BEDSON, George. b. Sutton Coldfield, Warwick 3 Nov. 1820; manager of business of Messrs. Johnson of Manchester 1851; manager of Bradford iron works 1858 to death; initiated and perfected many inventions in the iron and wire trades; propounded theory of continuous brakes for railway trains about 1864; lived at Bradford 1858–72 and 1882 to death, and at Marple, Cheshire 1872–82. d. Bradford house, Manchester 12 Dec. 1884.
BEECH, Rev. Hugh. b. Chesterton, Staffs. 3 June 1787; Wesleyan minister 1811 to death, d. Cheedle, Staffs. 22 Feb. 1856. The good soldier, a memoir of Rev. Hugh Beech 1856.
BEECHAM, Rev. John. b. Barnoldby-le-Beck near Great Grimsby 1787; became a Wesleyan preacher 1815; general secretary of Wesleyan Missionary Society 1831 to death; pres. of Wesleyan conference 1850; author of An essay on the constitution of Wesleyan Methodism 1829, 3 ed. 1851; Ashantee and the Gold Coast 1841. d. Canonbury, London 22 April 1856. Wesleyan Meth. Mag. lxxix, pt. 2, 577–605 (1856).
BEECHEY, Frederick William (2 son of Sir Wm. Beechey R.A. 1753–1839). b. 17 Feb. 1796; entered the navy 7 July 1806; went with Sir John Franklin to Spitzbergen on his first expedition 1818; with Edward Parry in the Hecla 1819; helped to survey north coast of Africa Nov. 1821 to July 1822; commanded the Blossom in the Pacific 1825–28; captain 8 May 1827; surveyed coast of Ireland 1837–47; superintendent marine department of Board of Trade 1850 to death; aide de camp to the Queen 18 July 1851 to 11 Sep. 1854; R.A. 11 Sep. 1854; F.R.G.S. 1833, pres. 1855 to death; F.R.S. 23 Dec. 1824, vice pres. 1854; author of Narrative of a voyage to the Pacific and Behring’s Strait 2 vols. 1831; A voyage of discovery towards the north pole 1843. d. 8 Westbourne crescent, Hyde Park, London 29 Nov. 1856. Proceedings of Royal Society viii, 283–87 (1856).
BEECHEY, George D. (brother of the preceding). Portrait painter; exhibited 24 portraits at the R.A. 1817 to 1832; went to Calcutta about 1830; court painter and controller of the household to King of Oudh. (m. an Indian Lady called Hinda, whose portrait he sent to the R.A. 1822). Supposed to have died in India 1856.
BEECHEY, Henry William (brother of the preceding). travelled with Belzoni in Egypt 1816–17; examined and reported on antiquities of the Cyrenaica for Colonial Office 1821–22; F.S.A. 1825; exhibited a picture at the R.A. 1829, and another at British Institution 1838; emigrated to New Zealand 1855; wrote a memoir of Sir Joshua Reynolds prefixed to his Literary works published in 2 vols. 1835 and reprinted 1852. Supposed to have died in New Zealand in or about 1870.
BEECHING, 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.