Modern English biography, volume 1 (of 4), A-H by Frederic Boase

(1882) 1–2. BELLINGHAM, O’BRYEN (_3 son of Sir Alan Bellingham, 2 baronet 1776–1827_). _b._ 12 Dec. 1805; ed. at Feinagle’s school; M.D. Univ. of Edin. and L.R.C.S. Edin. 1830; professor of botany, Royal college of surgeons Ireland to 1850, a surgical examiner 1850, chairman of the court 1856; sec. of Surgical society of Ireland to death; surgeon to St. Vincent’s hospital 1835 to death; author of _Observations on aneurism and its treatment by compression_ 1847; _Treatise on diseases of the heart_ 1857. _d._ The Castle, Castle Bellingham, co. Louth 11 Oct. 1857. _Dublin Journal of medical science lxiv_, 469–75 (1877). BELLOC, ANNE LOUISE (_dau. of Colonel James Swanton, commandant of Rocroi, France who was b. Ireland_). _b._ La Rochelle 1 Oct. 1796; assisted Lafayette in establishing public libraries; founded a choice circulating library; translated many English books into French. (_m._ 1823 Jean Hilaire Belloc, Director of Royal School of Design, Paris who _d._ 1866). _d._ Paris 6 Nov. 1881. _S. J. Hale’s Woman’s record, 2 ed._ 1855 _p._ 583, _portrait_. BELLOT, JOSEPH RENÉ. _b._ Paris 18 March 1826: served in French navy 1843–50; went as a volunteer with captain Kennedy in the Prince Albert in search of Sir John Franklin 1851–52; sailed in the Phœnix for the Arctic regions 10 May 1853; left the ship to carry dispatches to Sir Edward Belcher 12 Aug. 1853; author of _Journal d’un voyage aux Mers Polaires_ 1854; fell into a crack in the ice near Cape Bowden and drowned 18 Aug. 1853; an obelisk was erected to his memory by public subscription in front of Greenwich hospital 1857. _Memoirs of J. R. Bellot 2 vols._ 1855, _portrait_. BELLOT, THOMAS (_elder son of Thomas Bellot of Manchester, surgeon_). _b._ Manchester 16 March 1806; ed. at Manchester gr. sch.; pupil of Joseph Jordan, surgeon; M.R.C.S. 15 Feb. 1828, F.R.C.S. 6 Aug. 1844; assistant surgeon H.M. sloop Harrier 1831; surgeon R.N. 1835; surgeon H.M. flag ship Britannia Nov. 1854; author of translations of the _Aphorisms of Hippocrates and of Galen On the hand_ 1850; _Sanskrit derivation of English words_ 1856; arranged two collections of Chinese coins, one of which he presented to the Natural history society of Manchester; collected many ancient Chinese bronzes and a library of Chinese works. _d._ 37 Greek st. Stockport 25 June 1857. _Manchester school register iii_, 118 (1874); _Medical directory_ (1858) 849–50. BELMORE, GEORGE, stage name of George Belmore Garstin. Made his début in London at Marylebone theatre 26 Dec. 1856 as Bokes in _The Creole_; acted at Princess’s and Drury Lane theatres; played Nat Gosling in Boucicault’s drama _Flying Scud_ at Holborn theatre more than 200 nights from 6 Oct. 1866; acted in the provinces and at Adelphi theatre where he played Newman Noggs in _Nicholas Nickleby_ 20 March 1875 to July 1875; acted in New York Aug. to Oct. 1875. (_m._ 16 April 1862 Alice Maude dau. of Wm. Cooke proprietor of Astley’s Amphitheatre). _d._ New York 15 Nov. 1875 aged 47. _Entr’acte 27 Nov. 1875, portrait._ BELOE, CHARLES (_2 son of Rev. Wm. Beloe 1756–1817, Prebendary of St. Paul’s_). A clerk in the London Twopenny post office; sec. to the Alfred club. _d._ Reading 23 Oct. 1855 aged 69. BELPER, EDWARD STRUTT, 1 Baron (_only son of Wm. Strutt of St. Helen’s house Derby, manufacturer 1756–1830_). _b._ Derby 26 Oct. 1801; ed. at Trin. coll. Cam.; B.A. 1823, M.A. 1826, L.L.D. 1862; M.P. for Derby 1830–1848 when unseated for bribery; M.P. for Arundel 1851–1852 and for Nottingham 1852–1856; chief comr. of railways 29 Aug. 1846 to March 1848; P.C. 30 Oct. 1846; sheriff of Notts. 1850; chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster 30 Dec. 1852 to 21 June 1854; chairman of Notts. quarter sessions 1855; created Baron Belper of Belper, county Derby 29 Aug. 1856; lord lieutenant of Notts. 6 Dec. 1864; pres. of Univ. coll. London 29 July 1871. _d._ 75 Eaton square, London 30 June 1880. BELSHES, JOHN MURRAY. Captain 59 Foot 4 Sep 1812 to 25 May 1816 when placed on h.p.; L.G. 12 Nov. 1862. _d._ Inverary 12 Jany. 1863. _P.R. Drummond’s Perthshire in bygone days_ (1879) 81–85. BELSON, GEORGE JOHN. Second lieutenant R.A. 29 Sep. 1804; lieut. col. 23 Nov. 1841 to 7 April 1842 when he retired on full pay; L.G. 27 Feb. 1866. _d._ Woolwich 22 April 1868 aged 80. BELT, THOMAS (_son of Mr. Belt of Newcastle, seedsman_). _b._ Newcastle 1832; member of Natural history society of Northumberland June 1850; went to Australia 1852; a mining engineer in London 1860; travelled all over Asia and America; superintendent of Nova Scotian gold company’s