Sir Gervase Beckett, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir William Gervase Beckett, 1st Baronet (14 January 1866 – 24 August 1937), born William Gervase Beckett-Denison, was a British
banker and Conservative
politician.
MP. He was educated at Eton College
and joined the family banking business, Beckett & Co, in Leeds
. After the firm was taken over by the Westminster Bank
he joined the bank's board
. He was also chairman of the Yorkshire Post
and proprietor and editor of the Saturday Review
. His elder brother, 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".
as Member of Parliament
for Whitby
. When that constituency was abolished for the 1918 general election
, he was returned for the new Scarborough and Whitby constituency. He lost his seat at the 1922 general election
, but returned to the House of Commons
at the 1923 general election
as Member of Parliament
for Leeds North
, and held that seat until he retired from Parliament
at the 1929 election
.
in the 3rd (Militia
) Battalion, Green Howards in 1884, but resigned his commission in 1886. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant
in the Yorkshire Hussars
in 1888. He was promoted Lieutenant in 1895 and Captain
in 1898, and resigned his commission in 1901 During the First World War 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.
. They had four daughters:
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. This marriage produced one son:
He was created a baronet
in the 1921 Birthday Honours, as Sir Gervase Beckett, 1st Baronet Beckett, of Kirkdale Manor in the County of Yorkshire.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
banker and Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician.
Business Career
Beckett was the son of William Beckett-DenisonWilliam Beckett-Denison
William Beckett-Denison was an English banker and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1876 and 1890. He died when he fell under a train....
MP. He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and joined the family banking business, Beckett & Co, in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. After the firm was taken over by the Westminster Bank
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 remains a registered company but is dormant...
he joined the bank's board
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
. He was also chairman of the Yorkshire Post
Yorkshire Post
The Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
and proprietor and editor of the Saturday Review
Saturday Review (London)
The Saturday Review of politics, literature, science, and art was a London weekly newspaper established by A. J. B. Beresford Hope in 1855....
. His elder brother, Ernest
Ernest Beckett, 2nd Baron Grimthorpe
Ernest William Beckett, 2nd Baron Grimthorpe , born Ernest William Denison, was a British banker and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 until 1905 when he inherited the Grimthorpe peerage.-Biography:Beckett was the eldest son of William Beckett, younger son of Sir...
, succeeded his uncle as 2nd Baron Grimthorpe
Baron Grimthorpe
Baron Grimthorpe, of Grimthorpe in the East Riding of the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1886 for the lawyer and architect Sir Edmund Beckett, 5th Baronet, with remainder to the heirs male of his father. He was succeeded according to the special...
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 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Whitby
Whitby (UK Parliament constituency)
Whitby was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Whitby in North Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, MP elected by the first past the post system.-History:...
. When that constituency was abolished for the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
, he was returned for the new Scarborough and Whitby constituency. He lost his seat at the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
, but returned to the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
at the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Leeds North
Leeds North (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds North was a borough constituency in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.-History:...
, and held that seat until he retired from Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
at the 1929 election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
.
Military Career
Beckett was commissioned a LieutenantLieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the 3rd (Militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
) Battalion, Green Howards in 1884, but resigned his commission in 1886. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Yorkshire Hussars
Yorkshire Hussars
The Yorkshire Hussars was a unit of the British Army from 1794 to 1956.The regiment was formed as volunteer cavalry in 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was converted to an armoured role during World War II. In 1956 it merged with two other Yorkshire yeomanry regiments to form the...
in 1888. He was promoted Lieutenant in 1895 and Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in 1898, and resigned his commission in 1901 During the First World War he returned to service as Assistant Military Secretary
Military Secretary
The Military Secretary is the British Army appointment of which the incumbent is responsible for policy direction on personnel management for members of the British Army. It is a senior British Army appointment, held by an officer holding the rank of Major-General. The Military Secretary's...
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 HelmsleyWilliam Duncombe, Viscount Helmsley
William Reginald Duncombe, Viscount Helmsley , was a British Conservative Party politician.Helmsley was the son of William Duncombe, 1st Earl of Feversham, and his wife Mabel Violet, daughter of Sir James Graham, 2nd Baronet...
. 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 Kurt Hermann Paul Otto Valerio Baron von Stutterheim, son of Richard Karl Ludwig Baron von Stutterheim, on 10 July 1929. Divorced in 1952.
- Beatrice Helen BeckettBeatrice BeckettBeatrice Helen Beckett was the first wife of the British statesman Anthony Eden.- Early life :She was the third daughter of Sir William Gervase Beckett, baronet , a banker, Conservative MP, and chairman of the Yorkshire Post, and his wife, the Honourable Mabel Theresa Duncombe...
(26 Jul 1905 - 29 Jun 1957) - married Anthony EdenAnthony EdenRobert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
. - 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
Francis Greville, 5th Earl of Warwick
Francis Richard Charles Greville, 5th Earl of Warwick , styled Lord Brooke until 1893, was a British Conservative politician....
and Frances Evelyn Maynard, on 1 November 1917. This marriage produced one son:
- Sir Martyn Gervase Beckett, 2nd Bt (6 Nov 1918 - 5 Aug 2001)
He was created a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in the 1921 Birthday Honours, as Sir Gervase Beckett, 1st Baronet Beckett, of Kirkdale Manor in the County of Yorkshire.