Mary Beever | |
---|---|
Born | 1802
Ardwick,
Greater Manchester, England |
Died | 31 December 1883 (aged 80–81)
Coniston, Cumbria, England |
Mary Beever (1802 – 31 December 1883) was a British artist and botanist. She and her sister were close friends with their neighbour John Ruskin in the Lake District.
Beever was born in Ardwick. Her father, William Beever, was a Manchester businessman and their mother, Nanny, died while she was young. [1]
They lived in Birdsgrove House near Ashbourne in Derbyshire before moving to The Thwaite in Coniston in Cumbria in 1827. [1] Mary was a keen botanist and her collections are in several museums. [2] She was elected a member of the Botanical Society of London between 1839 and 1841. [3] Her father died in 1831. Her brother John installed water power for a family printing press and a pond was created where he experimented with different fish foods. [4] Her sister Anne died in 1858 and her brother, John, died the following year. She shared the house with her sister Susan after their sister Margaret died in 1874. [1]
Mary and her sister Susanna were skilled botanical artists and they found themselves in John Ruskin's circle after they first met him in 1873. [1] Ruskin lived on the other side of Coniston and he would write them letters although a short walk or a row in a boat would enable a visit. Ruskin was closest to "Susie" and in 1875 he allowed her to create an abridged version of his book Modern Painters. [5]
Beever died at their home in Coniston in 1883. [1]