Basic Biographical Details

Name:	Peto & Betts
Designation:
Born:	1846 or 1847
Died:	1866
Bio Notes:	Sir Samuel Morton Peto was born at Woking on 4 August 1809 of a Baptist family, and his architectural work was incidental to his main business as a contractor and as a civil engineer. In 1830, at the age of 21, he inherited from an uncle a half-share holding in the contracting firm of Grissell & Peto, to which he had been apprenticed as a builder. During the period of his partnership in the 1830s and 1840s, the firm was responsible for many major London contracts, including the Reform Club, Nelson's Column and the Houses of Parliament. In 1846 he entered into partnership with Edward Ladd Betts (1815-1892) to concentrate on large-scale harbour and railway contracts both in Britain and overseas - mainly in Canada, Denmark, Russia and Argentina. The London building operations of Grissell & Peto were then sold to Lucas Brothers. Peto then entered politics, being Liberal MP for Norwich 1847-54, for Finsbury 1859-65, and for Bristol 1865-68. He was made a baronet in 1855, but by 1861 Peto & Betts were in financial difficulties in overseas contracts. Peto was obliged to sell his Suffolk estate of Somerleyton, where he had rebuilt the house with the sculptor John Thomas as his architect in 1844-51. Peto & Betts were eventually forced to suspend payment in 1866.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
	Address	Type	Date from	Date to	Notes
	London, England	Business

Employment and Training

Employees or Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this (click on an item to view details):
	Name	Date from	Date to	Position	Notes
	(Sir) Samuel Morton Peto	1846 or 1847	1866	Partner

References

Currently, there are no references for this . The information has been derived from: the British Architectural Library / RIBA Directory of British Architects 1834-1914; Post Office Directories; and/or any sources listed under this individual's works.