Introduction

Biography

John was the son of Hen­ry Dig­by Beste (1768–1836) of Ma­vis En­der­by, Lin­coln­shire.

He was edu­cat­ed at Sto­ny­hurst Col­lege, Cli­ther­oe, Lan­ca­shire, and is re­mem­bered as a po­et and no­vel­ist.

Works

• Trans-Al­pine Me­moirs; or An­ec­dotes and Ob­ser­va­tions, Show­ing the Ac­tu­al State of It­aly and the It­al­ians, 1926
• Transrhenane Me­moirs (Lon­don: Long­man, Rees, Orme, Browne & Green, 1828)
• Cuma, the War­rior-Bard of Erin, and Oth­er Po­ems (Lon­don: Lon­gman, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green, 1829)
• The New Poor Law in Prac­tice, 1837
• Rondeaulx: From the French Black Let­ter, 1838
• Odious Com­pa­ri­sons, or, The Cos­mo­po­lite in Eng­land, 1839
• Pope: A No­vel (Lon­don: Saun­ders & Ot­ley, 1840)
• Isidora, or the Ad­ven­tures of a Nea­po­li­tan, 1841
• The Beg­gar’s Coin, or, Love in It­aly (Lon­don: C. Dol­man, 1845)
• A Tra­vel­er’s Im­press­ion of In­di­ana in 1851
• The Wa­bash: or, Ad­ven­tures of an Eng­lish Gen­tle­man’s Fa­mi­ly in the In­te­ri­or of Am­eri­ca (Lon­don: Hurst & Black­ett, 1855)
• Modern So­ci­ety in Rome (Lon­don: Hurst & Black­ett, 1856)
• Alcazar; or, The Dark Ag­es (Lon­don: Hurst, 1857)
• Nowadays; or, Courts, Cour­ti­ers, Church­men, Ga­ri­bal­di­ans, Law­yers and Bri­gands, at Home and Abroad (Lon­don: Chap­man & Hall, 1870)