1. Homepage
2. Life of Henry Cort
3. Cort's processes in iron manufacture
4. Cort's patents
5. Refutation of allegations of conspiracies against Cort
6. Adam Jellicoe's death
7. Henry Cort's birth
8. A navy agent's business
9. Early life of John Becher
10. Attwick & Burges families
11. "Cortship" of second wife
12. Thomas Morgan
13. Henry Cort's hoops contract
14. 1856 Accolade
15. Generosity of friends 1789-94
16. James Watson
17. Illness of Cort's son
18. Main sources of information
19. Contemporary sources
20. Navy sources
21. Chancery files
22. Publications about Cort
23. Assessment of Cort's character
24. Images of Henry Cort

25. Impeach-tranferred to 05

26. Parliamentary inquiry 1811-2
27. The furore of the 1850s
28. Society of Arts
29. Cort's first marriage
30. Henry Cort's children
31. Cort family pensions
32. Henry Cort's Hertfordshire property
33. 1791 signatories
34. Guiana and the Cort-Gladstone connection
35. Cort's twilight years
36. Memorials to Henry Cort


37. Smelting of iron
38. Fining before Cort
39. Shropshire & Staffordshire ironmasters
40. Cumbrians: Wilkinson etc
41. Early works at Merthyr Tydfil
42. The Crowley business
43. London ironmongers
44. Scottish iron
45. Cort's promotion efforts 1783-6
46. Later Merthyr connections
47. Puddling after Henry Cort


48. Gosport in Cort's day
49. Gosport administration
50. Gosport worthies
51. The Amherst-Porter network
52. James Hackman, murderer
53. Samuel Marshall
54. Samuel Jellicoe's legacy
55. Links with Titchfield
56. Links with Fareham


57. Fact, error and conjecture
58. 18th century politics
59. Law in the 18th century
60. 18th century finance
61. Religion and sexual mores
62. Calendar change of 1752
63. Shelburne, Parry and associates
64. John Becher's family
65. The Becher-Thackeray lineage
66. Thomas Lyttelton: a fantastic narrative
67. Eighteenth-century London
68. Abolition and the Corts
69. The Burges will tangle


70. Navy connections
71. Navy agent's business
72. Cort's clients
73. Ships' pursers
74. History of Adam Jellicoe
75. Dundas & Trotter
76. Cort's navy office associates
77. Toulmin & other agents
78. Sandwich & Middleton
79. The Arethusa
80. John Becher's war
81. Thomas Morgan's war
82. The 1782 Jamaica convoy
83. Sinking of the Royal George

84. Rickman & Scott: two contrasting naval careers-Missing



85. Visitors 2006-2009
86. Developement of the site 2006-2009

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87. Daniel Guion and family

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88. Other publications

Early life of John Becher

John Becher comes from Bristol, where his grandfather was mayor. His father, Rev Henry Becher, has followed a distinguished career in the church: chaplain to London Alderman Sir Edward Becher, a distant relation (although described as his uncle in one newspaper report); rector of St James, Duke Place (London) and of Temple and St Stephen (Bristol); chaplain to Frederick Prince of Wales (George III's father). Sir Edward's nephew Richard Becher will have a role in the story of John's family.

Many of John's siblings appear to die young, but there is a mystery about a "sister Ann Becher widow" named in his brother Michael's will. Eighteenth-century widows do not normally revert to their maiden names, so it appears that her first husband was also a Becher. Or could Michael's "sister" actually be a sister-in-law, widow of his eldest brother Henry?

There is a further record of interest concerning this Ann Becher.

P.R.Matthews is the brother of John's mother Mary. Is it likely he would be so close to Ann if she were merely his nephew's widow?

There may, however, be significance in the bridegroom's surname, Frampton.

John and his elder brother Michael join the navy, where they come under the wing of Thomas Smith, who becomes an admiral.

Smith is one of Thomas Bell's clients. Protégés who also use Bell as their agent later become clients of Henry Cort.

A visitor to Smith's Worcestershire home in 1753 records meeting three naval officers there: Michael Becher, George Hamilton and Alexander Hood.

Hood is destined to become another admiral and Viscount Bridport to boot.

Hamilton's career will be less distinguished. But in 1756 he marries widow Susanna Wood, one of the Attwick family of Gosport. He sails off to Canada, is involved in the fighting around Quebec, and dies in March 1760.

Michael Becher participates in the 1758 expedition which captures the island of Goree, off the west coast of Africa, from the French. There he is appointed captain of a sloop also called Goree, and dies on board in December 1760.

One can imagine a memorial event for both officers being held in Gosport, attended by Becher's brother John and Susanna Hamilton's relations.

What is documented in another marriage, between John Becher and Susanna's niece Ann Haysham. This union will produce seven children and have a big influence on the life of Henry Cort.

The wedding takes place on 26 September 1761 at Hagley, near Stourbridge. Thomas Smith is one of the witnesses.

The pages on this site are copied from the original site of Eric Alexander (henrycort.net) with his allowance.
Eric passed away abt 2012
If you use/copy information from this site, please include a link to the page where you found the information.