Calendar of State Papers (1547-80); Le Neve's Fasti Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ; Cooper's Annals of Cambridge, ii.; Bishop Fisher's Sermon for Lady Margaret, ed. Hymers, 68; Baker MSS. iii. 309, xxxii. 427, 430.]
BEAUMONT, ROBERT (fl. 1639), essayist, was a man of a retired life and solitary disposition, if his testimony of his own character, which he gives in the preface to his book, is to be believed. He is chiefly remarkable for his 'Missives,' which are, in plain speech, letters, and seem, from one part of Beaumont's epistle to the reader, to be his own composition, and from another part to be the composition of others. But the former intimation has the stronger support. It is evident they were written upon supposititious occasions. Letters, he says, should be like a well-furnished table, where every guest may eat of what dish he pleases. This reminds us of Bickerstaff's once-popular opera, ' Love in a Village : '
- The world is a well-furnished table,
- Where guests are promiscuously set.
The essays are fifteen in number, and are on the various parts of the body–the head, eye, nose, ear, tongue, and so forth. They are full of trope and figure, frequently with much force of application, quaint and sententious. The precise title of his work is as follows: 'Love's Missives to Virtue; with Essaies, Lond. printed by William Godbid, and are to be sold at the signe of the Star, in Little Britain, 1660.' Small 8vo, pp. 120.
[Watt's Bibl. Brit.; Lowndes's Bibliog. Man. i. 138; Sir E. Brydges' Restituta, 3, 278-81.]
BEAUMONT, THOMAS WENTWORTH (1792–1848), politician, was the
eldest son of Colonel Thomas Richard Beaumont, of Bretton Hall, Yorkshire, and
Diana, daughter of Sir S. W. Blackett,
baronet, of Hexham Abbey, and was born
15 Nov. 1792. He was educated at Eton,
and in 1809 became a fellow commoner of
St. John's College, Cambridge, where he
graduated B.A. in 1813. In 1818 he succeeded his father in the representation of
Northumberland, but in 1826 he lost the
election, under circumstances which led to a
duel on Bamburgh sands with Mr. Lambton,
afterwards Earl of Durham. After representing the borough of Stafford for a short
time he was in 1830 returned for Northumberland, and from the passing of the Reform
Bill he continued to represent the southern
division of the county until 1837. In early
life he was a member of the Pitt Club, but
from 1820 an advanced liberal and among
the most energetic of politicians in the cause
of reform. Acquiring, on the death of his
mother in 1831, a large accession of property,
he took also an active interest in the advancement of the fine arts, and by his munificent
generosity won the attachment of many
friends. He was one of the chief originators
of the 'Westminster Review,' to which he is
said to have contributed some articles. Some
of his verses are contained in the 'Musæ
Etonenses.' He died at Bournemouth 10 Dec.
1848.
[Annual Register, xci. 213; Latimer's Local Records of Remarkable Events in Northumberland and Durham (1857), p. 254.]
BEAUMONT, WALERAN de, Count of Meulan (1104–1166), warrior and feudal
statesman, was the twin brother of Robert,
earl of Leicester [see Bearmont, Robert de,
1104-1168] and the son of Robert, count of
Meulan [see Beaumont, Robert de, d. 1118].
Born in 1104 (Ord. Vit. xi. 2), and brought
up with his brother, he succeeded at his
father's death (1118) to his French fief of
Meulan and his Norman fief of Beaumont (ib.
xii. 33). In the struggle of 1119 he was faithful to Henry I (ib. xii. 14), probably because
too young to rebel; but the movement in favour of William 'Clito' and Anjou (1112) was
eagerly joined by him (ib. xii. 34). He was
present at the conspiracy of Croix St. Leufroi, Sept. 1123 (ib.), and threw himself into
Brionne (ib.) On Henry's approach, he
withdrew to Beaumont (ib. xii. 36), whilst
his castles of Brionne and Pont-Audemer
were besieged and captured (Rog. Hov. i. 180,
Hen. Hunt. 245, Sim. Durh.) On the
night of 24 March 1124 he relieved and
re-victualled his tower of Watteville, but
was intercepted two days later by Ranulf
of Bayeux, near Bourg Thorolde, and taken
prisoner with thirty of his knights (Ord. Vit. xii. 39). Henry extorted from him
the surrender of Beaumont, his only remaining castle, and kept him in close confinement
for some five years (ib.) He was present
with his brother at Henry's deathbed, 1 Dec.
1135 (ib. xiii. 19), but warmly espoused the
cause of Stephen, and received the promise
of his infant daughter in 1136 (ib. xiii. 22).
Returning to Normandy after Easter, to
assist his brother against Roger de Toesny,
he captured him after prolonged warfare on
3 Oct. 1136 (ib. xiii. 27). Joined by Stephen
the following spring, he hastened back with
him to England in Dec. 1137, at the rumour
of rebellion (ib. xiii. 32), but was again despatched by him to Normandy in May 1138,
to suppress his opponents (ib. xiii. 37). Returning to England with his brother, before
