Ernest William Beckett, 2nd Baron Grimthorpe (born Ernest William Beckett-Denison; 25 November 1856 – 9 May 1917), was a British banker and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 until 1905 when he inherited the Grimthorpe peerage.
Beckett was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge,[1] though he failed to complete his first year at university and dropped out to travel abroad. He later became a partner in the banking firm of Beckett & Co, of Leeds, owned by his father.
In 1885, Beckett was elected Member of Parliament for Whitby, a seat he held until 1905, though he is rarely mentioned in Hansard.[6] In 1886, he resumed the name Beckett in place of Denison. In 1905, he succeeded his uncle Lord Grimthorpe as 2nd Baron according to a special remainder in the letters patent, as well as in the family baronetcy. However, he squandered much of his inherited family wealth and in 1905 he was also sacked as a senior partner in the family bank by his two brothers because of his expensive tastes and personal debts. He had once commissioned a bronze bust of his then fiancée Eve Fairfax from the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin.
In a 2010 biographical study, Michael Holroyd described Beckett as 'a man of swiftly changing enthusiasms ... a dilettante, philanderer, gambler and opportunist. He changed his career, his interests and his mistresses quite regularly.'[7]
Italy
In 1904, Beckett bought a ruined farmhouse outside Ravello, on the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy. He transformed it into a fortified palace with towers, battlements and a mixture of Arabic, Venetian and Gothic details, and called it Villa Cimbrone.[8] Between the house and the cliff edge, he built a garden, high above the Gulf of Salerno. The garden is an eccentric mixture of formal, English rose beds, Moorish tea houses, picturesque grottoes and classical temples. Today the house is a luxurious hotel, and the garden is open to the public.
Personal life
On 4 October 1883, Ernest married an American, Lucy Tracy Lee, the only child of William Pray Lee and Lucy Eldredge Tracy when he was 26 and she was 18.[9] Lucy died on 9 May 1891, six days after their son's birth. They had three children:
Beckett is also believed to have been the father of Violet Trefusis (1894–1972), whose mother, Alice Keppel was a mistress of King Edward VII.[10] Today, Violet is mainly remembered for her lengthy affair with the poet Vita Sackville-West, which the two women continued after their respective marriages.[11]
He also fathered a son, Lancelot Ernest Cecil, in 1895 by the Johannesburg socialite and hostess José Brink Dale Lace, married to mining magnate, John Dale Lace. In 1901, Ernest became engaged to Eve Fairfax, but the engagement was broken a few years later. During this time, he commissioned a bust of Eve from sculptor Auguste Rodin, which was the first of several Rodin made using Eve as a model. Rodin and Eve became close friends during the sittings for these busts.[citation needed]
Lord Grimthorpe died in April 1917, aged 60. He was succeeded in the baronetcy and barony by his son, Ralph Beckett. Lord Grimthorpe's younger brother, Gervase Beckett, also sat as a Conservative Member of Parliament and was created a baronet in 1921 (see Beckett baronets). His ashes are interred in the gardens of his beloved Villa Cimbrone.[12]
In Leeds, Beckett Park is named after Lord Grimthorpe.
In 2013, it was announced that the Board of Governors at Leeds Metropolitan University had applied to the privy council to change their name to Leeds Beckett University, named after the location of the university's founding colleges, Beckett Park.[13]
Arms
Coat of arms of Ernest Beckett, 2nd Baron Grimthorpe
Crest
A boar’s head couped Or pierced by a cross patée fitchée erect Gules.
Escutcheon
Gules a fess between three boars’ heads couped Erminois.
Supporters
Two sangliers Erminois each gorged with a collar and pendant therefrom an escutcheon Gules charged with a cross patée fitchée Or.
^Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Ernest Beckett
^"Vita and Violet: The Greatest Bloomsbury Love Story". The New York Times. 7 August 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
^. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
^Depew, Chauncey M. (2013). Titled Americans, 1890: A list of American ladies who have married foreigners of rank. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 91. ISBN978-1-78366-005-6. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
^Michael Holroyd, A Book of Secrets: Illegitimate Daughters, Absent Fathers (Chatto, 2010).
^Taylor, Clare L. (2004). "Trefusis, Violet (1894–1972)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/76253. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
^"The Gardens of Villa Cimbrone". Minor Sights. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
^"Leeds Metropolitan aims to become Leeds Beckett University". BBC News. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
ernest, beckett, baron, grimthorpe, ernest, william, beckett, baron, grimthorpe, born, ernest, william, beckett, denison, november, 1856, 1917, british, banker, conservative, politician, house, commons, from, 1885, until, 1905, when, inherited, grimthorpe, pee. Ernest William Beckett 2nd Baron Grimthorpe born Ernest William Beckett Denison 25 November 1856 9 May 1917 was a British banker and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 until 1905 when he inherited the Grimthorpe peerage Whitby Beckett as caricatured by Spy Leslie Ward in Vanity Fair January 1904 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 Italy 3 Personal life 3 1 Descendants 4 Legacy 5 Arms 6 References 7 External linksEarly life EditBeckett was the eldest son of William Beckett younger son of Sir Edmund Beckett 4th Baronet and Hon Helen Duncombe daughter of William Duncombe 2nd Baron Feversham He was the nephew of Edmund Beckett 1st Baron Grimthorpe and great nephew of Sir John Beckett 2nd Baronet Beckett was educated at Eton College and Trinity College Cambridge 1 though he failed to complete his first year at university and dropped out to travel abroad He later became a partner in the banking firm of Beckett amp Co of Leeds owned by his father Career EditHe was a major in the Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry Cavalry 2 was commissioned as an Assistant Adjutant general in the Imperial Yeomanry on 28 February 1900 3 4 during the Second Boer War and returned to the Yorkshire Hussars when he resigned from active duty in July 1902 5 In 1885 Beckett was elected Member of Parliament for Whitby a seat he held until 1905 though he is rarely mentioned in Hansard 6 In 1886 he resumed the name Beckett in place of Denison In 1905 he succeeded his uncle Lord Grimthorpe as 2nd Baron according to a special remainder in the letters patent as well as in the family baronetcy However he squandered much of his inherited family wealth and in 1905 he was also sacked as a senior partner in the family bank by his two brothers because of his expensive tastes and personal debts He had once commissioned a bronze bust of his then fiancee Eve Fairfax from the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin In a 2010 biographical study Michael Holroyd described Beckett as a man of swiftly changing enthusiasms a dilettante philanderer gambler and opportunist He changed his career his interests and his mistresses quite regularly 7 Italy Edit In 1904 Beckett bought a ruined farmhouse outside Ravello on the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy He transformed it into a fortified palace with towers battlements and a mixture of Arabic Venetian and Gothic details and called it Villa Cimbrone 8 Between the house and the cliff edge he built a garden high above the Gulf of Salerno The garden is an eccentric mixture of formal English rose beds Moorish tea houses picturesque grottoes and classical temples Today the house is a luxurious hotel and the garden is open to the public Personal life EditOn 4 October 1883 Ernest married an American Lucy Tracy Lee the only child of William Pray Lee and Lucy Eldredge Tracy when he was 26 and she was 18 9 Lucy died on 9 May 1891 six days after their son s birth They had three children Lucy Katherine Beckett born 1884 