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Authorised form of nameBeale; John (c1608 - c1683); clergyman and writer
Datesc1608 - c1683
NationalityBritish
Place of birthYardley, Herefordshire, England, Europe
Date of birthc1608
Dates and placesBaptism:
Yarkhill, Herefordshire, England, Europe (17 April 1608)
Burial:
Yeovil, Somerset, England, Europe (16 April 1683)
OccupationClergyman, Church of England
Research fieldAgriculture
Horticulture
Botany
Forestry
ActivityEducation:
Worcester Cathedral school (1618-1622); Eton College (1622-); King's College, Cambridge (BA 1632/3; MA 1636)
Career:
Fellow of King's (1632-40); travelled for some years while tutor and guardian to cousin Robert Pye and George Speke; Rector of Sock, Somerset (1638-1683); published 'A Treatise on Fruit Trees' (1653); member of the Herefordshire committee for ejecting scandalous ministers (1654); instrumental in establishment of Herefordshire Association of Ministers (1657-1658); published 'Observations on some parts of Bacon's natural history, as it concerns fruit trees, fruits and flowers' (1658); Rector of Yeovil, Somerset (1660-1683); Chaplain to Charles II (1665-1683)
Membership categoryFellow
Date of election16/08/1663
Royal Society activityCommittee and panels:
Committee for Agriculture [Georgical] (1664) ; Committee for the Histories of Trades (1664) ; Committee for Collecting all the Phenomena of Nature hitherto observed (1664) ; Committee for Correspondence (1664)
Other Royal Society activityFrequent correspondent on agricultural matters; Appointed Curator of Experiments regarding cider production (1663); Beale's paper 'Aphorisms concerning cider' (1662) prompted the formation of committee to consider the production elsewhere in England
RelationshipsParents: Thomas Beale and Joanna Pye
Additional relatives: uncles Sir William Pye (attorney-general of the Court of Wards) and Sir Robert Pye (auditor of the exchequer)
General contextBeale was affected relatively early on by the impending Civil War and sequestration and was ejected from the rectory at Sock [Dennis]. After the siege of Hereford in 1645, Beale fled to the parliamentary camp at Shrewsbury. Later, his connection by marriage to Humphrey Mackworth, governor of Shrewsbury, allowed him to serve as his chaplain. With his background and interest in cider production and related agriculture, Beale started correspondence with Samuel Hartlib, becoming a member of the Hartlib circle. This brought him in the same circle as John Evelyn (FRS 1660), Henry Oldenburg (FRS 1660), and Robert Boyle (FRS 1660).
Related imagesDiscover a selection of related images in our picture library
SourcesSources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Venn; ODNB
References:
Goodchild, P H. 1991. ''No Phantasticall Utopia, but a Reall Place'. John Evelyn, John Beale and Backbury Hill, Herefordshire', in Garden History, vol. 19(2), pp. 105-127
Notes:
DNB gives date of birth as 1603, Hunter gives 1608; Venn gives c1613.

Declared an honorary member from 07 January 1663 (Birch p172: "they had declared him, from that time, an honorary member of the society, and would receive him, upon his desire, a fellow of it."); re-elected 16 August 1663 [JB]. After the grant of the Second Royal Charter to the Royal Society in 1663 all existing Fellows had to be declared within two months or re-elected. As Beale was re-elected outside the two month window stipulated in the Charter he is not considered an Original Fellow of the Society. The date of election after the grant of the 1663 Charter is considered the official election date and is the one given in this database.
