Thomas bewick school

A biographical overview by June Holmes

 

Childhood

Thomas Bewick, the acclaimed wood engraver, artist and naturalist, was born in August at Cherryburn House, a small farm on the south banks of the river Tyne, in the parish of Ovingham, Northumberland.

His father, John Bewick, who had married his mother Jane Wilson in , was the tenant of a small eight-acre farm and adjacent colliery. Thomas being the eldest of eight children was, as a boy, expected to help around the farm and the colliery.

Thomas bewick wood engraving

His love of the surrounding countryside often led him to truancy from his tasks and he delighted in roaming about fishing, looking at flowers and watching birds and animals. This proved to have a great influence on his work in later life.

 

 

 

Apprenticeship

He was schooled in the nearby village of Ovingham by the Reverend Christopher Gregson, and at the age of fourteen apprenticed to Ralph Beilby, the owner of an engraving business in Newcast