Bewick, Thomas, and Ralph Beilby

Sectors:

  • Publishing & printing Engraving inc print making & publishing

Notes:

Traced origins to c1760 when Ralph Beilby, c1743-1817, established a glass enamelling and engraving workshop at Gateshead, soon after relocating to Newcastle. Joined by his brother, William, d1819. William left the business in the late 1770s. Thomas Bewick, 1753-1828, joined as an apprentice in 1767; he later emerged as a leading wood engraver, producing engravings for printed works, most notably the acclaimed 'History of British Birds' and 'General History of Quadrupeds'. In 1777 Bewick became Ralph Beilby's business partner until 1798 when the partnership was dissolved, the two partners then continuing in separate businesses. The firm also engraved on other mediums other than wood, notably copper but also glass and silver, undertaking a wide range of commercial jobbing work including for local glass product manufacturers. Bewick was succeeded in business by his son, Robert

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