Bentley Beetham
Encyclopedia
Bentley Beetham was an English mountaineer, ornithologist and photographer, and a member of the 1924 British Mount Everest Expedition.
in 1886, the second son of James Weighell Beetham and Frances Elizabeth Beetham. His mother's maiden name was Bentley. Beetham's father, a bank manager in Darlington, died when Beetham was four years old.
Until the age of eight Beetham was educated at Mr Bowman’s Preparatory School; he then attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Darlington
, where his brother John was already a pupil. At the age of thirteen he was sent to the North Eastern County School
(now called Barnard Castle School) at Barnard Castle
, where he was a boarder
. He left school at the age of sixteen.
, then from 1903 to 1914 he was busy with field research, writing books and articles, photography and giving lectures. In 1914, having established himself as a leading ornithologist, he returned to the North Eastern County School as a schoolmaster
, teaching natural history
. A Fellow
of the Zoological Society of London
, in 1927 he was elected a member of the Royal Geographical Society
. He retired in 1949, and moved to Cotherstone
. In 1962 he was disabled by a stroke and spent his last year in a nursing home, where he died on 5 April 1963. His ashes were scattered from the top of Shepherd's Crag, Borrowdale
.
s that involved abseiling down cliffs with the rope attached to a stake that was driven into the ground at the top of the cliff. Beetham at this time used a cumbersome and heavy Sanderson half-plate field camera.
, although his re-ascents of the sea-cliffs on the north-east coast, once he had captured images of birds on photographic plates, involved much use of the hands. In the Lakes he used Wasdale Head
as a base and commenced a friendship with Howard Somervell
. Together they made ascents of the classic Lakeland climbs in the period before the First World War.
After the war, Beetham and Somervell started climbing in the Alps, initially under the supervision of the 60-year-old Godfrey Solly in Chamonix
, and subsequently on their own and without guides. In 1924, Beetham, along with Somervell (who had already been on the 1922 British Mount Everest Expedition), were chosen by the Mount Everest Committee
to be members of the ill-fated 1924 British Mount Everest Expedition, on which Mallory
and Irvine
were killed. Beetham suffered from dysentry and sciatica
and never made it high on the mountain. Despite this, Captain John Noel
wrote:
It was during this expedition that Beetham took his highly regarded photographs of Tibet
.
Beetham made numerous expeditions to other ranges in the world, including the Tatra Mountains
of Czechoslovakia, Chile
, the Drakensberg
, the Lofoten Islands and Spitsbergen
. He is most associated with the High Atlas
mountains of Morocco
, which he visited on five separate occasions. His first visit was in 1927, together with G. Thompson, during which he made the first British ascents of many peaks in the Toubkal
region.
Beetham's name is familiar to anyone who climbs in the Borrowdale valley in the Lake District. He made the first ascent, often solo, of numerous classic climbs in the valley, including "Little Chamonix" and "Corvus", and wrote the third edition of the Fell & Rock Climbing Club
guidebook to the valley, published in 1953. The 1990 guide to the valley notes that Beetham, "with the Goldsborough Club of Barnard Castle School, surveyed every sizable crag in the valley, working out well over a hundred routes with a wide range of difficulty". Beetham was responsible for developing the most popular crag in the valley, Shepherd's Crag, which lies close to the main road that runs beside Derwentwater.
In an article in The Journal of the Fell & Rock Climbing Club (1946), Beetham explained the attraction of climbing in Borrowdale, comparing the experience with that found on the more traditional higher crags of the Lakes.
, the Alps, the Atlas and Tatra mountains – is held in Palace Green Library next to Durham Cathedral
. The collection is supervised by the Bentley Beetham Trust in conjunction with the University of Durham.
Early life
Beetham was born in DarlingtonDarlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
in 1886, the second son of James Weighell Beetham and Frances Elizabeth Beetham. His mother's maiden name was Bentley. Beetham's father, a bank manager in Darlington, died when Beetham was four years old.
Until the age of eight Beetham was educated at Mr Bowman’s Preparatory School; he then attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Darlington
Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College
Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, or QE, is a sixth form college on Vane Terrace in Darlington, County Durham, England.-History:It was established in 1970 on the site of the old Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, designed by George Gordon Hoskins...
