James. b. Bexhill near Hastings 1788; apprenticed to a boat builder; boat builder at Great Yarmouth; introduced the handsome build of fishing vessel now used there; invented the self righting lifeboat for which he gained the prize of £105, 13 Aug. 1851 when 280 models were sent in from all parts of the world, his boat slightly modified has served as the model for all the boats of the Royal National Lifeboat institution. d. 7 June 1858. Rev. John Gilmore’s Storm warriors (1874) 32–47.
BEECROFT, George Skirrow. b. Outwood house, Horsforth near Leeds 16 Nov. 1809; proprietor of Kirkstall forge near Leeds; M.P. for Leeds 5 June 1857 to 11 Nov. 1868; seconded address of House of Commons in reply to speech from the throne 3 Feb. 1859. d. 4 Gloucester terrace, Regent’s park, London 18 March 1869. I.L.N. xxxiv, 189 (1859), portrait.
BEECROFT, John. Explored the Niger and other rivers falling into the Gulf of Guinea 1832 to death; governor of Fernando Po; consul general for West Africa 1850. d. Clarence, West coast of Africa 10 June 1854.
BEER, John (eld. son of John Beer of Devonport, coal merchant), b. Devonport about Dec. 1806; solicitor at Devonport 1827 to death; clerk to the Devonport comrs. 1838–82; an able advocate, engaged in all the chief local trials; member of Devonport town council many years and mayor 1849 and 1850; recorder of Saltash 1871 to death, d. 2 Albemarle villas, Stoke 14 April 1883.
BEER, Julius. b. Frankfort 1836; proprietor of The Observer London weekly paper 1870 to death; F.R.G.S. 1870. d. Mentone 29 Feb. 1880 in 44 year. bur. Highgate cemetery 8 March. Personalty sworn under £400,000 March 1880.
BEETE, Robert Crosby. First puisne judge British Guiana 1853 to Jany. 1869 when he retired on a pension. d. Charing Cross hospital London 2 Nov. 1878 aged 68.
BEETON, Samuel Orchart. Bookseller and publisher at 148 Fleet st. London; published the first English edition of Uncle Tom’s Cabin 1852; went a voyage to America to present Mrs. Stowe with a voluntary payment of £500; published Beeton’s Christmas Annuals 1860–65; sold his stock and copyrights for £1,900 to Ward, Lock and Tyler Sep. 1866; a publisher again 1877 to death; author with Doughty and Emerson of The coming K. 1872; The Siliad 1873 and Jon Duan 1874. d. Sudbrook park, Richmond, Surrey 6 June 1877 aged 46. The law reports Equity cases xix, 207–22 (1875).
BEEVOR, Sir Thomas Branthwayt, 3 Baronet, b. Old Buckenham, Norfolk 7 April 1798; succeeded 10 Dec. 1820. d. Yarmouth 6 April 1879.
BEEVOR, Sir Thomas, 4 Baronet. b. Hargham Norfolk 23 Aug. 1823; ed. at Univ. coll. London; barrister L.I. 29 Jany. 1850; chairman of Norwich Union life assurance society; succeeded 6 April 1879. d. Hingham, Attleborough, Norfolk 18 Aug. 1885.
BEGBIE, James, b. Edinburgh 18 Dec. 1799; ed. at high school and Univ. of Edin.; M.D. 1821; F.R.C.S. Edin. 1822; F.R.C.P. Edin. 1847, pres. 1854–50; pres. of Medico Chirurgical Society 1850–52; one of Her Majesty’s physicians in ordinary in Scotland 6 June 1853; author of Contributions to practical medicine 1862, and of many papers in medical journals. d. 10 Charlotte sq. Edinburgh 26 Aug. 1869. Proc. of Royal Society of Edin. vii, 2–6 (1872).
BEGBIE, James Warburton (2 son of the preceding). b. 19 Nov. 1826; ed. at Edinburgh academy and univ., M.D. 1847, LLD. Aug. 1875; pres. of Royal Medical Society 1847–49; practised at Edinburgh 1852; F.R.C.P. Edin. 1852; phys. to the Cholera hospital 1854; phys. to Royal Infirmary 1855–65, lectured on practice of physic there 10 winter sessions 1855–65; had the largest consulting physician’s practice in Scotland 1869 to death; author of A handy book of medical information and advice by a physician 1860, 2 ed. 1872; wrote 13 articles in J. R. Reynolds’s System of medicine 3 vols. 1871 and many reviews and notices in Edinburgh Medical Journal. d. 16 Great Stuart st. Edinburgh 25 Feb. 1876. Selections from the works of the late J. W. Begbie, edited by Dyce Duckworth, The New Sydenham Society London 1882, portrait.