Virtual International Authority Filehttp://viaf.org/viaf/20025298
Royal Society codeNA3355
Archives associated with this Fellow
Reference numberTitleDate
EL/B1/33Copy of a paper from John Beale1663
EL/B1/19Extract from a letter, from John Beale to John Evelyn19 January 1663
EL/B1/40Copy of a letter from John Beale to Robert Boyle25 April 1664
EL/B1/61Robert Hooke to John Beale1670s
EL/OB/121John Beale to Robert Boyle18 April 1666
EL/B1/50A brief account of tanning dog and cat skins by John Beale1660s
CLP/17/12How to make good ink and how to make gunpowder by Reverend Bealend
EL/OB/126John Beale to Robert Boyle10 August 1666
EL/OB/144John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle1 July 1682
EL/OB/124John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle13 July 1666
EL/B1/68Copy of a letter from John Beale to William Brounckernd
EL/OB/97John Beale to Robert Boyle4 October 1661
EL/S1/1Copy of a letter from Peter Smith to John Beale1663
EL/B1/39Continuation of John Beale's proposal for transplanting East Indian spices and vegetables1 April 1664
EL/B1/41'Upon Hartlib's legacy and other pamphlets by him published' by John Beale20 January 1664
EL/OB/114John Beale to Robert Boyle27 May 1665
MS/366/1/6From Utopia by John Beale. 28 January 1682
EL/OB/111John Beale to Robert Boyle18 January 1663
LBO/8/41Copy letter from John Beale, Yeovil, to Hook29 November 1679
CLP/3i/18/3Drawing, 'The frame for parchment' by [John Beale]14 December 1663
CLP/2/22Paper, 'Of chalcography an humble motion' by Beal [John Beale][17th century]
CLP/3i/18Paper, 'The art of making parchment, vellum, glue etc' by John Beale14 December 1663
EL/OB/107John Beale to Robert Boyle21 November 1663
EL/OB/102John Beale to Robert Boyle29 September 1663
EL/B1/43John Beale's paper about agriculture27 January 1664
EL/B1/57Letter from John Beale6 December 1672
EL/B1/85Robert Boyle to Henry Oldenburg8 July 1665
EL/B1/46William Oakes to John Beale 29 April 1664
EL/B1/62John Beale to Bishop Seth of Sarum1670s
CLP/3i/18/2Drawings, instruments for making parchment by [John Beale]14 December 1663
DM/5/72A'Desiderata from Mr Beale'c.1663
EL/B1/30John Beale to John Evelyn2 January 1663
DM/5/80B'Desiderata recommended to Dr Beale'c.1660s
EL/B1/55Copy of a letter from John Beale to Robert Boyle12 October 1670
EL/B1/71John Beale at Yeovil, Somerset, to Henry Oldenburg5 June 1676
EL/OB/108John Beale to Robert BoyleDecember 1663
EL/B1/66Copy of an extract from John Beale's letter to Dr Chamberlain1670s
EL/B1/34John Beale to John Evelyn12 March 1663
EL/B1/32John Beale to Mr B11 January 1663
EL/B1/77John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to John Evelyn in Sayes Court in Depford, Surrey1 September 1677
EL/B1/47William Oakes to John Beale13 October 1664
EL/OB/125John Beale to Robert Boyle30 July 1666
EL/B1/21Extract from a letter, from John Beale to Henry Oldenburg31 January 1663
EL/B1/31John Beale to John Evelyn2 January 1663
EL/B1/72Letter from John Beale at Yeovil, Somerset10 February 1676
EL/OB/133John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle12 October 1670
EL/B1/28Continuation of a letter from John Beale to John Evelyn20 April 1663
EL/OB/130John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle24 January 1666
EL/OB/138John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle31 December 1673
EL/OB/103John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle2 October 1663
EL/OB/100John Beale to Robert Boyle25 February 1663
EL/OB/99John Beale to Robert Boyle25 February 1663
EL/B1/35John Beale to Mr Brewton23 March 1663
EL/B1/42'Some politicalls to be considered in Agriculture' by John Beale20 June 1664
EL/B1/38John Beale's proposal for transplanting East Indian spices and other vegetables from the West Indies1 April 1664
EL/B1/54b'The causes of mineral springs further enquired the strange and secret changes of liquors' by John Beale to the publisher1670
EL/B1/25Letter, from John Beale to John Evelyn14 March 1662
EL/B1/23Letter, from John Beale to Robert Boyle23 February 1663
EL/B1/52Copy of a paper by John Beale about his experiments with sap from trees1669
EL/OB/116John Beale to Robert Boyle11 October 1665
EL/OB/135John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle13 November 1671
EL/B1/27John Beale to John Evelyn16 April 1663
EL/OB/123John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle7 May 1666