, where his brother John was already a pupil. At the age of thirteen he was sent to the North Eastern County School
Barnard Castle School
Barnard Castle School , is a co-educational independent day and boarding school situated in the market town of Barnard Castle, in the North East of England. It was founded in 1883 as the North Eastern County School, with the name changed to the current one in 1924, and to this day is generally...
(now called Barnard Castle School) at Barnard Castle
Barnard Castle
Barnard Castle is an historical town in Teesdale, County Durham, England. It is named after the castle around which it grew up. It sits on the north side of the River Tees, opposite Startforth, south southwest of Newcastle upon Tyne, south southwest of Sunderland, west of Middlesbrough and ...
, where he was a boarder
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
. He left school at the age of sixteen.
Career
For some years after leaving school Beetham worked in an architect's office in DarlingtonDarlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, then from 1903 to 1914 he was busy with field research, writing books and articles, photography and giving lectures. In 1914, having established himself as a leading ornithologist, he returned to the North Eastern County School as a schoolmaster
Schoolmaster
A schoolmaster, or simply master, once referred to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British public schools, but is generally obsolete elsewhere.The teacher in charge of a school is the headmaster...
, teaching natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
. A Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Zoological Society of London
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
, in 1927 he was elected a member of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
. He retired in 1949, and moved to Cotherstone
Cotherstone
Cotherstone is a village and civil parish in the Pennine hills, in Teesdale, County Durham, England.Cotherstone lies within the historic county boundaries of the North Riding of Yorkshire, but along with the rest of the former Startforth Rural District it was transferred to County Durham for...
. In 1962 he was disabled by a stroke and spent his last year in a nursing home, where he died on 5 April 1963. His ashes were scattered from the top of Shepherd's Crag, Borrowdale
Borrowdale
Borrowdale is a valley and civil parish in the English Lake District in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England.Borrowdale lies within the historic county boundaries of Cumberland, and is sometimes referred to as Cumberland Borrowdale in order to distinguish it from another Borrowdale in the...
.
Ornithology
From 1903 to 1914 Beetham devoted much time to his passion for ornithology. Amongst his expeditions, always undertaken with a camera in hand, were trips to the coast in the north-east of England, where he developed a technique for photographing gannetGannet
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus, in the family Sulidae, closely related to the boobies.The gannets are large black and white birds with yellow heads. They have long pointed wings and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, with a wingspan of up...
s that involved abseiling down cliffs with the rope attached to a stake that was driven into the ground at the top of the cliff. Beetham at this time used a cumbersome and heavy Sanderson half-plate field camera.
Rock climbing and mountaineering
Beetham started rock climbing in the English Lake DistrictLake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, although his re-ascents of the sea-cliffs on the north-east coast, once he had captured images of birds on photographic plates, involved much use of the hands. In the Lakes he used Wasdale Head
Wasdale Head
Wasdale Head is a small agricultural village in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. The village claims to be home of the highest mountain , deepest lake , smallest church and biggest liar in England...
as a base and commenced a friendship with Howard Somervell
Howard Somervell
Theodore Howard Somervell OBE was a British surgeon, mountaineer and missionary who was a member of two expeditions to Mount Everest in the 1920s, and then spent nearly 40 years working as a doctor in India.-Early life:...
. Together they made ascents of the classic Lakeland climbs in the period before the First World War.
After the war, Beetham and Somervell started climbing in the Alps, initially under the supervision of the 60-year-old Godfrey Solly in Chamonix
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
, and subsequently on their own and without guides. In 1924, Beetham, along with Somervell (who had already been on the 1922 British Mount Everest Expedition), were chosen by the Mount Everest Committee
Mount Everest Committee
The Mount Everest Committee was a body formed by the Alpine Club and the Royal Geographical Society to co-ordinate and finance the 1921 British Reconnaissance Expedition to Mount Everest and all subsequent British expeditions to climb the mountain until 1947...
to be members of the ill-fated 1924 British Mount Everest Expedition, on which Mallory
George Mallory
George Herbert Leigh Mallory was an English mountaineer who took part in the first three British expeditions to Mount Everest in the early 1920s....
and Irvine
Andrew Irvine (mountaineer)
Andrew "Sandy" Comyn Irvine was an English mountaineer who took part in 1924 British Everest Expedition, the third British expedition to the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest....
