Arthur William a Beckett
Encyclopedia
Arthur William à Beckett (25 October 1844 Fulham
- 14 January 1909 London
) was an English
journalist
and man of letters.
, brother of Gilbert Arthur à Beckett
and educated at Felsted School
. Besides fulfilling other journalistic engagements, Beckett was on the staff of Punch from 1874 to 1902, edited the Sunday Times 1891-1895, and the Naval and Military Magazine in 1896.
He gave an account of his father and his own reminiscences in The à Becketts of Punch (1903). A childhood friend (and distant relative) of W. S. Gilbert
, Beckett briefly feuded with Gilbert in 1869, but the two patched up the friendship, and Gilbert even later collaborated on projects with Beckett's brother.
He wrote for the theatre two three-act comedies:
and
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
- 14 January 1909 London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and man of letters.
Biography
He was a younger son of Gilbert Abbott à BeckettGilbert Abbott à Beckett
Gilbert Abbott à Beckett was an English humorist.He was born in London, the son of a lawyer, and belonged to a family claiming descent from Thomas Becket...
, brother of Gilbert Arthur à Beckett
Gilbert Arthur a Beckett
Gilbert Arthur à Beckett was an English writer.-Biography:Beckett was born at Hammersmith, United Kingdom, the eldest son of Gilbert Abbott à Beckett and the brother of Arthur William à Beckett...
and educated at Felsted School
Felsted School
Felsted School, an English co-educational day and boarding independent school, situated in Felsted, Essex. It is in the British Public School tradition, and was founded in 1564 by Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich who, as Lord Chancellor and Chancellor of the Court of Augmentations, acquired...
. Besides fulfilling other journalistic engagements, Beckett was on the staff of Punch from 1874 to 1902, edited the Sunday Times 1891-1895, and the Naval and Military Magazine in 1896.
He gave an account of his father and his own reminiscences in The à Becketts of Punch (1903). A childhood friend (and distant relative) of W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
, Beckett briefly feuded with Gilbert in 1869, but the two patched up the friendship, and Gilbert even later collaborated on projects with Beckett's brother.
Works
He published:- Comic Guide to the Royal Academy, with his brother Gilbert (1863-64)
- Fallen Amongst Thieves (1869)
- Our Holiday in the Highlands (1874)
- The Shadow Witness and The Doom of Saint Quirec, with Francis BurnandFrancis BurnandSir Francis Cowley Burnand , often credited as F. C. Burnand, was an English comic writer and dramatist....
(1875-76) - The Ghost of Grimstone Grange (1877)
- The Mystery of Mostyn Manor (1878)
- Traded Out; Hard Luck; Stone Broke; Papers from Pump Handle Court, by a Briefless Barrister (1884)
- Modern Arabian Nights (1885)
- The Member for Wrottenborough (1895)
- Greenroom Recollections (1896)
- The Modern Adam (1899)
- London at the End of the Century (1900)
- With F. C. Burnand he co-authored:
- The Doom of St. Querec (1875)
- The Shadow Witness (1876)
He wrote for the theatre two three-act comedies:
- L.S.D. (Royalty TheatreRoyalty TheatreThe Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho and opened on 25 May 1840 as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938. The architect was Samuel Beazley, a resident in Soho Square, who also designed St James's Theatre, among...
, 1872); - About Town (Court TheatreRoyal Court TheatreThe Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
, 1873, it ran for over 150 nights);
and
- On Strike (Court Theatre, 1873, a domestic drama in one act) ;
- Faded Flowers (The HaymarketHaymarket TheatreThe Theatre Royal Haymarket is a West End theatre in the Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use...
); - Long Ago (Royalty Theatre, 1882);
- From Father to Son (Liverpool, 1881, a dramatised version of his novel Fallen among Thieves written in 3 acts in cooperation with J. Palgrave Simpson).