John Beecroft (1790 – 10 June 1854) was an explorer, governor of Fernando Po and British

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

of the

Bight of Benin The Bight of Benin, or Bay of Benin, is a bight in the Gulf of Guinea area on the western African coast that derives its name from the historical Kingdom of Benin. Geography The Bight of Benin was named after the Kingdom of Benin. It extends ea ...

and

Biafra Biafara Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicized as Biafra ( ), officially the Republic of Biafra, was a List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, partially recognised state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria ...

Early life

Beecroft was born in England near the port of

Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is on the Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk, North Yorkshire, River Esk and has a maritime, mineral and tourist economy. From the Middle Ages, Whitby ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

.Howard Temperley, 'Beecroft, John (1790–1854)', rev. Elizabeth Baigent, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 His early life is obscure but while serving on a coasting vessel he is known to have been captured by a French privateer during the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

in 1805, and held prisoner until 1814. He later joined the merchant navy and as master of a transport vessel traveled to

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

as part of William Parry's expedition.

Colonial career

In 1829 he was appointed master of works in Fernando Po, an island in the Gulf of Guinea nominally belonging to Spain but which the British were using to establish a base against the

slave trade Slave trade may refer to: * History of slavery - overview of slavery It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas: * Al-Andalus slave trade * Atlantic slave trade ** Brazilian slave trade ** Bristol slave trade ** Danish sl ...

. Demonstrating a talent for negotiating successfully with local people, in 1830 Beecroft was appointed acting governor by Spain (with rank of lieutenant in the Spanish Navy) when Edward Nicolls (then governor) returned to England unwell. Realising Spain was not willing to cede control of the island the British left in 1833 but Beecroft effectively continued in the role of acting governor, even holding a court of justice, although at this point he was also agent of a trading company. In 1843 Spain formally made him governor of Fernando Po and two other Spanish possessions. In 1849 he was appointed Consul of the Bights of Benin and Biafra by the British, a position he held (along with his governorship of Fernando Po) until his death in 1854. According to K.O. Dike: During his time as governor Beecroft explored the interior of Africa using steamships to navigate far up the

Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Nige ...

, the Cross River and the Benin River, an area official British expeditions failed to penetrate. The secret of his success was not only his use of modern European naval technology but employing local Africans as crew, since they had greater resistance to the malaria which claimed numerous European lives before the effectiveness of

quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg ...

as a protection was understood. After he became consul he assisted in the British bombardment of

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

in 1851, negotiated (and was a signatory to) the Treaty Between Great Britain and Lagos, 1 January 1852, and was instrumental in the deposition of Pepple, King of Bonny, in 1854.

Death

Beecroft was preparing for another expedition to the Niger River when he died on 10 June 1854 and was buried on Fernando Po. His place on the expedition was taken by

William Balfour Baikie William Balfour Baikie (27 August 182512 December 1864) was a Scottish explorer, naturalist and philologist. Biography Baikie was born at Kirkwall, Orkney, eldest son of Captain John Baikie, R.N. He studied medicine at Edinburgh, and, on obta ...

. His widow, Mrs. Ellen Beecroft, later received a pension in the Civil List in recognition of her husband's contribution to the suppression of the slave trade and advancement of British interests on the coast of Africa. Beecroft was also survived by three daughters and a son.British Census, 1851:lists Beecroft (60) as 'British Consul for West Coast of Africa', resident at 120 Clifton Park, Tranmere, Cheshire, with wife Ellen (50), daughters Ellen(22), Jane(21) and M. A.(19) and son John M. Beecroft,(12) all born in Yorkshire.

Early life

Colonial career

Death

References

Further reading