(Oxford, 1790); 'Letter to a County Member on the means of securing a safe and
honourable Peace' (London, 1798); and 'Observations on the Roman Roads in Great
Britain.'
[Gent. Mag. new series, vol. vii.; Farley's Bristol Journal (Bristol, 18 March 1837); Egerton MS. 2, f. 193; Addit MSS. 31229 to 31232; M'Culloch's Literature of Political Economy, London, 1845).]
BEESLEY, ALFRED (1800–1847), topographer, was apprenticed to a watchmaker at Deddington, Oxfordshire, but only served a portion of his time, and subsequently devoted himself to literary and scientific pursuits. He died on 10 April 1847, and was
buried in Banbury churchyard. He published a collection of poems, and 'The History of Banbury, including copious historical
and antiquarian notices,' Lond. 1841, 8vo.
[Gent. Mag. new ser. xv. 65, xxviii. 99.]
BEESLEY or BISLEY, GEORGE (d. 1591), catholic missioner, was born at a place called the Mount, in Goosnargh parish, in
Lancashire. He was an alumnus of Douay
College while it was located at Rheims. Ordained priest in 1587 he was sent upon the
English mission in 1588. Falling into the
hands of the persecutors he was so frequently
tortured by the notorious Topcliffe that he
was reduced to a mere skeleton. He steadily
refused, however, to divulge anything that
might have brought others into danger. He
was condemned on account of his priestly
character, and for remaining in England contrary to the statute of the 27th Elizabeth, and
was executed in Fleet Street, London, on
2 July 1591. Another priest, Monford Scot,
suffered at the same time and place.
[Diaries of Douay College; Challoner's Missionary Priests (1741), i. 259; Dodd's Church Hist. ii. 90.]
BEESTON, Sir WILLIAM (b. 1636, fl. 1702), lieutenant-governor of Jamaica, was
born at Tichfield, Hampshire, being second
son of William Beeston of Posbrook, by
Elizabeth, daughter of Arthur Bromfield.
His elder brother, Henry, was master of
Winchester School and warden of New College, Oxford. Beeston went to Jamaica in
1660. In 1664 he was elected, as member
for Port Royal, to the first house of assembly;
he was sent to prison by the speaker for
contempt of his authority, was brought before
the governor and council, reprimanded and
released (Addit. MS. 12430, fol. 30). Beeston
tells us (ib.) that when this assembly, which
had been 'marked by parties, great heate, and
ill-humours,' adjourned, 'to make amends
for their jangling, and to cement the rents
that had been made, it was determined to
treat the governor and council to a dinner,
and a splendid dinner was provided, with
wine and music, and what else might make
it great. This held well till the plenty of
wine made the old wounds appear, for then
all went together by the ears, and in the
unlucky conflict honest Captain Rutter, a
worthy gentleman of the assembly, was
killed by Major Joy, who was of the council, and had always been his friend, but the
drink and other men's quarrels made them
fall out.' In December of this year Beeston
was made a judge of the court of common
pleas, Jamaica (Cal. State Papers). In 1665
the governor, Sir Thomas Modyford, sent
him to negotiate with a force of privateers
who were threatening St. Spiritus, Cuba.
In 1668 Sir Thomas Lynch (who had succeeded Sir Thomas Modyford as governor)
sent 'Major Beeston with a fleet to carry
articles of peace with the Spaniards to Cartagena, and to bring away the English prisoners;' and on his return to Jamaica gave
him the command of a frigate (Addit. MS.
12430, fol. 33). The following year he sailed
to Cuba and Hispaniola 'to look after pirates
and privateers,' and to Havanna 'to fetch
away the prisoners.' On 10 July 1672 he
convoyed a fleet of merchantmen to Eng-
land (ib.). In 1675 Beeston and Sir Henry
Morgan (of buccaneering celebrity) were
appointed commissioners of the admiralty
(ib. fol. 33). In 1677 and the two following years 'Lieutenant-Colonel Beeston,' as
speaker of the house of assembly, zealously
promoted the opposition to the efforts of the
governor, the Earl of Carlisle, to assimilate
the government of Jamaica to that then
existing in Ireland, and to obtain an act
settling a perpetual revenue upon the crown.
The governor dissolved the assembly, and
ordered Colonel Long (late chief justice) and
Colonel Beeston to England to answer for
their contumacy. On their arrival they
brought counter charges against his lordship. He was superseded in the government,
and 'his majesty, after hearing Colonel Long
and Colonel Beeston, not only returned to
their island its former government and all
privileges they had hitherto enjoyed, but enlarged them' (Long's Hist. of Jamaica, i. 16).
Beeston does not appear to have returned to Jamaica until 1693, having at the close of the previous year been knighted at Kensington and appointed lieutenant-governor of the island. He found it still suffering from the effects of the fearful earthquake of
