Rev. William Betham (1749–1839) was an English clergyman and

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

, best known for his work on the history of the English Baronetage.

Career

He was born at

Little Strickland Little Strickland is a small village and civil parish in the Eden district of Cumbria, England. It is about from Penrith and from the small town of Appleby-in-Westmorland. The village has one place of worship and a telephone box. The popula ...

, near Morland, Westmoreland, on 17 May 1749. His father was William Betham, born in 1698. He was educated at the public school of Bampton, was ordained in 1773, apparently without graduating at a university, and became chaplain to the

Earl of Ancaster Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

. From 1784 to 1833 he was head master of the endowed school at Stonham Aspel in Suffolk, which post he resigned in 1833, on being presented to the rectory of

Stoke Lacy Stoke Lacy is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Herefordshire. Stoke Lacy lies on the main A465 road that connects Hereford and Bromyard and is from the former and from the latter. History The village lies in the verda ...

, in the

Diocese of Hereford The Diocese of Hereford is a Church of England diocese based in Hereford, covering Herefordshire, southern Shropshire and a few parishes within Worcestershire in England, and a few parishes within Powys and Monmouthshire in Wales. The cathedral ...

. He died six years later in 1839, aged 90.

Works

* ''Genealogical Tables of the Sovereigns of the World, from the Earliest to the Present Period, giving Pedigrees of Royal Families, beginning with the Antediluvian Patriarchs, and concluding with the House of Cromwell.'' Published by subscription in 1795. It was dedicated to King George III. * ''The Baronetage of England, or the History of the English Baronets, and such Baronets of Scotland as are of English Families, with Genealogical Tables and Engravings of their Armorial Bearings'' was published in five volumes between 1801 and 1805. The baronets are listed in the volumes by reign of monarch and by order of creation. The armorials of each baronet are illustrated in monochrome plates at the end of each volume.
Volume I (1801), Baronets created by King James I
published in Ipswich, dedicated to

James Cecil, 1st Marquess of Salisbury James Cecil, 1st Marquess of Salisbury, (4 September 1748 – 13 June 1823), styled Viscount Cranborne until 1780 and known as The Earl of Salisbury between 1780 and 1789, was a British nobleman and politician. Background Salisbury was the so ...

. From Bacon of Redgrave (1) (22 May 1611) to Haggerston (96) (15 August 1643).
Volume II (1802), Baronets created by King Charles I
published in London, dedicated to

Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

.
Volume III (1803), Baronets created by King Charles II (continued)
dedicated to the

Earl of Dysart Earl of Dysart (pronounced ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1643 and has been held continuously since then by descendants of the 1st Earl, William Murray. Creation The title was created in 1643 for William Murray, ...

. Dyke (194) of Horeham (3 March 1676) to Smith (313) of Sydling (3 May 1774)
Volume IV (1804), Baronets created by King George III (continued)
dedicated to Sir William Jerningham, Baronet; Duntze (314) (28 October 1774) to Stirling (466) of Faskine (30 November 1800)
Volume V (1805), Supplement
published in London, dedicated to Sir Hugh Inglis, Baronet.

Marriage and children

In 1774, he married Mary Damont, daughter of William Damont, of

Eye, Suffolk Eye () is a market town and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk, about south of Diss, north of Ipswich and south-west of Norwich. The population in the 2011 Census of 2,154 was estimated to be 2,361 in 2019. It lies ...

. They had fifteen children. Sir William II Betham, born in 1779, was his eldest surviving son who became an antiquarian and herald. He was

Ulster King of Arms Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the Provincial King of Arms at the College of Heralds with jurisdiction over England north of the Trent and Northern Ireland. The two offices of Norroy and Ulster were formerly separate. Norroy King of Arms is th ...

from 1820 until his death in 1853. Their daughter

Mary Matilda Betham Mary Matilda Betham, known by family and friends as Matilda Betham (16 November 1776 – 30 September 1852), was an English diarist, poet, woman of letters, and miniature portrait painter. She exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts from 1804 to ...

was a painter and a poet.

References

External link

{{DEFAULTSORT:Betham, William 1749 births 1839 deaths 18th-century English Anglican priests 19th-century English Anglican priests English antiquarians People from Garden Route District Municipality People from Little Strickland

Career

Works

Marriage and children

See also

References

External link