were killed. Beetham suffered from dysentry and sciatica
Sciatica
Sciatica is a set of symptoms including pain that may be caused by general compression or irritation of one of five spinal nerve roots that give rise to each sciatic nerve, or by compression or irritation of the left or right or both sciatic nerves. The pain is felt in the lower back, buttock, or...
and never made it high on the mountain. Despite this, Captain John Noel
John Baptist Lucius Noel
John Baptist Lucius Noel was a mountaineer and filmmaker best known for his film of the 1924 Mount Everest expedition. His father, Col. Edward Noel , was the younger son of the second earl of Gainsborough...
wrote:
It was during this expedition that Beetham took his highly regarded photographs of Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
.
Beetham made numerous expeditions to other ranges in the world, including the Tatra Mountains
Tatra Mountains
The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra , are a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains...
of Czechoslovakia, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, the Drakensberg
Drakensberg
The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising to in height. In Zulu, it is referred to as uKhahlamba , and in Sesotho as Maluti...
, the Lofoten Islands and Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
. He is most associated with the High Atlas
High Atlas
High Atlas, also called the Grand Atlas Mountains is a mountain range in central Morocco in Northern Africa.The High Atlas rises in the west at the Atlantic Ocean and stretches in an eastern direction to the Moroccan-Algerian border. At the Atlantic and to the southwest the range drops abruptly...
mountains of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, which he visited on five separate occasions. His first visit was in 1927, together with G. Thompson, during which he made the first British ascents of many peaks in the Toubkal
Toubkal
Toubkal is a mountain peak in southwestern Morocco, located in the Toubkal National Park. At 4,167 metres, it is the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains and in North Africa. It is located 63 km south of the city of Marrakesh, in the Toubkal National Park...
region.
Beetham's name is familiar to anyone who climbs in the Borrowdale valley in the Lake District. He made the first ascent, often solo, of numerous classic climbs in the valley, including "Little Chamonix" and "Corvus", and wrote the third edition of the Fell & Rock Climbing Club
Fell & Rock Climbing Club
The Fell & Rock Climbing Club of the English Lake District is the senior climbing club covering the English Lake District. It was founded in 1906–1907 and, amongst its other activities, publishes the rock climbing guides to the area. It owns many of the early climbing photographs The Fell &...
guidebook to the valley, published in 1953. The 1990 guide to the valley notes that Beetham, "with the Goldsborough Club of Barnard Castle School, surveyed every sizable crag in the valley, working out well over a hundred routes with a wide range of difficulty". Beetham was responsible for developing the most popular crag in the valley, Shepherd's Crag, which lies close to the main road that runs beside Derwentwater.
In an article in The Journal of the Fell & Rock Climbing Club (1946), Beetham explained the attraction of climbing in Borrowdale, comparing the experience with that found on the more traditional higher crags of the Lakes.
Bentley Beetham Trust
A collection of Beetham's photographs – those he took in Tibet on the 1924 expedition, considered "an important historical record of Tibetan culture", as well as photographs of Barnard Castle, TeesdaleTeesdale
Teesdale is a dale, or valley, of the east side of the Pennines in England. Large parts of Teesdale fall within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - the second largest AONB in England and Wales. The River Tees rises below Cross Fell, the highest hill in the Pennines, and its...
, the Alps, the Atlas and Tatra mountains – is held in Palace Green Library next to Durham Cathedral
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
. The collection is supervised by the Bentley Beetham Trust in conjunction with the University of Durham.
Selected publications by Beetham
- The Home-Life of the Spoonbill, the Stork and Some Herons, Witherby & Co., 1910
- Photography for Bird-Lovers. A practical guide ... With photographic plates by Bentley Beetham, Witherby & Co., 1911
- 'On the positions assumed by birds in flight', in British Birds, 1911
- 'The Buff-backed Heron' in Wild Life, vol. 6 (1915)
- 'The Return Journey', chapter 8 of The Fight for Everest 1924, Longmans, Green & Co., 1925
- Among Our Banished Birds, Arnold, 1927; Longmans, Green & Co., New York
- Borrowdale, Fell & Rock Climbing Club, 1953