BEGG, Rev. James. b. Manse of New Monkland, Lanarkshire 31 Oct. 1808; ed. at Univ. of Glasgow, M.A.; licensed as a preacher June 1829; minister at Maxwelltown, Dumfries 18 May 1830; minister of Middle parish church Paisley 1831, and of Liberton near Edin. 25 June 1835 to 5 July 1843 when he was declared no longer a minister having joined in the Free Secession; minister of Newington Free church near Edin. 1843 to death; sent by his church to Canada on public duty 1844–45; moderator of Free general assembly 18 May 1865; a sum of £4,600 was presented to him by his friends 1875; author of Are you prepared to die 1845; How to promote and preserve the beauty of Edinburgh 1849; A handbook of Popery 1852; The art of preaching 1863. d. George sq. Edinburgh 29 Sep. 1883. Memoirs by Professor Thomas Smith (1885); John Smith’s Our Scottish clergy, 3 series (1851) 127–33.
BEHAN, Thomas Lawrence. Connected with the Hampshire Independent; on the staff of the Observer and other London newspapers; editor, manager, and publisher of the London Gazette 1 Oct 1854 to death, d. Southampton 27 Aug. 1860 aged 66.
BEHNES, William. b. London 1794; learnt drawing in Dublin; gained 3 silver medals at Royal Academy; a portrait draughtsman in London, afterwards a sculptor; executed busts of many of the most eminent men of his time; executed statues of Lady Godiva 1844, Europa 1848 and The startled nymph 1849; exhibited 215 sculptures at the R.A. 1815–63; bankrupt on his own petition 25 Nov. 1861. d. Middlesex hospital London 8 Jany. 1864. Cornhill Mag. ix, 688–701 (1864); Lectures on art by Henry Weeks (1880) 294–317; W. B. Scott’s British school of sculpture (1871) 99–102.
BEHRENS, Louis. b. Hamburg 1801; joined his brother Jacob in business as merchants at Bradford 1836; founded a business in Manchester 1840; established it as a separate concern 1870. d. Southport 1 June 1884.
BEKE, Charles Tilstone (son of James Beck, of Hackney, London, commissioner of sewers). b. Stepney, London 10 Oct. 1800; student at Lincoln’s Inn; changed spelling of his name from Beck to Beke 1834; acting consul at Leipzig 1837–38; Ph. Doc. Univ. of Tubingen 6 Aug. 1837; travelled in Abyssinia 1840–43 and 1865–66; received gold medals of Royal Geographical Societies of London and Paris 1845 and 1846; sec. to National Association for protection of industry and capital throughout British empire 1849–53, when association was dissolved; granted a civil list pension of £100 14 Dec. 1870; went to Palestine to determine position of Mount Sinai Dec. 1873; F.S.A. 1835; author of Origines Biblicæ 1834; The sources of the Nile 1860; The British captives in Abyssinia 1865; The idol in Horeb 1871 and other books. d. Bromley, Kent 31 July 1874. Summary of the late Dr. Beke’s published works and of his inadequately requited public services By his widow 1876; Dictionary of national biography iv, 138–41 (1885); I.L.N. lxv, 140 (1874), portrait; Graphic x, 174 (1874), portrait.
BELCHER, Sir Edward (2 son of Andrew Belcher, of Clarence lodge, Roehampton, Surrey). b. Nova Scotia 1799; entered navy 9 April 1812; one of original fellows of Royal Geog. Soc. 1830; sailed round the world in H.M.S. Sulphur 1836–42; captain 6 May 1841; engaged surveying in East Indies 1842–47; C.B. 14 Oct. 1841, K.C.B. 13 March 1867; knighted by patent for his services in China 21 Jany. 1843; granted pension for wounds 13 March 1847; commanded expedition in search of Sir John Franklin 10 Feb. 1852 to Oct. 1854; admiral 20 Oct. 1872; F.R.A.S. Dec. 1837; claimed to be the inventor of water-tight bulkheads and compartments; granted a Greenwich hospital pension of £150 per annum 7 Dec. 1874; author of A treatise on nautical surveying 1835; Narrative of a voyage round the world 2 vols. 1843; Narrative of the voyage of H.M.S. Samarang 2 vols. 1848; Horatio Howard Brenton a naval novel 3 vols. 1856; The last of the Arctic voyages 2 vols. 1855. (m. 11 Sep. 1830 Diana dau. of George Jolliffe, captain H.E.I.C.S.) d. 6 Melcombe place, Dorset sq. London 18 March 1877. Army and Navy mag. iv, 1–5 (1882), portrait; I.L.N. xxi, 321 (1852), portrait, lxx, 299 (1878), portrait; Journal of Royal Geog. Soc. xlvii, 136–42 (1877); Monthly notices of Royal Astron. Soc. xxxviii, 141–43 (1878); Transactions of Instit. of naval architects xi, 12–19, 197–211 (1870).
BELCHER, Rev. Joseph. b. Birmingham 5 April 1794; Baptist divine; went to United States 1844; author of Pastoral