzance Dec. 1855 to Jany. 1857; judge of county courts for Cornwall (circuit 59) 22 Jany. 1857 to death. d. near Fowey, Cornwall 24 June 1872.
BEVAN, Edward. b. London 8 July 1770; apprenticed to a surgeon at Hereford; studied at St. Bartholomew’s hospital; M.D. St. Andrews 1818; physician at Mortlake 5 years, at Stoke-upon-Trent, at Congleton 12 years and at Mortlake again 2 years; lived at Bridstow near Ross, then at Hereford 1849 to death; one of founders of Entomological Society 1833; author of The Honey-Bee, its natural history, physiology and management 1827, 3 ed. 1870, which was the best book on the subject; Hints on the history and management of the Honey-Bee 1851. d. Hereford 31 Jany. 1860. The Naturalist, ed. by Neville Wood iv, 142–46 (1838), portrait.
BEVAN, Hannah Marishall (dau. of Wm. Bevan of London, tea merchant). b. London 1 Feb. 1798; joined the Newgate prison committee; worked with Elizabeth Fry and others; a minister of Society of Friends 1828. (m. 1827 Thomas Bevan, M.D. who d. 1847 aged 43). d. Penge 8 Nov. 1874. Annual Monitor for 1876 pp. 3–19.
BEVAN, Philip. Ed. at Trin. coll. Dub., M.A. and M.B. 1843, M.D. 1845; F.R.C.S. Ireland 1837; lecturer on anatomy Dublin School of medicine; surgeon to Mercers hospital to about 1870; M.R.I.A. 13 April 1846; professor of practical anatomy Royal college of surgeons to death. d. 33 Pembroke road, Dublin 6 Dec. 1881.
BEVAN, Venerable Thomas. Ed. at Jesus coll. Ox., B.A. 1823, M.A. 1828; V. of St. Peter’s, Carmarthen 1833 to death; archdeacon of St. David’s 11 June 1833 to death; preb. of Brecon 1853 to death. d. 28 Dec. 1863 aged 63.
BEVERIDGE, Thomas. b. Dunfermline 7 Oct. 1775; deputy clerk in the court of session, Edinburgh; author of A practical treatise on the forms of process containing the new regulation before the Court of Session … 2 vols. 1826; A guide to the judicial records of the court of session 1852. d. near Edinburgh 27 May 1858.
BEVERLEY, Charles James. b. Fort Augustus, Scotland Aug. 1788; assistant surgeon R.N. 1810; served in Sir Edward Parry’s first Arctic expedition 1819–20; went with him to Spitzbergen as surgeon and naturalist 1827; practised in London; F.R.S. 5 May 1831. d. Derman Terrace, Great Yarmouth 16 Sep. 1868.
BEVERLEY, Edward, stage name of Edward Dickenson. b. Beverley, Yorkshire; a chorister in choir of York minster; sang at Weston’s music hall London; principal tenor of Madame Bodda-Pyne’s opera company, and of John Russell’s opera bouffe company; played at Gaiety and Opera Comique theatres London; in the United States, leading tenor at St. Mark’s church New York May 1880 to death. d. Flushing, Long island, New York Aug. 1880.
BEVERLEY, Henry, stage name of Henry Roxby. b. 1797; made his début at West London theatre; chief low comedian at Adelphi theatre Oct. 1838; lessee of Victoria theatre 16 Sep. 1839 to 1840; manager of Sunderland and other theatres in north of England. d. 26, Russell sq. London 1 Feb. 1863.
BEWES, Thomas. M.P. for Plymouth 11 Dec. 1832 to 23 June 1841. d. Beaumont, Plymouth 18 Nov. 1857 aged 79.
BEWICK, Jane (eld. child of Thomas Bewick, painter in water colours 1753–1828). b. 29 April 1797; edited Memoir of Thomas Bewick written by himself 1862. d. 19, West st. Gateshead 7 April 1881.
BEWICK, William (3 son of Wm. Bewick of Darlington, upholsterer). b. Darlington 20 Oct. 1795; pupil of B. R. Haydon in London 1817–20; portrait painter at Darlington 1824; copied pictures in Rome 1826–29; exhibited 4 pictures at the R.A., 8 at the B.I. and 9 at Suffolk st. exhibition 1822–48; competed for decorations of Houses of Parliament 1843; a skilful copyist especially of Rembrandt. d. Haughton house near Darlington 8 June 1866. Life and letters by T. Landseer 2 vols. 1871, portrait.
