Charity

Baron Marochetti

c.1863

Marble sculpture on a memorial to William Beckett

St Peter, Kirkgate, Leeds

Photographs, caption, and commentary by Jacqueline Banerjee, 2011.

[You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this UR, or cite the Victorian Web in a print document.]

An angel and two children, representing Charity, stand atop a tall base bearing a relief of William Beckett (1784-1863). This memorial in the parish church is touchingly appropriate for Beckett, who was an eminent banker from a wealthy local family, and who gave handsomely and regularly to local charities. As an MP first for Leeds and then for nearby Ripon, he warmly supported factory reform and the repeal of the Corn Laws in the 1840s (see Victorian Legislation: A Timeline). He funded several schools, and left many charitable bequests. Although he died in Brighton and was buried at Kensal Green cemetery in London, his passing was widely mourned in Leeds (see Taylor 506-09). Compare this allegorical depiction of Charity with a later one by Sir George Frampton, which emphasises maternal love.

Left: Close-up of the children. Right: Relief portrait of Wliiam Beckett on the base. [Click on the thumbnails for larger images.]

Sources

Leach, Peter, and Nikolaus Pevsner. Yorkshire West Riding, Leeds, Bradford and the North. The Buildings of England series. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2009.

Taylor, Rev. Richard Vickerman. The Biographia Leodiensis; or, biographical sketches of the worthies of Leeds. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co, 1865. Internet Archive. Web. 10 July 2011.

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Last modified 16 July 2011