Charles Ferdinand Bentinck (20 August 1764 – 8 November 1811) was an Anglo-Dutch military officer and colonial governor. He served as

Governor of Suriname This is a list of colonial governors of Suriname, a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. Suriname was first colonized by the British ...

from 1809 until his death in 1811.

Biography

Bentinck was born in The Hague, Dutch Republic on 20 August 1764. He was a grandson of

Willem Bentinck van Rhoon Willem, Count Bentinck, Lord of Rhoon and Pendrecht (6 November 1704 – 13 October 1774) was a Dutch nobleman and politician, and the eldest son from the second marriage of William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland. He was created Count Bentinck ( ...

, and a relative of William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland. In 1795, after the

Batavian Revolution The Batavian Revolution ( nl, De Bataafse Revolutie) was a time of political, social and cultural turmoil at the end of the 18th century that marked the end of the Dutch Republic and saw the proclamation of the Batavian Republic. The period of ...

, he moved to Great-Britain where his grandfather lived. In 1804, he was a Major in the 2nd Yorkshire Regiment. The colony of

Surinam Surinam may refer to: * Surinam (Dutch colony) (1667–1954), Dutch plantation colony in Guiana, South America * Surinam (English colony) (1650–1667), English short-lived colony in South America * Surinam, alternative spelling for Suriname ...

had been taken by Britain, and it was decided to appoint a former Dutch citizen as the new governor. On 2 May 1809, Bentinck arrived in Surinam, and was installed

the next day. He was liked by the colonists. and solved complaints of the Free Negro Corps about their lack of pay, and complaints of the

Ndyuka people The Ndyuka people (also spelled 'Djuka') or Aukan people (''Okanisi''), are one of six Maroon peoples (formerly called "Bush Negroes", which also has pejorative tinges) in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Guia ...

who had not received their promised gifts. The British government was worried, and in 1810, dispatched Brigadier general to the colony. During his tenure, the Centrumkerk was built, and the first census was held, because earlier estimations were deemed unreliable. Bentinck died on 8 November 1811, at the age of 47. After his death, a financial chaos and a large deficit was revealed. In 1814, a marble tomb was constructed in the Centrumkerk in his honour, however it was lost in the 1821 fire.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bentinck, Charles Ferdinand 1764 births 1811 deaths Politicians from The Hague Governors of Suriname 18th-century British Army personnel 19th-century British Army personnel Charles Ferdinand Bentinck