who married Count Otto Czernin von und zu Chudenitz the Austro Hungarian Minister to Bulgaria in 1903 They divorced in 1920 and she remarried to Captain Oliver Harry Frost son of Robert Frost not the poet in 1926 divorced 1941 Helen Muriel Beckett 1886 1916 Ralph William Ernest Beckett 1891 1963 Beckett is also believed to have been the father of Violet Trefusis 1894 1972 whose mother Alice Keppel was a mistress of King Edward VII 10 Today Violet is mainly remembered for her lengthy affair with the poet Vita Sackville West which the two women continued after their respective marriages 11 He also fathered a son Lancelot Ernest Cecil in 1895 by the Johannesburg socialite and hostess Jose Brink Dale Lace married to mining magnate John Dale Lace In 1901 Ernest became engaged to Eve Fairfax but the engagement was broken a few years later During this time he commissioned a bust of Eve from sculptor Auguste Rodin which was the first of several Rodin made using Eve as a model Rodin and Eve became close friends during the sittings for these busts citation needed Lord Grimthorpe died in April 1917 aged 60 He was succeeded in the baronetcy and barony by his son Ralph Beckett Lord Grimthorpe s younger brother Gervase Beckett also sat as a Conservative Member of Parliament and was created a baronet in 1921 see Beckett baronets His ashes are interred in the gardens of his beloved Villa Cimbrone 12 Descendants Edit His only son was the father of Christopher John Beckett who became the 4th Baron Grimthorpe upon Ralph s death in 1963 Another grandson by his daughter Lucy Manfred Beckett Czernin 1913 1962 was a distinguished Royal Air Force pilot and Special Operations Executive operative Legacy EditIn Leeds Beckett Park is named after Lord Grimthorpe In 2013 it was announced that the Board of Governors at Leeds Metropolitan University had applied to the privy council to change their name to Leeds Beckett University named after the location of the university s founding colleges Beckett Park 13 Arms EditCoat of arms of Ernest Beckett 2nd Baron Grimthorpe Crest A boar s head couped Or pierced by a cross patee fitchee erect Gules Escutcheon Gules a fess between three boars heads couped Erminois Supporters Two sangliers Erminois each gorged with a collar and pendant therefrom an escutcheon Gules charged with a cross patee fitchee Or Motto Prodesse Civibus To Serve The State 14 References Edit Denison post Beckett E W Ernest William DNY875EW A Cambridge Alumni Database University of Cambridge Debrett s House of Commons 1886 under Denison Retrieved 23 August 2016 No 27169 The London Gazette 27 February 1900 p 1351 No 27173 The London Gazette 13 March 1900 p 1715 No 27454 The London Gazette 15 July 1902 p 4513 Hansard 1803 2005 contributions in Parliament by Ernest Beckett Vita and Violet The Greatest Bloomsbury Love Story The New York Times 7 August 2011 Retrieved 23 August 2016 Villa Cimbrone history Archived from the original on 11 May 2008 Retrieved 29 November 2007 Depew Chauncey M 2013 Titled Americans 1890 A list of American ladies who have married foreigners of rank Bloomsbury Publishing p 91 ISBN 978 1 78366 005 6 Retrieved 5 August 2019 Michael Holroyd A Book of Secrets Illegitimate Daughters Absent Fathers Chatto 2010 Taylor Clare L 2004 Trefusis Violet 1894 1972 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 76253 Retrieved 29 November 2007 The Gardens of Villa Cimbrone Minor Sights Retrieved 1 May 2016 Leeds Metropolitan aims to become Leeds Beckett University BBC News Retrieved 23 August 2016 Debrett s Peerage 1921 External links EditHansard 1803 2005 contributions in Parliament by Ernest Beckett Family secrets by Michael Holroyd The Importance of Being Ernest and Some Women of No Importance by Michael Holroyd excerpt from A Book of Secrets Parliament of the United KingdomPreceded byArthur Pease Member of Parliament for Whitby1885 1905 Succeeded byNoel BuxtonPeerage of the United KingdomPreceded byEdmund Beckett Baron Grimthorpe1905 1917 Succeeded byRalph BeckettBaronetage of the United KingdomPreceded byEdmund Beckett Baronet of Leeds 1917 1963 Succeeded byRalph Beckett Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ernest Beckett 2nd Baron Grimthorpe amp oldid 1137114149, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
