John Beecroft (1790 – 10 June 1854) was an explorer, governor of
Fernando Po and British
Consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...
of the
Bight of Benin
The Bight of Benin or Bay of Benin is a bight in the Gulf of Guinea area on the western African coast that derives its name from the historical Kingdom of Benin.
Geography
It extends eastward for about from Cape St. Paul to the Nun outlet of t ...
and
Biafra
Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated form ...
.
Early life
Beecroft was born in England near the port of
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Clif ...
,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
.
[Howard Temperley, 'Beecroft, John (1790–1854)’, rev. Elizabeth Baigent, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004] His early life is obscure but while serving on a coasting vessel he is known to have been captured by a
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
privateer during the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
in 1805, and held prisoner until 1814. He later joined the
merchant navy and as master of a transport vessel traveled to
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
as part of
William Parry's expedition.
Colonial career
In 1829 he was appointed master of works in
Fernando Po, an island in the Gulf of Guinea nominally belonging to Spain but which the British were using to establish a base against the
slave trade
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
. Demonstrating a talent for negotiating successfully with local people, in 1830 Beecroft was appointed acting governor by Spain (with rank of lieutenant in the Spanish Navy) when
Edward Nicolls
Sir Edward Nicolls ( – 5 February 1865) was an Anglo-Irish officer of the Royal Marines. Known as "Fighting Nicolls", he had a distinguished military career. According to his obituary in ''The Times'', he was "in no fewer than 107&nb ...
(then governor) returned to England unwell. Realising Spain was not willing to cede control of the island the British left in 1833 but Beecroft effectively continued in the role of acting governor, even holding a court of justice, although at this point he was also agent of a trading company. In 1843 Spain formally made him governor of Fernando Po and two other Spanish possessions.
In 1849 he was appointed Consul of the Bights of Benin and Biafra by the British, a position he held (along with his governorship of Fernando Po) until his death in 1854.
According to K.O. Dike:
In time Africans came to look on the British Consul as the de facto Governor of the Bights of Benin and Biafra. This position of power which Beecroft won for himself passed on to his successors and enabled Britain to enjoy the authority of a protecting power before the Berlin West Africa Conference had legalised the status in international diplomacy.
During his time as governor Beecroft explored the interior of Africa using steamships to navigate far up the
Niger River
The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through ...
, the
Cross River and the
Benin River
The Benin River is a river that flows through the south west of Nigeria.
The river starts under the name " Ethiope" in the south east of the state Edo. Subsequently, it runs through various cities and villages, such as Umutu, Owah Abbi, Obiar ...
, an area official British expeditions failed to penetrate.
The secret of his success was not only his use of modern European naval technology but employing local Africans as crew, since they had greater resistance to the malaria which claimed numerous European lives before the effectiveness of
quinine
Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg cr ...
as a protection was understood.
After he became consul he assisted in the British bombardment of
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
in 1851, negotiated (and was a signatory to) the
Treaty Between Great Britain and Lagos, 1 January 1852
The Treaty Between Great Britain and Lagos, 1 January 1852 was an agreement between Great Britain (represented by Commodore Henry William Bruce, Commander of the British Navy's West Africa Station and John Beecroft, British Consul in the Bights o ...
,
and was instrumental in the deposition of
Pepple, King of
Bonny, in 1854.
Death
Beecroft was preparing for another expedition to the Niger River when he died on 10 June 1854 and was buried on Fernando Po. His place on the expedition was taken by
William Balfour Baikie
William Balfour Baikie (27 August 182512 December 1864) was a Scottish explorer, naturalist and philologist.
Biography
Baikie was born at Kirkwall, Orkney, eldest son of Captain John Baikie, R.N. He studied medicine at Edinburgh, and, on obt ...
. His widow, Mrs. Ellen Beecroft, later received a pension in the Civil List in recognition of her husband's contribution to the suppression of the slave trade and advancement of British interests on the coast of Africa. Beecroft was also survived by three daughters and a son.
[British Census, 1851:lists Beecroft (60) as 'British Consul for West Coast of Africa', resident at 120 Clifton Park, Tranmere, Cheshire, with wife Ellen (50), daughters Ellen(22), Jane(21) and M. A.(19) and son John M. Beecroft,(12) all born in Yorkshire.]
References
Further reading
* Dike, K. O. "John Beecroft, 1790–1854: Her Britannic Majesty's Consul to the Bights of Benin and Biafra 1849—1854" ''Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria'' 1#1 (December 1956), pp. 5–14
online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beecroft, John
1790 births
1854 deaths
People from Whitby
English explorers
Explorers of Africa
History of Nigeria
History of Equatorial Guinea
History of Lagos
British expatriates in Nigeria
People of colonial Nigeria