William Beilby

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William Beilby (1740 - 1819) was a glassworker. He came to Newcastle upon Tyne with his family, originally from Yorkshire, in 1760.

William's sister Mary Beilby (1749-97) was now eleven and while brother Ralph emerged as the business head of the family, Mary spent much of her time with William, who had fallen in love with mediaeval Newcastle. William was at once fascinated by the thriving glass industry about him, and it seems that it was at the Closegate in 1761 that William became the first man in England, possibly the world, to fire enamels into glass, so that they became virtually part of the glass itself.

William taught Mary to paint in enamels at the family workshop in Amen Corner by St Nicholas Cathedral, though she never matched the skill of her brother. As he achieved greater recognition, William was often called upon to create glasses with fictitious heraldry on them, or pieces commemorating particular events like the election of the Lord Mayor or the launching of a ship. A superb example of the latter is the ‘Margaret and Winneford’ bowl in the Laing Art Gallery. Beilby glasses can be found in great museums all over the world, and even when damaged are worth tens of thousands of pounds.

William and Mary worked together from 1760 to 1778. In 1767 the young Thomas Bewick joined the family as an apprentice. Thomas and Mary developed an affection for each other, though Ralph Beilby did all he could to put obstacles in the way of the young pair. After Mary had a stroke in 1774, however, Bewick’s ardour cooled.

The family moved from Newcastle to London in 1778 and then to Scotland, where Mary died. Over this last period, the Beilbys produced no more glass, but William painted more of his exquisite water colours. Eventually, he moved back to the family roots in Hull in 1810.

Squadron Leader James Rush has written two fine books about the Beilby family - The Ingenious Beilbys and A Beilby Odyssey. The royalties from both books went to the Cheshire Home at Matfen Hall, Northumberland.