BECHER, JOHN REID. _b._ 3 July 1819; 2 lieut. Bengal Engineers 6 March 1838; colonel 13 Oct. 1863; colonel commandant 15 Sep. 1881 to death; served in Afghan campaign 1842 and Sutlej campaign 1846; general 29 July 1878; C.B. 18 May 1860. _d._ Southampton 9 July 1884.
BECHER, MARTIN WILLIAM (_son of Wm. Becher of Norfolk, farmer who d. 1816_). _b._ Norfolk; served in the Store-keeper general’s department; an officer in Buckinghamshire yeomanry cavalry 1821; won the Northampton steeple chase 4 April 1834; beat the Marquis of Waterford in a match for 1000 guineas a side 1834; won the St. Albans steeple chase 1835 and 1836 and many other races; the best steeple chase rider in England. _d._ 21 Maida hill, St. John’s Wood, London 11 Oct. 1864 aged 67. _Sporting Review lii_, 400–404 (1864); _Scott and Sebright by the Druid_ (1885) 292–303, _portrait_.
BECK, BARONESS VON, assumed name of Wilhelmina Racidula; passed herself off as a Hungarian exile who had rendered good service to the cause of independence; came to Birmingham with her secretary Constant Derra July 1851, where she was assisted by many of the Liberal leaders; arrested as an impostor and confined in Moor st. police court 29 Aug.; author of _Personal adventures during the late war of independence in Hungary 2 vols._ 1850. _d._ in the ante-room of the Court at Moor st. Birmingham 30 Aug. 1851 aged about 54. _The persecution and death of the Baroness Von Beck at Birmingham in August_ 1851, 8º. 1852; _Athenæum_ (1852) 578, 629, 653, 701, 846 _and_ 869; _The facts of the case as to the pretended Baroness Von Beck by J. T. Smith_ 1852.
BECK, EDWARD. Commanded a merchant ship; a slate merchant at Isleworth, Middlesex; constructed the great waterworks at Hampton; one of most successful growers of Pelargoniums in the kingdom, long unrivalled as an exhibitor; author of _A treatise on the cultivation of the Pelargonium_ 1847; edited _The florist and garden miscellany 4 vols._ 1848–61. _d._ Worton cottage, Isleworth 15 Jany. 1861 aged 57. _The Florist Feb. 1861, pp._ 36–38.
BECK, RICHARD. Manufacturing optician at 31 Cornhill, London; author of _A treatise on the construction, proper use and capabilities of Smith, Beck and Beck’s achromatic microscopes_ 1865 and of 9 papers read before the Microscopical Society 1859–66. _d._ Stamford hill, London 30 Sep. 1866 aged nearly 39.
BECK, THOMAS SNOW. _b._ Newcastle-upon-Tyne; ed. at gr. school there, and in Cumberland; apprenticed to a surgeon at Newcastle; student at Univ. college London 1836; M.R.C.S. 1839, F.R.C.S. 1847; walked the Paris hospitals 1839–40; visited universities of Switzerland, Italy and Germany 1840–41; M.D. London 1849; M.R.C.P. 1852; practised in London 1841; phys. to Farringdon general dispensary 1850; F.R.S. 5 June 1851, royal medallist 1845. _d._ 7 Portland place, London 6 Jany. 1877 aged 63. _Medical Circular i_, 209–211 (1852).
BECKER, CARL LUDWIG CHRISTIAN. _b._ Ratzeburg in Mecklenberg Strelitz 16 July 1821; manager for Elliott brothers of London electrical engineers 1858; member of the firm 1873 to death; F.R.A.S. Jany. 1874. _d._ 55 St. Paul’s Road Canonbury 3 April 1875.
BECKET, THOMAS. M.R.C.S. 1794, F.R.C.S. 1843; surgeon 1 Foot Guards 8 July 1795 to 1809; surgeon to the Savoy 28 Sep. 1809. _d._ 5 Russell place, Fitzroy sq. London 21 July 1856 aged 82.
BECKETT, SIR EDMUND, 4 Baronet, _b._ Gledhow hall, Leeds 29 Jany 1787; M.P. for west riding Yorkshire 12 July 1841 to 23 July 1847, and 11 Dec. 1848 to 23 April 1859; succeeded 17 Nov. 1872. _d._ Doncaster 24 May 1874. Personalty sworn under £300,000 Aug. 1874. _I.L.N. lxiv_, 547 (1874) _lxv_, 236 (1874).
BECKETT, JOHN STANIFORTH (_son of Joseph Beckett, of Barnsley 1751–1840_). Presented a dispensary to Barnsley, to which he also left sum of £5000. _d._ Wombwell near Barnsley 9 Nov. 1868 in 75 year. Personalty sworn under £350,000 Jany. 1869.
BECKETT, SIR THOMAS, 3 Baronet. _b._ Leeds 1 Jany. 1779; succeeded 31 May 1847. _d._ Somerby park near Gainsborough 17 Nov. 1872. Personalty sworn under £350,000 March 1873.
BECKETT, WILLIAM (_5 son of Sir John Beckett, 1 Baronet 1743–1826_). _b._ Leeds 3 March 1784; principal partner in the eminent banking firm of Beckett and Co. of the Leeds “Old Bank”; M.P. for Leeds 1841 to 1852 and for Ripon 1852 to 1857. _d._ Brighton 26 Jany. 1863. _Rev. R. V. Taylor’s Biographia Leodiensis_ (1865) 506–509.
