Richard Boswell Beddome

Richard Boswell Beddome is the brother of Elizabeth Chalesworth (nee Beddome). Their children marry each other.

Career

Richard Boswell Beddome was a solicitor. He moved to Maitland House, Clapham Common in 1847.

There is a short account of Richard Beddome's household at the start of the life of his daughter, Maria Charlesworth (nee Beddome), written by her husband (see "Memorials of a blessed life").

Maria Amelia Charlesworth was born at Clapham the 8th May, 1826. Her father, Mr. Richard Boswell Beddome, was for sixty years an eminent solicitor in the City. Maria Amelia was the eldest of seven children. Her home was one in which the influence of Christian parents was felt in the daily life of every inmate. Her father, from the first commencement of his married life, as the master of a household, made the resolution of Joshua his own rule of conduct in every particular: 'As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.'

Though he had to leave home early - before nine o'clock - family morning prayer was never omitted. His professional duties kept him long in town: he returned too late to see much of his children; but this unavoidable want in their home-life of a father's society was greatly compensated for by the admirable qualities of a mother, who united to loving tenderness and watchful care great judgment and firmness in discipline.

But Sunday was the happy, bright day, when both parents could devote all their time and thoughts to their children, in making it a day of holy occupation and sacred service. No ascetic gloom or religious formality pervaded that home. The Sabbath was truly 'a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable.'

The more leisure breakfast with the dear father, not obliged to hasten off to town; the hymn added to the morning prayer; the verse repeated by each one assembled at the breakfast-table; the after Scripture-reading with father and mother; then the family party all assembling together in the large seat at church; the pleasant dinner, the only one in the week when the father could be present; the afternoon church, and the stroll in the garden; but last, and to the children perhaps the best of all, the evening family reading, when parents, children, and servants, all united in reading the Scriptures, repeating and singing hymns, and then listening to some interesting book. Such is an outline of each Sunday, making that home so bright and pleasant, that each member of it could say and feel, 'This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.' At that time many lawyers were wont to make Sunday their busiest business day, in working up arrears, settling bills of costs, drawing up briefs and deeds. Eminent counsel often appointed Sunday for holding important consultations, at which juniors and solicitors were expected to be present. One leading counsel, then Solicitor-General and afterwards a Lord Chief Justice and Lord Chancellor, on being expostulated with for the practice, answered, 'Is it not written, "Which of you shall have an ass fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath Day?"' Even now, in these days, when so much effort is made to emancipate Sunday workers from their cruel thraldom, many hundred writing clerks are employed by law-stationers the whole of Sunday under pain, in case of refusal, of being dismissed, which, in their case, means family starvation. It is a blot upon the legal profession that copying should thus be thrust upon law-stationers and their clerks late on Saturday, to be ready on Monday morning. Mr. Beddome set his face like a flint against this Sabbath desecration: he would never attend a consultation on Sunday, or glance at a legal document, however urgent the alleged necessity. To this habitual observance of the one day's rest in seven may be attributed the long life to which he attained - eighty-five years, - in the full possession of all his faculties, with a judgment so clear, a memory so good, and sight and hearing so unimpaired, such as few, who laboured mentally as he had laboured for sixty years, are privileged to enjoy.

In "A Rector's Daughter in Victorian England" by Maud Ballington Booth, she describes Richard Beddome, her grandfather, as a successul barrister (which is not the same thing as a solicitor), and "wealthy". She says that at one time her father, Samuel Charlesworth, Richard's nephew, took a law degree and went to work in Richard's office, but later decided to enter the church instead.

Maud also says that Richard Beddome, and her father, were amateur astronomers. "Grandfather Beddome" (Richard) visited her family while they were on holiday in Lowestoft, and he brought his telescope with him.

Richard Boswell Beddome was executor to the wills of both Samuel and John Favell and inherited money from John Favell. Samuel Favell was his uncle, and John Favell, his cousin. Richard Boswell Beddome's children also inherited money from John Favell.

See Probates connected with Richard Beddome to find out how much he was worth when he died.

Wife and children

Wife: In 1824, he married Maria Brown (1792-1871). The 1816 census describes her as being born in Bow Parish, London.
Children:

In "A Rector's Daughter in Victorian England" by Maud Ballington Booth, the daughter of Maria Beddome, she says "We owned a very big Noah's ark which had belonged to my mother and her brothers and her sisters in their childhood. They must have been exceptional little children, for the ark was handed down to us in a wonderful condition." A book "Sermons of the late Rev. Benjamin Beddome" was printed in 1835. Two of the subscribers (whose names were printed in the book) were Richard B. Beddome of Clapham. See Memoir of Benjamin Beddome. Several of the children died as young adults. See Probates connected with Richard Beddome for details. Click here for information on Richard Henry Beddome, the oldest son. Click here for information on Charles Edward Beddome, the youngest son. See Census records connected with Beddomes for which children were living with Richard Beddome in 1871.

John Arthur Beddome

© Jo Edkins 2015 - Return to Beddome index