Beriah Botfield facts for kids

Beriah Botfield FRS FRSE FSA FRGS (born March 5, 1807 – died August 7, 1863) was an important British politician and a Member of Parliament (MP). He represented the area of Ludlow in Shropshire for the Conservative Party. Besides politics, he was also very interested in books, rocks, and plants. He was known as a bibliographer (someone who studies books), a geologist (someone who studies rocks and the Earth), and a botanist (someone who studies plants).

A Young Life and Early Career

Beriah Botfield was born on March 5, 1807, in a place called Earl's Ditton in Shropshire. His father, also named Beriah Botfield, passed away when young Beriah was only six years old. His mother was Charlotte, the daughter of a famous doctor and botanist named William Withering.

Beriah went to a well-known school called Harrow School. After that, he studied at Christ Church at Oxford University, finishing his degree in 1828.

He inherited his family's large business, which included coal mining and making iron in Shropshire. Because of his family's importance and wealth, it wasn't surprising that Beriah Botfield became involved in politics.

In 1831, he took on an important role as the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire. This was a position of great responsibility in the county.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In 1840, Beriah Botfield was elected as a Member of Parliament for Ludlow. He won this election during a special vote called a by-election. He served as an MP until 1847, when he lost the general election.

However, he didn't give up! He was re-elected as an MP in 1857 and continued to serve until he passed away in 1863. In 1858, he built a special stone cross on Shadwell Hill, near the border between Wales and England. This cross was built to remember a traveling salesman named William Cantlin, who was robbed and murdered there in 1691.

Interests in Science and History

Beriah Botfield was not just a politician; he was also very interested in science and history. In January 1839, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom. He also became the president of the British Archaeological Association, a group that studies ancient things and historical sites.

He received special honors from other countries too. He was made a knight of the Order of Albert the Brave from Saxony (a part of Germany). He earned this honor by giving a collection of British minerals to the royal collection in Dresden. He also became a knight of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) after he gave a collection of British birds to the Natural History Museum in Brussels.

In 1845, he served as a Cornet in the South Shropshire Yeomanry Cavalry, which was a type of local military group. In 1859, he was the treasurer for the Royal Salop Infirmary, a hospital in Shrewsbury.

Later Life and Legacy

Beriah Botfield passed away on August 7, 1863, at his home in Grosvenor Square, London. He was 56 years old.

In his will, he left a significant amount of money to the Institution of Civil Engineers, an organization for engineers. He also left his amazing collections of old books, books with colored pictures, and paintings (mostly Dutch landscapes) to the Marquess of Bath. Most of these collections are still kept at Longleat, a grand estate.

Published Works

Beriah Botfield was well-known for his work with books. He even set up his own private printing press at his home in Norton Hall. This allowed him to print books himself.

One of the books he printed was an anonymous book called Journal of a Tour through the Highlands of Scotland (1830). He also printed Stemmata Botevilliana (1843) for a private collection. This book was about his family, the Boteville or Botfield family. He later made a much bigger version of this book and shared it with the public in 1858. Another work he printed was Bibliotheca Hearniana—excerpts from the Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Hearne (1848). Parts of this book were later reprinted in another work called Reliquiæ Hearnianæ (1869 edition).

Family Life

On October 21, 1858, Beriah Botfield married Isabella Leighton in Alberbury, Shropshire. Isabella was the second daughter of Sir Baldwin Leighton, the Seventh Baronet, who was also a Conservative party politician. Beriah and Isabella did not have any children.