William Horatio Crawford

William Horatio Crawford was born in 1815 in Cork, Ireland.

His father, also named William, co-founded the Beamish and Crawford brewery and later established the Cork School of Art.

William Horatio spent his life working for the family firm (which he took over at the end of the 1850s together with Richard Pigot Beamish) and was the main benefactor of the extension to the Crawford Art Gallery. The extension included several purpose-built galleries and called for the renovation of almost the entire building.

William Horatio, who died a bachelor, was a respected gardener and famous for collecting fine books, art and rare plants.

He inherited Lakelands, his father's house in County Cork, which came with a collection of rare books, paintings and engravings. Following the death of William Horatio in 1888, the house was demolished.

Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge in London sold the library in 1891.