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 a sequel to it called Silken Thomas 1859; confined by his relations in a private lunatic asylum in Dublin but released by his literary friends. d. St. Canice’s Steps, Kilkenny 7 Jany. 1863.