Bernard Charles Beale (10 September 1830 – 16 January 1910) was a New Zealand doctor and local body politician. Born in England, he was a licensed surgeon assistant and also worked as a

ship's surgeon A naval surgeon, or less commonly ship's doctor, is the person responsible for the health of the ship's company aboard a warship. The term appears often in reference to Royal Navy's medical personnel during the Age of Sail. Ancient uses Specialis ...

before emigrating with his wife to New Zealand in 1861. He set up practice in

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

before moving to

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

and being commissioned in the Waikato Militia. He was given a land grant in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

at the end of his military service and settled there with his wife. He practiced medicine, acted as a

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

, and became involved in local body politics. He served a brief but tempestuous term from March to December 1880 as the 4th mayor of Hamilton. He later moved back to Auckland, where he died in 1910 at the age of 79.

Early life

Born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England on 10 September 1830, Bernard Charles Beale was the son of Thomas and Sophia Beale. His father was a surgeon and Bernard likewise entered the medical profession and began work at City of London Union's workhouse as a dispenser of medicine while training at London Hospital. After three years of training, he became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1852 and qualified as a licensed assistant surgeon later that year. He was on a number of health boards administering

Poor Laws In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of hel ...

and also served as a ship's surgeon from 1852 to 1853, including a voyage to British India aboard the ''Earl of Balcarras''.

New Zealand

In April 1861, Beale, by now married to Catherine , emigrated to New Zealand, travelling as ship's surgeon aboard the ''Sir George Pollock''. Arriving in

in late August 1861, he set himself up as a medical practitioner but sought to supplement his income. He achieved this in September 1862, when he received an appointment to Nelson Hospital. He soon came into conflict with his colleagues, criticising standards of hygiene and care. An unofficial inquiry substantiated his concerns but he was discharged from his duties at the hospital in October 1863. In April 1864, Beale was commissioned as an assistant surgeon in the 4th Regiment of the Waikato Militia, which was actively engaged in the

Invasion of the Waikato The Invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...

. He initially worked in Auckland's outlying villages of

Howick, New Zealand Howick is an eastern suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, forming part of what is sometimes called East Auckland. Modern Howick draws much of its character from the succeeding waves of Asian settlement that it has experienced since New Zealand’s ...

and

Onehunga Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the Auckland CBD, city centre, close to the volcano, volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree ...

but by March 1865 was based in

, on the banks of the

Waikato River The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...

. Soon afterwards, he received a land grant in the town as part of his payoff for serving with the Waikato Militia.

Living in Hamilton

Beale then started practicing medicine in Hamilton, but most of his patients had limited finances so oftentimes they were unable to pay their bills. He also acted as a medical officer for a number of friendly societies. Financially struggling, Beale briefly served for a period in 1866 as a surgeon to 3rd Regiment of the Waikato Militia, which was stationed in Cambridge at the time. In 1868, Beale was appointed Registrar of births, deaths and marriages in Hamilton. He was also made coroner. These roles supplemented his income which was important as his family expanded: he and his wife had their first child in 1863, and by 1885 they would have nine children. In 1870 he was appointed a medical referee for the Waikato District. Beale developed a reputation for being litigious; he often took legal action against patients who did not pay for their treatment. He also sued a man who pulled his son's ears during a public debate and was charged with forcible entry of a chemist's premises when disputing the terms of a lease. Despite this, he was well regarded as a physician by both patients and other doctors. His work as coroner was seen as diligent and thorough. In early 1878, he stood for election in the Hamilton Borough Council, and was the highest polling candidate. He soon clashed with his fellow councilors, raising allegations of conflicts of interest and using intemperate language in heated debates. In March 1879, he faced calls for his resignation in response to his initiation of bankruptcy proceedings. He stayed on council and ran for mayor later that year in December but was unsuccessful. However, the elected mayor lasted only four months before resigning and forcing a re-election. Beale was successful this time, being the only candidate to stand. In the re-election campaign, Beale had been viewed as having the skills to be a good mayor. Once elected, it was found that he handled council proceedings with a heavy hand, alienating those who had thought he would be capable in the role. When he completed his term as mayor in December 1880, he did not seek re-election, either as mayor or councillor. He continued as Hamilton's coroner as well as Registrar until resigning from those posts in 1886.

Later life

Beale with his family moved to Auckland, settling in Ponsonby. He continued to practice medicine privately, but also held a position at Auckland Hospital for a time. He later took legal action against Auckland Hospital over a claim of unpaid work. In 1887, he returned to the militia, acting as brigade surgeon to the Auckland Volunteers until his retirement in 1905. Politically, he was associated with the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. Beale died five years later on 16 January 1910 after a fall at his home in Avondale, where he was living at the time. He was survived by his wife and eight of their children; a ninth, a son, predeceased him in 1889. Beale was buried at Purewa Cemetery.

Legacy

His residence in Hamilton,

Beale Cottage Beale Cottage is situated on the corner of Beale and Grey street in Hamilton, New Zealand. Constructed in 1872, it stands as one of Hamilton's oldest surviving homes. It was designed by one of Hamilton's first European settlers, Dr. Bernard Bea ...

, built in 1872, served as his surgical practice as well as the Beale family home. It still stands as the city's oldest surviving house and was listed as a Historic Place Category 1 in 1987 by

Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...

. Beale Street, where his cottage stands, was named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beale, Bernard Charles 1830 births 1910 deaths 19th-century New Zealand medical doctors English emigrants to New Zealand Mayors of Hamilton, New Zealand Burials at Purewa Cemetery