BEXFIELD, William Richard. b. Norwich 27 April 1824; chorister at Norwich cathedral 1832–39; organist to parish church of Boston 1846; Mus. Bac. Ox. 1846; Mus. Doc. Cam. 1849; organist at St. Helens, Bishopsgate, London Feb. 1848; composed oratorio of Israel restored, performed by Norwich choral society Oct. 1851 and at Norwich musical festival 22 Sep. 1852. d. 12 Monmouth road, Bayswater, London 28 Oct. 1853. W. A. Barrett’s English church composers (1882) 162–63.
BEXLEY, Nicholas Vansittart, 1 Baron (younger son of Henry Vansittart 1732–70, governor of Bengal). b. 29 April 1766; ed. at Cheam, Surrey and Ch. Ch. Ox., B.A. 1787, M.A. 1791, D.C.L. 1841; barrister L.I. 26 May 1791, bencher 12 Nov. 1812; M.P. for Hastings 1796–1802, for Old Sarum 1802–12 and for Harwich 1812–23; joint sec. of the Treasury 1801–1804 and 1806–1808; lord of the Treasury in Ireland 1804; P.C. 14 Jany. 1805; chief sec. for Ireland 23 March 1805 to Sep. 1805; chancellor of the Exchequer 9 June 1812 to Jany. 1823; created Baron Bexley of Bexley, Kent 1 March 1823; chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster 31 Jany. 1823 to Jany. 1828; author of many political and financial pamphlets 1793–1818. d. Footscray place, Kent 8 Feb. 1851. W. C. Taylor’s National portrait gallery i, 91 (1846), portrait; G.M. xxxv, 431–32 (1851); S. Walpole’s History of England, 2 ed. vols. 1 and 2 (1879).
BEYER, Charles Frederick. b. Plauen, Saxony 14 May 1813; head of the mechanical works of Messrs. Sharp, Roberts & Co. of Manchester, engineers 1843–53; naturalised in England 5 Nov. 1852; established with Richard Peacock locomotive works of Beyer, Peacock & Co., Gorton foundry Manchester 1854; designed and adapted many special tools for making locomotive engines; one of founders of Institution of Mechanical engineers 1847; M.I.C.E. 7 March 1854; left a large bequest for foundation and endowment of professorships of science at Owen’s college Manchester. d. Llantysilio hall, Denbighshire 2 June 1876. Minutes of proc. of Instit. of C.E. xlvii, 290–97 (1877).
BIANCONI, Carlo (2 son of Pietro Bianconi of Tregolo, Lombardy, farmer who d. 1833). b. Tregolo 24 Sep. 1786; went to Ireland as a picture seller 1802; opened a carver and gilder’s shop at Carrick-on-Suir 1806, removed to Waterford and then to Clonmel; started a one-horse two-wheeled car for conveyance of passengers from Clonmel to Cahir 6 July 1815; started cars all over Ireland where they were known as “Bians”; in 1864 his passenger traffic realised £27,700 and his mail contracts £12,000; gave up his shop at Clonmel 1826 and his car business 1865; received letters of Naturalisation from Irish Privy Council 31 Aug. 1831; mayor of Clonmel 1844–46; purchased Longfield, Tipperary for £22,000 23 March 1846, where he lived 16 Sep. 1846 to death; D.L. for Tipperary June 1863. (m. 14 Feb. 1827 Eliza, dau. of Patrick Hayes of Dublin, stockbroker). d. Longfield 22 Sep. 1875. Charles Bianconi, a biography 1786–1875 by his daughter Mrs. Morgan John O’Connell 1878, portrait; Dublin univ. mag. lxxxv 16–24 (1875), portrait.
BIBBY, Thomas. b. Kilkenny 1799; ed. at Kilkenny gr. sch. and Trin. coll. Dublin scholar 1814, B.A. 1816; one of the best Greek scholars of his day; author of two dramatic poems, Gerald of Kildare 1854 and