William Beamont (1797–1889) was an English

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

and local

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. He lived in the town of

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

, in the north-west of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Life

Beamont was the first

mayor of Warrington The Mayor of Warrington is the highest-ranking officer in the municipal government of Warrington, England. Role The Mayor of Warrington, as the first person of the borough, chairs meetings of Warrington Borough Council. Elected for one year, the ...

after its incorporation as a

municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

in 1847. As mayor, he founded its municipal library, the first rate-aided library in the UK, in 1848. He travelled extensively, including in the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

, where he met

William Holman Hunt William Holman Hunt (2 April 1827 – 7 September 1910) was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolism. ...

. His diaries, stored in the town's main library, are a valuable source of social history. For many years he lived at Orford Hall. Beamont was a Member of the

Chetham Society The Chetham Society "for the publication of remains historic and literary connected with the Palatine Counties of Lancaster and Chester" is a text publication society and registered charity (No. 700047) established on 23 March 1843. History Th ...

, and served as Member of Council (1849–82) and Vice-President (1879–82). He was also a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

. A high school (

Beamont Collegiate Academy Beamont Collegiate Academy (formerly William Beamont Community High School) is a mixed secondary school in the Orford area of Warrington, Cheshire, England. The school is named after William Beamont, a Victorian philanthropist and the first ...

) and a primary school in the town are named after him. His grave lies in the churchyard of Christ Church,

Padgate Padgate is a suburb of Warrington, in the civil parish of Poulton-with-Fearnhead, in the Warrington district, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. History Overview Historically part of Lancashire, until 1838 Padgate was an area of far ...

, one of several

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

churches that he helped found.

Family

Beamont married Ann Gaskell (died 1859), daughter of John Gaskell of Warrington. He outlived his only son

William John Beamont William John Beamont (1828–1868) was an English clergyman and author. Life Beamont was born at Warrington, Lancashire, 16 January 1828, being the only son of William Beamont, solicitor and author of ''Annals of the Lords of Warrington'', and o ...

, who was a clergyman and author.

References

External links

*
Online Books page
1797 births 1889 deaths Mayors of Warrington Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire Chetham Society {{England-mayor-stub