Henry Beeke (6 January 1751 – 9 March 1837)[1] was an English historian, theologian, writer on taxation and finance, and botanist.
His work on taxation prompted Pitt the Younger to introduce the first income tax in 1799 in order to fund the British effort in the French Revolutionary Wars.
[4] Beeke's unpublished manuscripts and correspondence also show his wider interests in economics.
[2] Beekite, a distinctive form of chalcedony which occurs in the preservation of fossils by silicification, was named to honour Beeke.
[6] He made contributions to Lysons' Magna Britannia records, and corresponded with Sir James Edward Smith, a fellow and first president of the Linnean Society of London.