William Beckett

Born in 1684, William Becket was an English surgeon and antiquary. Alongside his medical work, he developed a reputation as a careful historical writer with a special interest in old institutions and the civic history of England.

He is best known for A Free School Open'd (1724), a work connected with the history and purpose of Christ's Hospital and the wider idea of charitable education. That blend of practical public concern and antiquarian curiosity gives his writing a distinctive character.

Becket died in 1738. Though not widely read today, he remains a useful figure for readers interested in the overlap between medicine, philanthropy, and historical scholarship in early eighteenth-century England.