Webb, Beatrice Potter, 1858-1943, English socialist economist; daughter of a wealthy industrialist. She took an early interest in social problems and worked with Charles Booth on his survey of working life in London. Her Cooperative Movement in Great Britain was published in 1891. In 1892 she married Sidney James Webb, 1859-1947, a civil servant and a contributor to Fabian Essays (1890). Thereafter they worked together, complementing each other's qualities in an unusual partnership. They were of first importance in the Fabian Society, in the building up of the British Labour party, and in the creation (1895) of the London School of Economics. In 1913 they founded the New Statesman. Most of the political and social reforms of their period owe much to their indefatigable research and political acumen. Together they produced The History of Trade Unionism (1894; rev. ed. 1920), Industrial Democracy (1897), English Local Government (9 vol., 1906-29), Consumers' Cooperative Movement (1921), and Soviet Communism: A New Civilization? (2 vol., 1935). In 1922 Sidney Webb was elected to Parliament. He was president of the board of trade in the 1924 Labour government and secretary for the colonies from 1929 to 1931. In 1929 he was created Baron Passfield, a title his wife refused to share.

Lillie, Beatrice (Lady Peel), 1898-1989, British comedienne, b. Toronto, Ont. as Constance Munston. Lillie first performed in London in 1914 and in New York in 1924. She won an international reputation for her sophisticated wit, use of parody, and vivacity. She appeared in revues, on radio, and in television, films, and one-woman shows. Her films include On Approval (1943) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). She married Sir Robert Peel in 1920.

Cenci, Beatrice, 1577-99, Italian noblewoman, tragic figure of the late Renaissance. Her father, Francesco Cenci (1549-98), was a Roman noble noted for his viciousness. In 1595 he imprisoned Beatrice and her stepmother Lucrezia in a lonely castle; his cruel treatment finally led Beatrice, with the complicity of her stepmother, her brothers, and her lover, to procure his murder. After a famous trial (1599) the conspirators were put to death. This tragedy, often cited as an example of the dissipation and cruelty of 16th-century Rome, is the subject of, among other works, Francesco D. Guerrazzi's novel Beatrice Cenci, Percy Bysshe Shelley's tragedy The Cenci, and Alberto Ginastera's opera Beatrix Cenci.

Beatrice Portinari, 1266-90, Florentine woman believed to be the Beatrice of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy and Vita nuova. He first saw Beatrice when he was nine years old, and she remained his ideal and inspiration until his death in 1321. Her identity has been the subject of much controversy.

Beatrice, city (1990 pop. 12,354), seat of Gage co., SE Nebr., on the Big Blue River; inc. as a city 1873. On the old Oregon Trail, it is the trading and industrial center for a grain, dairy, and livestock area. Manufactures include tools, concrete, metal, and wood products, machinery, processed food, and animal feed. Nearby is the Homestead National Monument of America (see National Parks and Monuments, table).

(born May 29, 1894, Toronto, Ont., Can.—died Jan. 20, 1989, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, Eng.) Canadian-born British comedienne. She made her London stage debut as a singer in 1914 and developed her comic genius in revues produced by André Charlot. She made her New York City debut in 1924, establishing an international reputation as a high-spirited star of sophisticated comedy. She appeared in various revues until 1939; after World War II she starred in the revue Inside U.S.A. (1948–50) and toured worldwide in An Evening with Beatrice Lillie (1952–56). Her last stage performances were in Auntie Mame (1958) and High Spirits (1964).

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(born May 29, 1894, Toronto, Ont., Can.—died Jan. 20, 1989, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, Eng.) Canadian-born British comedienne. She made her London stage debut as a singer in 1914 and developed her comic genius in revues produced by André Charlot. She made her New York City debut in 1924, establishing an international reputation as a high-spirited star of sophisticated comedy. She appeared in various revues until 1939; after World War II she starred in the revue Inside U.S.A. (1948–50) and toured worldwide in An Evening with Beatrice Lillie (1952–56). Her last stage performances were in Auntie Mame (1958) and High Spirits (1964).

Learn more about Lillie, Beatrice (Gladys) with a free trial on Britannica.com.