Lord George Bentinck
Lord George Bentinck | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for King's Lynn | |
In office 1828–1848 | |
Preceded by | William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck John Walpole |
Succeeded by | Edward Stanley Viscount Jocelyn |
Personal details | |
Born | Welbeck Abbey, Nottinghamshire | 27 February 1802
Died | 21 September 1848 The Dukeries, Nottinghamshire | (aged 46)
Nationality | British |
Political party | Whig |
Other political affiliations | Conservative |
Parent(s) | William Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland Henrietta Scott |
Lord William George Frederick Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck (27 February 1802 – 21 September 1848), better known as Lord George Bentinck, was an English
Family
Bentinck was born into the prominent Bentinck family, the fifth child and third son of William Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland and Henrietta (née Scott).[1] His mother was the daughter, and along with her two sisters, the heiress, of the rich General John Scott of Fife.
Bentinck was known by the name George, as all the men in his family were given the first name William. He was educated privately and grew up on his father's Welbeck Abbey estate in Nottinghamshire and at Fullarton House, near Troon, Ayrshire, where his father developed the docks.[2]
Early career
In 1818, Bentinck and his older brother
Bentinck returned to England and exchanged regiments with the plan of going to India. In May 1822, he was assigned as aide-de-camp to Canning, who had accepted the position of Governor-General of India. Instead, Canning became foreign secretary after the Marquess of Londonderry committed suicide. Canning requested both George and John be his non-stipendiary private secretaries "to wean them from their too great zeal in the chase and too great idleness in every other respect." John declined, joining the Life Guard Regiment, but George accepted the position.[2]
In 1824, the death of their eldest brother,
Once again conflicts arose; in July 1825, Bentinck engaged a junior officer in a bloodless duel over an incident related to the mess accounts. Bentinck then left the regiment and took half-pay with the rank of major.[2]
In 1828, he ran unopposed as the
Horse racing
Before his interest in active politics in the 1840s, Bentinck was far better known for his interest in "the Turf." He was a notorious gambler, often losing substantial amounts. Bentinck owned several successful racehorses and his stable, which he established at Goodwood, was renowned for its quality. During the 1845 season, it was estimated that he had won more than £100,000.[3]
Bentinck made strenuous efforts to eliminate fraud in the sport (although his own behaviour in fixing odds was not always scrupulous). In 1844, having exposed the winner of the Derby as a fraud,[4] he proposed a set of rules to cover horse racing. By a series of legal actions he also limited the corruption involved in making and settlement of bets, deriving from outdated legislation.[3] He is also credited with inventing the flag start at a race meeting at Goodwood. Prior to that races had been started by the starter shouting.[5] Although something of a "self-appointed vigilante", he is now seen as a great innovator and reformer of the sport.[6]
Though he was an "aristocratic dandy" who wore a new silk scarf every day, Bentinck's volatile temper again got him in trouble. He nearly lost his life in a duel over an unpaid debt. He fired his pistol in the air as his opponent, Squire Osbaldeston, an expert marksman, was flustered and missed, shooting Bentinck cleanly through the hat.[7]
Despite his success in horse racing, his father reportedly strongly disapproved of this activity, and the duke was delighted when his son returned to "the more elevated occupations of political society."[1] To commit himself to his political career, in 1846, Bentinck sold his entire stables and racing team for the bargain price of £10,000.[8]
Leader of the Protectionists
Bentinck first became prominent in politics in 1846 when he, with Disraeli, led the
Although Bentinck and Disraeli did not prevent the repeal of the Corn Laws, they did succeed in forcing Peel's resignation some weeks later over the Irish Coercion Bill.
Bentinck resigned the leadership in 1848, his support of Jewish emancipation being unpopular with the bulk of the party, and was succeeded by the Marquess of Granby.[13]
Death and legacy
On 21 September 1848, Bentinck left his father's home at Welbeck Abbey at 3 pm, intending to walk 6 miles (9.7 km) through "The Dukeries" to Thoresby Hall to dine with Charles Pierrepont, 2nd Earl Manvers. A search party was sent to look for him when he did not arrive at Thoresby, and his body was ultimately found at 9 p.m. He was aged 46.
Initial reports stated it appeared he died of "apoplexy,"[1] but it is believed he died of a heart attack. Although there were rumours of suicide (or even murder),[7] his autopsy clearly showed emphysema and congestion of the lungs.[14] Bentinck, who was unmarried (there were rumours that he and his brother Lord Henry were, in the phraseology of the time, "woman haters"),[15] was buried in the Duke of Portland vault at Marylebone Old Church in London.
He is commemorated with a statue in London's Cavendish Square Gardens, a memorial close to the spot where he died near Worksop, and a large gothic memorial by Thomas Chambers Hine erected in Mansfield.[16]
The
References
- Notes
- ^ a b c "Biography of Lord George Bentinck". The Times. 23 September 1848. p. 5.
- ^ a b c d e f "CAVENDISH BENTINCK, Lord William George Frederick (1802–1848)". The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ a b Macintyre (n.d.)
- ISBN 1853752754.
- ^ "Was It "Go" or "No"?". The Sunday Post. 1 August 1926. Retrieved 21 January 2014 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Barrett, Norman, ed. (1995). The Daily Telegraph Chronicle of Horse Racing. Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Publishing.
- ^ a b Archard, Charles J. (1907). "The Portland Peerage Romance". Nottinghamshire History, Ch. VI.
- ^ MacIintyre (n.d.)
- ^ Blake (1998 paperback) pp251-3
- ^ Blake (1998 paperback) pp241-2
- ^ Blake (1998 paperback) p248
- ^ Walpole, Spencer (1889). The Life of Lord John Russell (2nd ed.). London: Longmans, Green and Co. pp. 443–5.
- ^ Blake (1998 paperback) pp261-2
- ^ MacIntyre (n.d.)
- ^ "Sporting Notes", Sporting Times, 14 December 1907
- ^ Llewellynn Jewitt (1874). The Stately Homes of England: Complete in Two Series. R. Worthington. p. 87.
- Sources
- OCLC 8047.
- Macintyre, Angus (n.d.), "Bentinck, Lord (William) George Frederic Cavendish-Scott-" in Oxford Dictionary of National BiographyOnline (subscription only), accessed 30 March 2013.
- Arbuthnot, Alexander John (1885). Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 4. London: Smith, Elder & Co. . In
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 749.
Further reading
- Benjamin Disraeli, Lord George Bentinck. A Political Biography (London, 1852).
- Anna Gambles, Protection and Politics: Conservative Economic Discourse, 1815–1852 (Cambridge University Press, 1971).
- Angus Macintyre, "Lord George Bentinck and the Protectionists: A Lost Cause?"; Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 39 (1989), pp. 141–165.
External links
- Lord George Bentinck – A Political Biography, by Benjamin Disraeli, from Project Gutenberg
- Bentinck on nottshistory.org.uk
- Biography of Lord George Bentinck, with links to online catalogues, from Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Lord George Bentinck