The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' ( American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certa ...

Sir William Gervase Beckett, 1st Baronet (14 January 1866 – 24 August 1937), born William Gervase Beckett-Denison, was a British

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...

and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician.

Business career

Beckett was the son of

William Beckett-Denison William Beckett-Denison (10 September 1826 – 23 November 1890) was an English banker and Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1876 and 1890. He died when he fell under a train. Early life Born ...

MP. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

and joined the family banking business, Beckett & Co, in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...

. After the firm was taken over by the

Westminster Bank Westminster Bank was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1834 until its merger into the National Westminster Bank in 1970; it continued to exist as a dormant registered non-trading company until 4 July 2017 when it ...

he joined the bank's

board Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a ty ...

. He was also chairman of the ''

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds in Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

'' and proprietor and editor of the '' Saturday Review''. His elder brother,

Ernest Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor * Ernest, ...

, succeeded his uncle as 2nd Baron Grimthorpe in 1905 and Beckett was granted the precedence of a baron's son and the right to use the style "The Honourable".

Parliamentary career

He was elected at the

1906 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1906. Asia * 1906 Persian legislative election Europe * 1906 Belgian general election * 1906 Croatian parliamentary election * Denmark ** 1906 Danish Folketing election ** 1906 Danish Landsting electi ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

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 Cl ...

. When that constituency was abolished for the 1918 general election, he was returned for the new Scarborough and Whitby constituency. He did not contest the 1922 general election, but returned to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

at the 1923 general election as

for Leeds North, and held that seat until he retired from

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

at the 1929 election.

Military career

Beckett was commissioned a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the 3rd (

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

) Battalion,

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...

in 1884, but resigned his commission in 1886. He was commissioned a

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...

in the Yorkshire Hussars in 1888. He was promoted Lieutenant in 1895 and

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1898, and resigned his commission in 1901 During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

he returned to service as Assistant Military Secretary of Northern Command from 1914 to 1916. He was Assistant Director of the Department of War Trade from 1918 to 1919.

Family

He married the Honourable Mabel Theresa Duncombe (1877–1913) the daughter of

William Duncombe, Viscount Helmsley William Reginald Duncombe, Viscount Helmsley (1 August 1852 – 24 December 1881), was a British Conservative Party politician. Helmsley was the son of William Duncombe, 1st Earl of Feversham, and his wife Mabel Violet (née Graham), daughter ...

. They had four daughters: *Marion Frances Theresa Beckett (8 Nov 1896 – 2 Feb 1972) married Vice-Admiral Henry Jack Egerton, son of Charles Augustus Egerton and Lady Mabel Annie Brassey, on 16 October 1919 *Cynthia Maud Beckett (15 Dec 1900 – 25 Dec 1969) married Captain John Arthur Davison, son of Major Arthur Pearson Davison, on 10 November 1919. Divorced 1928. She married German author and BT-correspondent Kurt Hermann Paul Otto Valerio Baron von Stutterheim (1888-1978), son of Richard Karl Ludwig Baron von Stutterheim, on 10 July 1929. Divorced in 1952. * Beatrice Helen Beckett (26 Jul 1905 – 29 Jun 1957) – married

Anthony Eden Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1955 until his resignation in 1957. Achieving rapid promo ...

in 1923. Divorced in 1950. *Ann Prunella Beckett (16 Sep 1907 – 17 Mar 2001) married Lt.-Col. Harry Rumbold Bathurst Norman, son of Reverend Harry Bathurst Norman, on 15 April 1936. Secondly he married Lady Marjorie Blanche Eva Greville, daughter of Francis Richard Charles Guy Greville, 5th Earl of Warwick and Frances Evelyn Maynard, on 1 November 1917. Lady Greville was the widow of

Charles Duncombe, 2nd Earl of Feversham Lieutenant-Colonel Charles William Reginald Duncombe, 2nd Earl of Feversham (8 May 1879 – 15 September 1916), known as Viscount Helmsley from 1881 to 1915, was a British Conservative Party politician and soldier. Origins Feversham was the son ...

, his first wife's brother. This marriage produced one son: *Sir Martyn Gervase Beckett, 2nd Bt (6 Nov 1918 – 5 Aug 2001) The publisher Sir

Rupert Hart-Davis Sir Rupert Charles Hart-Davis (28 August 1907 – 8 December 1999) was an English publisher and editor. He founded the publishing company Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd. As a biographer, he is remembered for his ''Hugh Walpole'' (1952), as an editor, f ...

(1907-1999) was legally the son of stockbroker Richard Hart-Davis and his wife Sybil, daughter of the surgeon Sir Alfred Cooper; by the time of his conception, the Hart-Davises were estranged, and Sybil had numerous lovers at that period. Hart-Davis considered Beckett to be the most likely candidate for his natural father.Norwich, John Julius
"Davis, Sir Rupert Charles Hart- (1907–1999)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved 29 November 2008 Beckett was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

in the

1921 Birthday Honours The 1921 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of the King, and were ...

, as Sir Gervase Beckett, 1st Baronet Beckett, of Kirkdale Manor in the County of

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 ...

Footnotes

Sources

* * *Obituary, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

'', 25 August 1937 *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beckett, Gervase 1866 births 1937 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 Politicians from Leeds English bankers British Militia officers Green Howards officers People educated at Eton College British newspaper publishers (people) Yorkshire Hussars officers Gervase