EL/OB/137John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle26 October 1672
EL/OB/112John Beale to Robert Boyle21 January 1663
EL/B1/37A summary of John Beale's proposal for transplanting East Indian spices by Henry Oldenburg1664
EL/OB/136John Beale to Robert Boyle27 November 1671
EL/OB/109John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle14 December 1663
EL/OB/104John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle2 November 1663
EL/B1/36Copy of a letter from John Beale3 May 1664
EL/OB/110John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle11 January 1663
EL/B1/18Extract from a letter, from John Beale to Henry Oldenburg8 January 1663
EL/B1/70Note from John Beale26 April 1675
EL/B1/44John Beale's paper about agriculture1 July 1664
EL/B1/69John Beale to Henry Oldenburg17 April 1675
EL/B1/49Farming in the eastern parts of Devonshirec 1664
EL/OB/118John Beale to Robert Boyle6 February 1665
EL/OB/131John Beale to Robert BoyleJanuary 1666
EL/B1/48Copies of letters from or to John Beale1660s
EL/B1/22Letter, from John Beale to William Brouncker16 February 1663
EL/B1/58John Beale to Henry Oldenburg13 January 1672
EL/B1/51John Beale to Brother Till18 January 1664
EL/OB/105John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle9 November 1663
EL/OB/117John Beale to Robert Boyle9 November 1665
EL/OB/122John Beale to Robert Boyle28 August 1666
EL/OB/140John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to John Houghton1 February 1680
EL/B1/60John Beale to Robert Hooke1670s
EL/B1/73John Beale to Henry Oldenburg10 August 1677
EL/OB/98John Beale to Robert Boyle23 February 1662
CLP/3i/18/1Manuscript, 'The art of making parchment, vellum, glue etc' by John Beale14 December 1663
EL/OB/115John Beale, dated at Yeovil, to Robert Boyle7 September 1665
EL/B1/74John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to John Evelyn at Sayes Court in Depford, Surrey22 August 1677
EL/B1/45A paper concerning the tools of husbandry by John Beale9 July 1664
EL/OB/134John Beale to Robert Boyle2 September 1671
EL/OB/132John Beale to Robert Boyle28 January 1666
EL/OB/120John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle31 March 1666
EL/OB/145John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle8 July 1682
EL/OB/101John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle28 September 1663
EL/B1/56John Beale to Henry Oldenburg16 July 1672
EL/OB/113John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle25 April 1664
EL/B1/65Letter from John Beale22 September 1673
EL/B1/76John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to John Evelyn in Sayes Court in Depford, Surrey27 August 1677
EL/B1/67John Beale to Henry Oldenburg3 April 1675
EL/B1/26John Beale to John Evelyn6 April 1663
EL/B1/63Letter from John Beale 1670s
EL/OB/119John Beale to Robert Boyle6 February 1665
EL/OB/142John Beale to Robert Boyle2 March 1680
EL/OB/129John Beale to Robert Boyle7 January 1666
EL/OB/128John Beale, dated at London, to Robert Boyle31 October 1666
EL/OB/141John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle16 February 1680
EL/OB/139John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle29 November 1676
EL/OB/143John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle26 June 1682
EL/B1/54John Beale to Henry Oldenburg15 March 1670
EL/B1/29John Beale to John Evelyn25 April 1663
EL/B1/16Copy of a letter, from John Beale to Henry Oldenburg12 December 1662
EL/B1/53John Beale to Henry Oldenburg28 May 1668
EL/B1/64John Beale to Henry Oldenburg22 September 1673
EL/B1/59John Beale to Henry Oldenburg28 July 1673
EL/B1/75John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to John Evelyn in Sayes Court in Depford, Surrey25 August 1677
EL/B1/17Extract from a letter, from John Beale to Henry Oldenburg21 December 1662
EL/OB/106John Beale, dated at Yeovil, Somerset, to Robert Boyle9 November 1663
EL/B1/17bExtract from a letter, from John Beale to Henry Oldenburg4 January 1663
EL/B1/14Letter, from John Beale to Henry Oldenburg30 September 1659
EL/B1/15Extracts from five letters, from John Beale to Henry Oldenburg and other correspondents1656-1662
EL/B1/20Extract from a letter, from John Beale to Henry Oldenburg21 January 1663
EL/B1/24Letter, from John Beale to Robert Boyle25 February 1663
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