Beckford, William
The Oxford Companion to British History
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2002
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© The Oxford Companion to British History 2002, originally published by Oxford University Press 2002. (Hide copyright information)
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Beckford, William (1709–70). Beckford was a new man in the aristocratic world of Hanoverian politics and a link between traditional Toryism and
Wilkite radicalism. His great wealth came from Jamaican estates and he was frequently reminded, when tribune of the people, that he was a slave-owner. Sent to England to be educated at Westminster and Oxford, he remained and was elected MP for Shaftesbury in 1747. In 1754 he transferred to London, where he had built up an electoral interest, strengthening his position by bringing two brothers into Parliament. From 1756 onwards he was a supporter of
Pitt. Early in the reign of George III he launched a series of attacks upon aristocratic oligarchy and called for a measure of parliamentary reform. He was lord mayor of London in 1762/3 and again in 1769/70 when he presented a Wilkite petition to the king, accompanying it with a well-publicized rebuke, which was subsequently inscribed on his statue in the Guildhall. He died unexpectedly a month later, leaving several illegitimate children, and a 10-year-old son, who became the author of
Vathek and the recluse of Fonthill.
J. A. Cannon
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William Beckford as writer and collector.
Magazine article from: Contemporary Review; 4/1/2002; ; 700+ words
; ALTHOUGH William Beckford wrote a Gothick romance as reckless...exhibition at the Dulwich Gallery: William Beckford: an Eye for the Magnificent. The Earl of Chatham, who called William Beckford 'my vivid friend', was his godfather...
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Tall towers and taller tales William Beckford was a bisexual 18th- century aristocrat who adored boys, buildings and art. As his remarkable collection goes on show, Judith Flanders sifts fact from fantasy
Newspaper article from: The Sunday Telegraph London; 1/27/2002; ; 700+ words
; ...for an exhibition than William Beckford? In his day, Beckford...walk-on parts in the Beckford story are played by stars: his godfather was William Pitt the Elder, as...as well as passion. William Beckford: An Eye for the Magnificent...
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Scandalous Obsession With Beauty; William Beckford Was Rich, Notorious -- and A Prodigious Collector
Newspaper article from: The Washington Post; 10/27/2001; ; 700+ words
; William Beckford was as scandalous a figure as late...Despite marriage and two daughters, Beckford was ostracized from English society...of that life make their way into "William Beckford, 1760-1844: An Eye for the Magnificent...
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Derek E. Ostergard, ed. William Beckford, 1760-1844: an Eye for the Magnificent.(Book Review)
Magazine article from: Albion; 6/22/2003; ; 700+ words
; ...art he owned or commissioned. William Beckford lived up to his reputation as one...and collector of daunting scope, Beckford has been the subject of numerous...This impressive volume gets inside Beckford by approaching him through his...
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William Beckford, collector.(Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture, New York, New York)(Brief Article)
Magazine article from: The Magazine Antiques; 10/1/2001; ; 700+ words
; William Beckford was one of Britain's most flamboyant...what was inside. A mere fraction of Beckford's immense holdings have been drawn together for an exhibition entitled William Beckford, 1760- 1844: An Eye for the Magnificent...
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A life as a Gothic fantasy Wednesday Book;WILLIAM BECKFORD: COMPOSING FOR MOZART BY TIMOTHY MOWL, JOHN MURRAY, pounds 22
Newspaper article from: The Independent - London; 6/24/1998; ; 700+ words
; WILLIAM BECKFORD (1760-1844) is an important...sort fact from fiction. Beckford had good reason to doctor...an 11-year-old boy, William Courtenay, with whom...relationship. Unlike some of Beckford's earlier biographers...
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ArtsEtc: THE SPOILS OF FONTHILL Roll up! Roll up! See the famous art collection of 18th-century England's richest eccentric. William Beckford had it all, says Suzi Feay, until grief and scandal ruined his life
Newspaper article from: The Independent - London; 2/3/2002; ; 700+ words
; ...and the lips sensual. This is William Beckford, the writer, scholar and connoisseur...only 13 years old at the time. William Beckford was the son of Alderman Beckford...child, however, was young William Beckford, who was brought up at the...
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The Arts: The gothic chief of patapoufs His passion for a young boy ruined him socially, yet the sinister William Beckford was a supreme art connoisseur. Kenneth Powell examines his life
Newspaper article from: The Sunday Telegraph London; 1/11/1998; ; 700+ words
; ...around," declared William Beckford. "In spite of them...his mother, the young Beckford turned to art, travel...rebuffing her in favour of William "Kitty" Courtenay...The Grand Tour, which Beckford undertook in 1780...
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 "The Birmingham Post (England)")
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Weekend: Antiques & Collecting: Fast living of a fine collector; Richard Edmonds looks at the extravagant lifestyle detailed in a new book about one of England's greatest collectors, William Beckford.(Features)
Newspaper article from: The Birmingham Post (England); 12/8/2001; 700+ words
; ...days to disperse. But William Beckford also came to his flowering...early 19th centuries. William Beckford an Eye for The Magnificent...young teenage boy, William (''Kitty'') Courtenay...The scandal forced Beckford to live abroad since...
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Travel etc: In search of... William Beckford in Sintra The high priest of the Gothic novel fled to Portugal following an 18th-century sex scandal. Good move, says Matthew Hancock
Newspaper article from: The Independent - London; 3/17/2002; ; 700+ words
; I've heard of Beckham, but Beckford? Get your head out of the sports pages. William Beckford (1759- 1844) was a dilettante, fervent...else? Lawrence Hotel in Sintra has a William Beckford room with a four- poster bed and dizzy...
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William Beckford
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
William Beckford 1760-1844, English author. A wealthy dilettante, Beckford had a great desire to ascend to the nobility. Unfortunately...Commons from 1784 to 1794 and from 1806 to 1820. Beckford is chiefly remembered today for the Gothic romance...
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Beckford, William
Book article from: The Oxford Dictionary of Art
Beckford, William ( b London, 29 Sept. 1760; d Bath, 2 May 1844). English collector...National Gallery, London). In 1826 when his fortunes had declined Beckford built Lansdowne Tower, Bath, a lesser but still highly impressive classical...
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Hamilton, Sir William
Book article from: The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature
Hamilton, Sir William (1730–1803), diplomat, archaeologist, collector...achieved notoriety as Nelson's mistress. Hamilton corresponded with Beckford and Horace Walpole and his collections exerted a wide influence on...
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Rowning, John
Dictionary entry from: Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography
...tutor for some years, he joined William Deane, an instrumentmaker in London...and Oxford, at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, at many...people as various as John Adams, William Beckford, and Joseph Priestley. Chiefly...
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Punishment
Dictionary entry from: Allusions--Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary
...Gk. Lit.: Odyssey ] Tell, William ordered to shoot apple placed...x2019; s hat. [Ger. Lit.: William Tell ; Ital. Opera: Rossini, William Tell ; Westerman, 121 –...forbidden knowledge. [Br. Lit.: Beckford Vathek ]
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