Peter Teulon BEAMISH

BEAMISH, PETER TEULON (b. County Cork, Ireland, 1824; d. Camberwell, Vic, 20 Aug 1914). First rector and archdeacon of Warrnambool and vicar general of the Anglican diocese of Ballarat.

Son of Dr Beamish of Killinear, County Cork, he graduated BA (Hons 1 1846) TCD, subsequently LLD and DD. Recommended by SPG, Beamish and his life-long friend F T C Russell came to Sydney and were deaconed by W G Broughton, bp of Australia, 19 Sept 1847. Appointed to Singleton in the newly established diocese of Newcastle, he preferred the promised option of returning to Sydney early in 1848. Bp W Tyrrell of Newcastle warned Broughton, now bp of Sydney, of Beamish's protestant views. Beamish believed he was badly treated by Broughton over his stipend and his appointments, and because of his 'attachment to Protestant principles' (Broughton 1849:6). In 1849, he and Russell were suspended and their ordinations cancelled, after they engaged in public controversy with Broughton following the secession of R K Sconce and T T C Makinson to the Roman Catholic Church. They believed Broughton was favouring Tractarian teaching, and seeking 'to crush evangelical truth' (Broughton 1849:6).

Despite support in Sydney, the future of the two Irish deacons lay elsewhere. They offered themselves to the evangelical Bp Charles Perry (q.v.) of Melbourne. Beamish was appointed to Warrnambool in June 1850, and Russell along the Wannon River. Beamish had responsibility for an area almost 160kms long, extending from Cape Otway in the east, to Port Fairy in the west, and almost to Hamilton in the north. For several years he officiated at over twenty centres, from which a number of separate parishes later emerged. Beamish was not ordained priest by Perry until 1854, after Broughton had died. The following year he married Isabella Mary Bews, daughter of Capt Bews of the 73rd Regiment. He remained rector of Warrnambool for 45 years until his retirement in 1895.

Beamish was a convinced evangelical. Under the patronage of Perry he put his Sydney experiences aside and became a powerful influence in Western Victoria. James Bonwick in 1857 described him as 'the indefatigable and esteemed clergyman, the Rev P T Beamish, a man of reading and a man of work' (Pinson, 1987:13). Others saw him as a leader 'of foresight and determination' (Anon, 1947:12). Mentioned as a possible candidate for bishop of the new diocese of Ballarat, Beamish in 1873, eliminated himself and Russell from consideration to ensure that the high churchman T C B Stretch was not nominated. As an archdeacon and the senior clergyman of the diocese, Beamish acted as vicar general during Bp Thornton's visits to England. Beamish is remembered as one who contended for evangelical principles, and as a pioneer Anglican clergyman 'who, during his long and distinguished ministry ... won innumerable followers to his Master's cause' (Anon, 1947:7).

Anon, A Short History of the Parish of Warrnambool (Warrnambool, 1947); J Best, History of the Diocese of Ballarat to 1898 by Archdeacon Joseph Best, 2nd ed rev by W J Pinson (Warrnambool, 1987); W G Broughton, Correspondence Between The Right Reverend The Lord Bishop of Sydney and Metropolitan, And The Reverends F T C Russell and P T Beamish, Deacons (Sydney, 1849); A P Elkin, The Diocese of Newcastle (Sydney, 1955); J Grant, 'Diocese of Melbourne', in Colonial Tractarians, ed B Porter (Melbourne, 1989); W J Pinson, Christ Church 'the English Church' Warrnambool 1847-1987 (Warrnambool, 1987)

PAUL STRUAN ROBERTSON