John Charles Beswick’s Philips’ London School-Board Atlas
Whilst research was being made for the Irish Heritage Trust publications Aspects of Fota, a very kind donation of archival material was made by a gentleman in England who had connections to the Beswick family. The Beswicks lived and worked on the estate around the turn of the 19th/20th century, William Beswick (b.1854) being Head Gardener.
Among the items donated is a school atlas which belonged to their youngest son, John Charles Beswick, born in Cork on the 8th October 1888. His name is inscribed and stamped on the title page of the book, published in 1901. Apart from being an interesting document in itself, where one can see the Ireland of 1901 with its then major rail and high ways, the atlas is part of a collection of items pertaining to Charles.

Artist Unknown, 19th Century
White marble; 61cm high

As yet, we do not know very much about this charming white marble bust of a lady. She is young, likely in her twenties or thirties, and wearing both her hair and her clothing in a fashionable manner associated with the Regency period of c.1811-1820, so called when King George III was alive but considered unfit to rule, his son The Prince of Wales acting as proxy until made King George IV in 1820.