mines in Nova Scotia 1863–65; examined the quartz rocks of North Wales; superintendent of the Chontales Gold mining company in Nicaragua 1868–72; travelled in Russia 1873–76; F.G.S.; author of _Mineral veins, an enquiry into their origin_ 1861; _The naturalist in Nicaragua_ 1874; _The glacial period in North America_. _d._ Denver, Colorado 21 Sep. 1878 in 46 year. _Natural history transactions of Northumberland vii_, 235–40 (1880). BELZONI, SARAH. Remarkable for her size and strength; married in London about 1804 Giovanni Baptista Belzoni, acrobat, engineer and traveller who was _b._ Padua 1778 and _d._ at Gato, Benin, Africa 3 Dec. 1823; performed feats of strength with her husband in the streets, at fairs and at Astley’s Amphitheatre; travelled in Egypt with him 1815–19; granted civil list pension of £100 6 Feb. 1851; author of _Account of the women of Egypt, Nubia and Syria_. _d._ Belozanne valley, Jersey 12 Jany. 1870 aged 87. BENBEY, SADI OMBARK. Came to England with Mungo Park whom he taught Arabic language. _d._ 11 Feb. 1854 aged more than 80. BENBOW, JOHN. Solicitor in London; M.P. for Dudley 8 Aug. 1844 to death. _d._ Hastings 24 Feb. 1855 aged 86. BENDIGO, cognomen of WILLIAM THOMPSON (_son of Mr. Thompson of Nottingham, cabinet maker_). _b._ Nottingham 11 Oct. 1811, being one of 3 children at a birth; fought and beat Ben. Caunt 1 July 1835; beat Brassey (John Leechman) 24 May 1836; beat young Langan 24 Jany. 1837; beat Looney 13 June 1837; beaten by Ben. Caunt 3 April 1838; beat Deaf Burke at Heather, Leicestershire 12 Feb. 1839 in presence of 15000 persons; presented with a “Champion’s belt” by James Ward at Queen’s theatre, Liverpool; beat Ben. Caunt near Sutfield Green Oxon, 9 Sep. 1845 when they fought for £200 a side and the championship; fought Tom Paddock for £200 a side at Mildenhall 5 June 1850 when he won again; a preacher and leader of revivalist services at the Cabmen’s Mission hall, King’s Cross, London. _d._ Beeston, Notts. 23 Aug. 1880. _H. D. Miles’s Pugilistica iii_, 1–46 (1880), _portrait_; _J. Greenwoods Low life deeps_ (1876) 86–94, _portrait_; _Rev. C. M. Davies’s Unorthodox London 2 series_ 156–64. NOTE.—His curious name Bendigo was a contraction of Abednego, his first challenge in Bell’s Life in London in 1835 is signed Abednego of Nottingham; the town of Bendigo in Victoria, Australia (since called Sandhurst) was named after him. BENEDICT, SIR JULIUS (_2 son of M. Benedict of Stuttgart, banker_). _b._ Stuttgart 27 Nov. or 24 Dec. 1804; pupil of Hummel at Weimar and of Weber at Dresden; conductor at the Kärnthnerthor theatre Vienna 1823–25 and at the San Carlo and Fondo theatres Naples 1825–35; went to London 1835; conducted a series of Italian comic operas at Lyceum theatre 1836; conductor of English opera at Drury Lane 1838, where he produced _The gipsy’s warning_ 19 April 1838; _The brides of Venice_ 22 April 1844, and _The Crusaders_ 1846; travelled with Jenny Lind in the United States and Havannah and directed all her 122 concerts 1850–52; formed a choral society called The vocal association; conductor of Italian opera at Drury Lane and Her Majesty’s theatres 1859–60; conducted the Norwich Musical Festivals 1845–78 where he produced _Undine_ 1860, _Richard Cœur de Lion_ 1863 and _St. Cecilia_ 1866; conducted the Monday Popular Concerts; his best known opera _The Lily of Killarney_ was produced at Covent Garden 8 Feb. 1862; conductor of Liverpool Philharmonic society 9 April 1867 to Feb. 1879; wrote for Birmingham musical festivals _St. Peter_ 1870 and _Graziella_ 1873; knighted at Windsor Castle 24 March 1871. _d._ 2 Manchester sq. London 5 June 1885. _I.L.N. lviii_, 377 (1871), _portrait, lxvi_, 494 (1875), _portrait_; _Scribner’s Monthly xiii_, 480–84 (1877); _Graphic xxix_, 184 (1884), _portrait_. BENETT, JOHN (_2 son of Thomas Benett of Pyt house Tisbury, Wilts. who d. 16 May 1797 aged 68_). _b._ 20 May 1773; sheriff of Wilts. 1798; M.P. for Wilts. 19 July 1819 to 3 Dec. 1832 and for South Wilts. 17 Dec. 1832 to 1 July 1852; author of some essays on agricultural subjects. _d._ Pyt house 1 Oct. 1852. _G.M. xxxviii_, 636–37 (1852). BENHAM, JAMES ERLE. Ed. at St. Mary hall Ox.; student Middle Temple 20 Nov. 1875; author of _The student’s guide to the preliminary examination for attorneys and solicitors_ 1868; edited _The preliminary examination Journal_ 1871. _d._ Abercorn house, Baron’s court, Kensington, London 11 July 1885 aged 34. BENHAM, WILLIAM. Author of _English ballads for school reading_ 1862; _St. Matthew, authorised version_ 1862; _Epistles for the Christian year, with notes_ 1864; _Companion to the Lectionary_