Ralph Bernal (2 October 1783[1] or 2 October 1784[2] – 26 August 1854) was a British Whig[3] politician and art collector.

His parents, Jacob Israel Bernal and wife Leah da Silva,[4] were Sephardi Jews of Spanish and Portuguese origin, but he was baptised at St Olave Hart Street in London.[1][5] His father was a merchant.

During his youth he became an actor and he performed to acclaim in several works by William Shakespeare, during which time he gained a reputation for oratory. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Lincoln 1818–20[6] and MP for Rochester from 1820 to 1841 and again from 1847 to 1852.[2] From 1842 to 1847 he was MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis.[7]

According to the Legacies of British Slave-Ownership at the University College London, Bernal was awarded a payment as a slave trader in the aftermath of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 with the Slave Compensation Act 1837. The British Government took out a £15 million loan (worth £1.51 billion in 2024[8]) with interest from Nathan Mayer Rothschild and Moses Montefiore which was subsequently paid off by the British taxpayers (ending in 2015). Bernal was associated with three different claims, he owned 564 slaves in Jamaica and received a £11,458 payment at the time (worth £1.16 million in 2024[8]).[9]

Bernal was president of the British Archaeological Association in 1853.[10] He built up a substantial collection of glass, ceramics and other art objects, which were auctioned after his death, with the 4,000 lots selling for £70,000.[1]

He married Ann Elizabeth White in April 1806.[11] His eldest son was Ralph Bernal Osborne (1808–1882), a politician, who took on the surname Osborne on marrying the daughter of Sir Thomas Osborne, 9th Baronet.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c Davies, Helen (2004). "Bernal, Ralph (1783–1854)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/2233. Retrieved 15 November 2010. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) available online to subscribers, and also in print
  2. ^ a b Rayment, Leigh. "Rochester (Kent)". House of Commons. Archived from the original on 20 December 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2010.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ Stooks Smith, Henry (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 97, 203, 170–71. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
  4. ^ "CRAWLEY m. BERNAL 1792". Curiousfox.com. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  5. ^ Members Constituencies Parliaments Surveys. "BERNAL, Ralph (1783-1854), of 11 Park Crescent, Mdx". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  6. ^ Rayment, Leigh. "Lincoln (Lincolnshire)". House of Commons. Archived from the original on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2010.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ Rayment, Leigh. "Weymouth &Melcombe Regis (Dorset)". House of Commons. Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2010.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ a b UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Ralph Bernal". University College London. Retrieved on 20 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Past Presidents". British Archaeological Association. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Joy-Lumsden-Kingston-6 - User Trees". genealogy.com. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  12. ^ Beales, Derek (2004). "Osborne, Ralph Bernal (1808?–1882)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/2234. Retrieved 15 November 2010. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) Available online to subscribers, and also in print

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom Preceded byJohn Nicholas FazakerleyConingsby Waldo-Sibthorpe Member of Parliament for Lincoln 1818 – 1820 With: Coningsby Waldo-Sibthorpe Succeeded byConingsby Waldo-SibthorpeRobert Percy Smith Preceded byLord Binning James Barnett Member of Parliament for Rochester 1820 – 1841 With: Lord Binning 1820–1826Henry Dundas 1826–1830Viscount Villiers 1830–1831John Mills 1831–1835Thomas Twisden Hodges 1835–1837Thomas Hobhouse 1837–1841 Succeeded byJames DouglasWilliam Bodkin Preceded byViscount VilliersGeorge William Hope Member of Parliament for Weymouth & Melcombe Regis 1842 – 1847 With: William Dougal Christie Succeeded byWilliam Dougal ChristieWilliam Lockyer Freestun Preceded byJames Douglas Stoddart DouglasWilliam Bodkin Member of Parliament for Rochester 1847 – 1852 With: Thomas Twisden Hodges Succeeded byHon. Francis Child VilliersSir Thomas Maddock


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