Sir William, R.A., an eminent portrait-painter, born at Burford in December 1753, was originally bred as a conveyancer; but a strong love for painting induced him to become a pupil at the Royal Academy in 1772. He soon became noted for the spirit of his attitudes and the clearness of his colouring. His finest production is a review of cavalry, a large composition in the foreground of which he introduced portraits of George III., the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of York, surrounded with a brilliant staff on horseback. It was painted in 1793, and obtained for the artist the honour of knighthood, and the rank of R.A. The earlier portraits of Beechey were carefully drawn and well finished, but in his later days the extent of his employment rendered him less careful in his design. But a series of his cartoon sketches in the Royal Institution of Liverpool shows that his skill in drawing was very considerable. He died in January 1839, at the advanced age of eighty-six.