Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville
The Earl of Tankerville | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 10 December 1822 | (aged 79)
Nationality | English |
Other names | Lord Ossulston (from 1753 to 1767) |
Education | Eton College |
Occupation | Gentleman |
Known for | Cricket |
Title | 4th Earl of Tankerville |
Successor | Charles Augustus Bennet |
Spouse | Emma Colebrooke |
Children | 8 |
Parent(s) | Charles Bennet, 3rd Earl of Tankerville and Alice (née Astley) |
Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville (15 November 1743 – 10 December 1822),[2] styled Lord Ossulston from 1753 to 1767, was a British nobleman, a collector of shells[3] and a famous patron of Surrey cricket in the 1770s. He agreed a set of cricket rules that included the first mention of the Leg before wicket rule.[4]
His wife, Emma, Lady Tankerville, was notable as a collector of exotic plants. The first tropical orchid to flower in England is named for her as it was it flowered in her greenhouse. Her collection of over 600 illustrations were purchased by Kew Gardens in 1932 and are still available today.[5]
Biography
Tankerville was born in 1743 and was educated at
Lady Tankerville amassed a large collection of exotic plants at Mount Felix.[7] Lady Tankerville's collection was thought to be the largest in the London area. Specimens named after Lady Tankerville include the Nun's Orchid or Phaius tankervilleae.[8] Artists were employed to create botanical drawings on vellum of the specimens.[7]
Tankerville often played cricket and seems to have been a very good fielder, though he was not especially noted for batting or bowling. He was the employer of
In 1774, Tankerville sat on the committee that formulated some early
Tankerville continued in his interest in cricket with Chertsey and Surrey Cricket club until 1781 when he retired from the sport and went into political office through the House of Lords.
In 1805, Thomas Creevey wrote of him:
...he is a haughty, honorable man - has lived at one time in the heart of political leaders - was the friend of Lansdowne - has been in office several times, and is now a misanthrope, but very communicative and entertaining when he likes his man. His only remaining passion is for clever men, of which description he considers himself as one, tho' certainly unjustly.[12]
He died on 10 December 1822 and was succeeded by his eldest son Charles Augustus.[6]
Legacy
This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2022) |
Tankerville's other interests included maps and shells. At the end of his life his collection was sold for an undisclosed sum, but thought to be between three and four thousand pounds.[3] There are a number of flowers, shells and gastropods with the Latin name tankervillii. The gastropod named Amalda tankervillii (Swainson, 1825) is probably named for Tankerville (or less probably his son).[13]
Tankerville married Emma Colebrooke on 7 October 1771
Their daughter Lady Mary Elizabeth Bennet (21 May 1785 – 27 February 1861) worked with their gardener (William Richardson) to cultivate new strains of tri-colored viola pansy flowers that were presented to the botanical society and horticulture groups in 1812.
Lady Mary Elizabeth Bennet was a watercolour artist included in many exhibitions. She was trained by London artist John Varley. Her works are on exhibit and in private collections including a composition of her home at Belsay Castle rendered in 1834 after her marriage on 26 July 1831 to Sir Charles Miles Lambert Monck, Bt. The painting of her home at Belsay Castle in Northumberland by Lady Mary Elizabeth Monck was found to be included as part of the Monck estate in 1912 and now resides in a private collection in the United States.
Another of her works is the "Burial Place of the Breadalbanes from the Churchyard at Killin" done in 1826–1827 on a trip to the Scottish highlands with her brother. This haunting graveyard work may have been inspired by the seat of her father's estate as the Earl of Tankerville being at Chillingham Castle which was said to be haunted.
From 1815 to 1823 (before her marriage) artist Lady Mary Elizabeth Bennet also trained and worked with the genius London artist John Linnell in engraving as well as miniature painting on ivory. They together produced a set of (12) engravings about Chillingham Castle that were started in 1815 and not finished and published until 1818.
The Hon
References
- ^ a b Hull University, accessed 15 June 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster Vol. IV. 1741-1760. 13 December 1743.
- ^ a b A catalogue of the shells contained in the collection of the late Earl of Tankerville Archived 14 November 2004 at the Wayback Machine, arranged according to the Lamarckian conchological system; together with an appendix, containing descriptions of many new species... London, E.J. Stirling for G.B. Sowerby, 1825
- ^ a b 'Pall Mall, South Side, Past Buildings: Nos 94–95 Pall Mall: The Star and Garter', Survey of London: volumes 29 and 30: St James Westminster, Part 1 (1960), pp. 351–352. URL. Date accessed: 8 June 2008.
- ^ Portraying plants:illustrations collections at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Marilyn Ward and John Flanagan, Art Libraries journal, Feb 2003
- ^ Gideon Algernon Mantell, and Thomas Allom
- ^ ISBN 0-7112-2630-X, accessed 10 June 2008
- ^ This should be spelt Phaius tancarvilliae, but is frequently not Archived 22 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Appeal to honour cricketer who inspired middle stump, The Independent, May 2000, accessed 9 June 2008
- ^ Cricketana by James Mycroft, 1865
- ^ Chertsey Cricket Club Archived 5 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine accessed 9 June 2008
- ^ The Creevey Papers (ed. John Gore), (Folio Society, London, 1970), at p.31.
- ^ Biographical Etymology of Marine Organism Names. Accessed 3 March 2016.
- required.)
- ^ a b "Lady Tankerville s Legacy: A Historical and Monographic Review of Phaius and Gastrorchis by Judi Stone & Phillip Cribb: New Hardcover (2017) | The Penang Bookshelf". www.abebooks.co.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2020.