William à Beckett

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For the New South Wales politician, see William Channing A'Beckett.

Solicitor-General of New South Wales
In office
March 1841 (1841-03) – July 1844 (1844-07)
Preceded byJohn Plunkett
Succeeded byWilliam Manning
Personal details
Born(1806-07-28)28 July 1806
London, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Died27 June 1869(1869-06-27) (aged 62)
London, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Resting placeWest Norwood Cemetery
Spouses
  • Emily Hayley (m. 1832; d. 1841)
  • Matilda Hayley (m. 1849)
Relations
Children13
EducationWestminster School
OccupationBarrister; Politician
This article is part of a series on the
Eureka Rebellion
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Eureka Stockade Riot by John Black Henderson, 1854
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Sir Charles Hotham
  • Suffolk Regiment
  • William Wright
  • 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot
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    Sir Redmond Barry
  • William à Beckett
  • William Stawell
  • 1855 Victorian High Treason trials
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    Legacy
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    Sir William à Beckett (28 July 1806 – 27 June 1869) was a British barrister and the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria.

    Background

    Born in London, he was the eldest son of William à Beckett, also a solicitor.[1] His younger brothers were Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, one of the original staff of Punch and the author of 'Comic History of England', and Thomas Turner à Beckett (13 September 1808 – 1 July 1892). He was educated at Westminster School, publishing a youthful volume of verse, The Siege of Dumbarton Castle, in 1824. In 1829 he was called to the bar by Lincoln's Inn.[1][2]

    Legal career

    In 1837, à Beckett migrated to

    Supreme Court of NSW
    .

    In January 1846, he was appointed to the

    Victoria was proclaimed he became its first Chief Justice.[5][6]

    He returned to Melbourne in December 1854 in time to participate in the

    Eureka Stockade trials. Although often accused of the inflammatory comments at the trial of the arsonists of the Eureka Hotel, it was the actually the Acting Chief Justice Redmond Barry who sparked the Eureka uprising.[citation needed
    ] À Beckett retired as Chief Justice in 1857 due to poor health, and in 1863 he returned to England.

    Author

    Politically conservative, à Beckett was strongly opposed to the social disruption caused by the

    Victorian Gold Rush and under the pseudonym 'Colonus' espoused his views in an influential pamphlet somewhat cumbersomely entitled Does the Discovery of Gold in Victoria Viewed in Relation to its Moral and Social Effects as Hitherto Developed Deserve to be Considered a National Blessing or a National Curse? late in 1852. He presided over a number of important trials including the robbers of gold from the barque Nelson in Hobson's Bay in 1852, but growing disillusion with the state of society in Victoria saw him leave for England with his family in February 1853.[7]

    He wrote a number of books, including several volumes of his poetry, and a manual for magistrates of the Court of Petty Sessions, the predecessor of the

    Magistrates Court of Victoria.[8]

    Family

    À Beckett married firstly Emily Hayley in 1832. She died on 1 June 1841 and he married secondly Matilda Hayley, her sister, in 1849. He had 13 children with his two wives.[

    Melbourne. Their daughter Emma Minnie Boyd, whose pursuit was painting, married another of the same pursuit, Arthur Merric Boyd, and there began extended generations of artists in Australian cultural life, collectively the Boyd family. Sir William's nephew Thomas à Beckett, son of his brother Thomas, was also a puisne judge in Australia.[9]

    Legacy

    A'Beckett Street, located in Melbourne's

    Central Business District, is named for Sir William and his influential role as Chief Justice of Victoria.[10]

    Bibliography

    See also

    References

    1. ^ a b c Dod, Robert P. (1860). The Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland. London: Whitaker and Co. p. 80.
    2. ISSN 1833-7538
      . Retrieved 20 November 2020.
    3. ISBN 9780424063508
      .
    4. ^ Geoff, Lindsay (2007). "Aborigines, colonists and the law, 1838" (PDF). ForbesSociety.org.au. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
    5. ^ Serle, Percival (1949). "à Beckett, Sir William". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.
    6. ISBN 1-86287-409-3
      .
    7. ^ "a'Beckett, Sir William". Australian Encyclopædia (3rd revised, 1927 ed.). Sydney: Angus & Robertson Limited. 1912. p. 2.
    8. ^ E. Morris Miller & Frederick T. Macartney, Australian Literature, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1956, p.28.
    9. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/28. Retrieved 24 November 2006. (Subscription or UK public library membership
      required.)
    10. ^ "Melbourne's streets and lanes: what's in a name?" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
    11. ^ "Austlit — Out of Harness by William à Beckett". Austlit. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
    12. ^ "Austlit — The Earl's Choice and Other Poems by William à Beckett". Austlit. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
    13. ^ "Austlit — The First Gold Rush at Melbourne and Other Poems by William à Beckett". Austlit. Retrieved 13 August 2023.

    External links

    Legal offices
    New office
    Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria

    1852–1857     		Succeeded by
    William Foster Stawell
    Preceded by Judge of the
    Supreme Court of NSW
    District of Port Phillip

    1846–1852     		Establishment of the
    Supreme Court of Victoria
    Preceded by Solicitor General for New South Wales
    1841–1844     		Succeeded by
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