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Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville (15 November 1743 – 10 December 1822), styled Lord Ossulston from 1753 to 1767, was a British nobleman, a collector of shellsA catalogue of the shells contained in the collection of the late Earl of Tankerville
, 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
and a famous patron of Surrey
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
in the 1770s. He agreed a set of cricket rules that included the first mention of the
Leg before wicket Leg before wicket (lbw) is one of the ways in which a Batting (cricket), batter can be dismissal (cricket), dismissed in the sport of cricket. Following an Appeal (cricket), appeal by the Fielding (cricket), fielding side, the umpire (cricket), ...
rule. His wife,
Emma, Lady Tankerville Emma Bennet, Countess of Tankerville (1752 – 20 November 1836) born Emma Colebrooke was a British heiress, art patron and botanist. Lady Tankerville's collection of botanical illustrations are held at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. '' Phaius ...
, 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 Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1759, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...
in 1932 and are still available today.


Biography

Tankerville was born in 1743 and was educated at
Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...
between 1753 and 1760. He succeeded to the Earldom on the death of his father on 27 October 1767 and married Emma, daughter of
Sir James Colebrooke, 1st Baronet Sir James Edward Colebrooke, 1st Baronet (21 July 1722 — 10 May 1761) sat in the House of Commons from 1751 to 1761. Early life He was the son of James Colebrooke, of Chilham Castle, Kent, a very prominent private banker in London, and his wi ...
, in 1771. He and his new wife settled at
Walton on Thames Walton-on-Thames, known locally as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in northwest Surrey, England. It is in the Borough of Elmbridge, about southwest of central London. Walton forms part of the Greater London Built-up ...
at his house, Mount Felix overlooking the
Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...
.''A Topographical History of Surrey''
by
Edward Wedlake Brayley Edward Wedlake Brayley (177323 September 1854) was an English historian and topographer. Brayley collaborated with his life-long friend, John Britton, on the first 6 volumes of '' The Beauties of England and Wales''. Early life Brayley was ...
, John Britton, Gideon Algernon Mantell, and
Thomas Allom Thomas Allom (13 March 1804 – 21 October 1872) was an English architect, artist, and topographical view, topographical illustrator. He was a founding member of what became the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). He designed many bui ...
Lady Tankerville amassed a large collection of exotic plants at Mount Felix.Gifts from the Gardens of China
By Jane Kilpatrick, , accessed 10 June 2008
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. Artists were employed to create botanical drawings on vellum of the specimens. 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 Edward "Lumpy" Stevens, who was a gardener at Tankerville's
Walton-on-Thames Walton-on-Thames, known locally as Walton, is a market town on the bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, Thames in northwest Surrey, England. It is in the Borough of Elmbridge, about southwest of central London. Walton forms part ...
estate; and
William Bedster William Bedster (1734 – 1805) was an English cricketer who played during the late 18th century. Bedster was born in 1734 at Walberton near Chichester in Sussex.laws of cricket The ''Laws of Cricket'' is a code that specifies the rules of the game of cricket worldwide. The earliest known code was drafted in 1744. Since 1788, the code has been owned and maintained by the private Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in Lord's Cr ...
. They were settled and revised at the Star and Garter in Pall Mall on Friday 25 February 1774. The meeting was chaired by Sir William Draper and the committee included the
Duke of Dorset Duke of Dorset was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1720 for the politician Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, Lionel Sackville, 7th Earl of Dorset. History The Sackville family descended from Richard Sackville (es ...
, Harry Peckham and other "Noblemen and Gentlemen of
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
, Hampshire,
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
, Sussex,
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
, and London". This meeting was one of the earlier sets of cricket rules and is acknowledged as being the first where the
Leg before wicket Leg before wicket (lbw) is one of the ways in which a Batting (cricket), batter can be dismissal (cricket), dismissed in the sport of cricket. Following an Appeal (cricket), appeal by the Fielding (cricket), fielding side, the umpire (cricket), ...
rule was introduced.'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.
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. He was appointed joint
postmaster general A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. History The practice of having a government official ...
and a privy councillor in 1782, but he resigned his office in April 1783. However Tankerville was again appointed under Mr Pitt's administration in January 1784. In 1805,
Thomas Creevey Thomas Creevey (March 17685 February 1838) was an English politician. He is best known for his insight into social conditions as revealed by his writings, which were published in 1903. Life Creevey was the son of William Creevey, a Liverpool me ...
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.
He died on 10 December 1822 and was succeeded by his eldest son
Charles Augustus Karl August, sometimes anglicised as Charles Augustus (3 September 1757 – 14 June 1828), was the sovereign Duke of Saxe-Weimar and of Saxe-Eisenach (in personal union) from 1758, Duke of Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach ...
.


Legacy

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. 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). Tankerville married Emma Colebrooke on 7 October 1771 in Gatton, Surrey. She was co-heir to her father Sir John Colebrooke. Lady Tankerville's collection of botanical illustrations are at the Royal Botanical Gardens. Phaius tankerville was named in her honour by Sir
Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English Natural history, naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the European and American voyages of scientific exploration, 1766 natural-history ...
. It was the first tropical orchid to flower in England. 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 The garden pansy (''Viola'' × ''wittrockiana'') is a type of polychromatic large-flowered hybrid plant cultivated as a garden flower. It is derived by hybridization from several species in the section ''Melanium'' ("the pansies") of the ge ...
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 Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
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 Chillingham Castle is a medieval castle in the village of Chillingham, Northumberland, Chillingham in the northern part of Northumberland, England. It was the seat of the Baron Grey of Werke, Grey and Earl of Tankerville#Earls of Tankerville, Th ...
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
Henry Grey Bennet The Honourable Henry Grey Bennet Royal Society, FRS (2 December 1777 – 29 May 1836) was a British politician. Life Bennet was the second of three sons and fourth of eight children of Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville, and his wife, Em ...
, their second son, became the member of parliament for
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
in 1806 whilst their third son, The Hon John Astley Bennet, became a captain in the
Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
but died in September 1812. The 5th Earl,
Charles Augustus Karl August, sometimes anglicised as Charles Augustus (3 September 1757 – 14 June 1828), was the sovereign Duke of Saxe-Weimar and of Saxe-Eisenach (in personal union) from 1758, Duke of Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach ...
, who was born on 28 April 1776 was
treasurer of the household The Treasurer of the Household is a member of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The position is usually held by one of the government deputy Chief ...
during the short administration of Mr Fox in 1806. Their daughter, Corisande Emma Bennett, married
James Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury James Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury, GCB, PC (25 March 1807 – 17 May 1889), styled Viscount FitzHarris from 1820 to 1841, was a British statesman of the Victorian era. Background and education James Howard Harris was born on 25 Mar ...
on 13 April 1830.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tankerville, Charles Bennet, 4th Earl Of Deputy lieutenants of Northumberland Earls in the Peerage of Great Britain English cricketers English cricketers of 1701 to 1786 Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain People educated at Eton College Surrey cricketers 1743 births 1822 deaths Hampshire cricketers Postmasters general of the United Kingdom Cricket patrons