BECKWITH, JOHN CHARLES (_eld. child of John Beckwith of Halifax, Nova Scotia_). _b._ Halifax 2 Oct. 1789; ensign 50 Foot 1803, exchanged into 95 Foot 1804, captain 1808 to 20 Jany. 1820 when placed on h.p.; served in Hanover, Denmark and Sweden, and in the Peninsula 1809–14; lost his left leg at Waterloo where 4 horses were killed under him 18 June 1815; C.B. 22 June 1815, M.G. 9 Nov. 1846; visited the Vaudois valleys Piedmont Oct. 1827 and 5 succeeding years, lived at St. Jean 1834–39 and at La Tour 1841–51, established 120 schools in the Vaudois valleys all of which he frequently inspected; knight of Sardinian order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus 15 Dec. 1848. (_m._ 20 June 1850 Caroline Volle of the Vaudois). _d._ La Tour 19 July 1862. _bur._ in the cemetery of Tour Pellice. _General Beckwith, his life and labours among the Waldenses of Piedmont by J. P. Meille_ 1873.
BECKWITH, JOSEPH. An early member of the Corresponding Society which was founded 1791; a contemporary of Hardy and Thelwall; lived in Clerkenwell nearly 60 years. _d._ 3 Dec. 1860 aged 84.
BECKWITH, WILLIAM (_eld. son of Wm. Beckwith of Trimdon, co. Durham 1772–1847_). _b._ 20 Aug. 1795; cornet 16 Dragoons 7 Jany. 1813; major 14 Dragoons 14 Feb. 1828 to 6 Dec. 1833 when placed on h.p.; colonel 15 Hussars 17 July 1859 to death; general 9 April 1868; K.H. 1832; sheriff of Durham 1858. _d._ Silkworth near Sunderland 23 Feb. 1871.
BEDDOME, JOHN REYNOLDS. M.R.C.S. 1811; M.D. Erlangen; surgeon at Romsey 1811 to death; mayor of Romsey 6 times, _d._ Romsey 26 Dec. 1859. _I.L.N. xxxiv_, 385 (1859), _portrait_.
BEDFORD, FRANCIS RUSSELL, 7 Duke of (_eld. child of John Russell 6 Duke of Bedford 1766–1839_). _b._ 13 May 1788; ed. at Westminster and Trin. coll. Cam., M.A. 1808; M.P. for Beds. 1812 to 1832; summoned to House of Lords as Baron Howland 15 Jany. 1833; succeeded as 7 Duke 20 Oct. 1839; P.C. 6 July 1846; K.G. 26 March 1847; lord lieutenant of Beds. 29 Nov. 1859; high steward of Cambridge 1860; master of the Oakley hounds to 1828 when he sold the pack to Lord Southampton for £2,000, master again 1836–39. _d._ Woburn Abbey, Beds. 14 May 1861. _Baily’s Mag. i_, 57–59 (1860), _portrait_; _Waagen’s Treasures of Art ii_, 283–86, _iii_, 463–74 _and iv_. 331–37.
BEDFORD, WILLIAM RUSSELL, 8 Duke of. _b._ Grosvenor square London 1 July 1809; M.P. for Tavistock 10 Dec. 1832 to 23 June 1841; succeeded 14 May 1861. _d._ 6 Belgrave sq. London 26 May 1872. Personalty sworn under £600,000 June 1872. _I.L.N. lx_, 555. 592, 623 (1872), _portrait_.
BEDFORD, FRANCIS. _b._ 1799; apprenticed to Finlay a bookbinder 1814; worked under Charles Lewis, foremost of English bookbinders; carried on business for benefit of Lewis’s widow; partner with John Clarke who was unrivalled in tree marbled calf; afterwards in business alone at 91 York st. Westminster; the best binder in England or perhaps Europe. _d._ 12 Coningham road, Shepherd’s Bush 8 June 1883. His library was sold by Sothebys 21, 22, 24 and 25 March 1884 for £4,876 16s. 6d.
BEDFORD, GEORGE AUGUSTUS. _b._ 8 Feb. 1809; entered navy 23 Dec. 1823; Captain 2 Jan. 1854; retired V.A. 22 March 1876; F.R.G.S. 1859. _d._ The Elms, Sydenham hill 11 Feb. 1879.
BEDFORD, REV. JOHN (_son of John Bedford of Wakefield_). _b._ Wakefield 27 July 1810; Wesleyan minister at Glasgow 1831; at Manchester 1855 to death; sec. to general chapel committee 1860–72; pres. of conference 1867; author of _Correspondence with the Rev. Wm. Sutcliffe relative to the doctrines, ministry and system of the Wesleyan Methodists_ 1842. _d._ Chorlton-cum-Hardy near Manchester 20 Nov. 1879. _I.L.N. li_, 232 (1867), _portrait_.
BEDFORD, PAUL JOHN. _b._ Bath 24 Jany. 1792; made his début on the stage at Bath 1815; acted in Ireland and Scotland; made his début in London at Drury Lane 2 Nov. 1824 as Hawthorn in opera of _Love in a village_; played at Adelphi theatre 1838–67; had one of the deepest and richest bass voices ever heard, his best parts were Blueskin in _Jack Sheppard_ 1839, Jack Gong in _The green bushes_ 1845 and the Kinchin cove in _The flowers of the forest_ 1847; took his farewell of the stage at the Queen’s theatre 16 May 1868; sang at Weston’s Music hall London and The hall by the sea Margate 1869; author of _Recollections and wanderings_ 1864; _Drawing room dramas_ 1874. (_m._ (1) Miss Green of Dublin, an actress who _d._ April 1833 aged 32). (_m._ (2) Miss Verinder, a pianist and harpist, she _d._ 1864). _d._ Lindsey place, Chelsea 11 Jany. 1871. _Theatrical times i_, 129 (1847), _portrait_; _Illust. sporting news ii_, 180 (1863), _portrait, v_. 133 (1866), _portrait_.