William Beetham

William Beetham (25 July 1809 – 3 August 1888) was an English portrait painter, colonist and pastoralist who was particularly prominent in New Zealand. Beetham exhibited his paintings at the Royal Academy of Arts London (1834–53) and painted at the court of the Tsar in Saint Petersburg. He had a society clientele and received commissions to paint portraits of aristocrats and national leaders, including important Māori Rangatira chiefs. Beetham's paintings are in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington. He was a founder of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts in 1882. Mezzotint prints of Beetham's drawings are in the permanent collection of the Science Museum, London Beetham's paintings and drawings have sold at Bonhams auction house.

Biography

William Beetham R.A. was born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England and started his career painting scenes of his home town. His grandfather Joshua Beetham established 'Beetham Wine and Spirits' merchants which lasted for many generations. William established his reputation as a society portraitist, firstly in England by painting oil on canvas portraits of noble dignitary such as the Reverend Nathaniel Bond and the former Prime Minister F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich (1843). He exhibited frequently at the Royal Academy Of Art, London and travelled overseas to paint at the Court of the Tsar in St. Petersburg. His decision to emigrate to New Zealand in 1855 was motivated by the improved financial opportunities in the colonies and a desire to settle his large family of seven sons and three daughters on pastoral land.

Beetham

Coordinates: 54°12′29″N 2°46′30″W / 54.208°N 2.775°W / 54.208; -2.775

Beetham is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, situated on the border with Lancashire. It is part of the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

History

Craven in the Domesday Book shows that up till 1066 Earl Tostig was lord of Beetham and the surrounding areas of Farleton, Preston Richard, Hincaster, Heversham and Levens in Cumbria plus Yealand Redmayne and Borwick in Lancashire. Beetham manor then amounted to 25 carucates (ca3000 acres/1250ha) of ploughland. The Norman conquest of England added it to the extensive lands of Roger de Poitou.

Demography

The parish had a population of 1,724 recorded in the 2001 census, increasing to 1,784 at the 2011 Census.

Community

Points of interest include:

Beetham (disambiguation)

Beetham may refer to:

Places

In England

In Trinidad and Tobago

People

See also