Richard Benyon De Beauvoir (1769 – 1854) MP was a 19th century British landowner, philanthropist and High Sheriff of Berkshire.
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He was born Richard Benyon in Westminster on 28 April 1769, the son of Richard Benyon of Gidea Hall in Essex and his wife, Hannah the eldest daughter of Sir Edward Hulse, Bart, of Breamore House in Hampshire. Richard Benyon Senior was the son of Richard Benyon, the Governor of Fort St George and his wife, Mary the daughter of Francis Tyssen of Balones House in Hackney and widow of Powlett Wrighte of Englefield House in Berkshire, a grandson of Sir Nathan Wrighte, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.
Richard Benyon succeeded to his father's estates in 1796. In 1814, after succeeding to the estates of his half-uncle Powlett Wrighte of Englefield House (who had died in 1779) he assumed the name of Richard Powlett-Wrighte; and, in 1822, after the death of his distant relative, the Rev. Peter De Beauvoir, Rector of Davenham in Essex, from whom he inherited very large property, both in estates and in the funds, he assumed the name of Richard De Beauvoir.
In 1824 he purchased the Culford Estate, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, for £230,000, including the timber, from Louisa, Marchioness Cornwallis, widow of Charles, 2nd Marquis Cornwallis. The 11,000-acre (45 km2) estate also included the parishes of Culford, Ingham, Timworth, West Stow and Wordwell. He was reputed to be worth over 7 millions. His land agent was Robert Todd and his head gardener was William Armstrong and these two men dealt with day-to-day work on the estate, particularly when Mr Benyon was not in residence. New flint and brick estate workers' cottages were under construction at Culford, as can be seen in letters between Richard Benyon de Beauvoir and Robert Todd. The dwellings won an award for their sensible design; they still stand along Main Road, Culford, today, surrounded by their large gardens. In letters dated 19 April and 6 May 1825 Todd writes that the Armstrongs have a troublesome marriage; "she has experienced not only insult but blows" and, in the later letter, "P.S. Armstrong and his wife are parted. She left Culford last Tuesday, is in lodgings in Bury at present."
Richard Benyon De Beauvoir was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Pontefract[1] from 1802 to 1806, and for Wallingford during two parliaments, from 1806 to 1812.[2] He was a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant for the county of Berkshire. He was High Sheriff of Berkshire in 1816. When the Royal Berkshire Hospital was founded at Reading, Mr. Benyon contributed the huge sum of £5,000 and, by his liberality, aided materially in the formation of that invaluable charity. A ward in the hospital was subsequently named after him. He was considered by far the richest commoner in Berkshire.
He married, on 27 September 1797, Elizabeth the only daughter of Sir Francis Sykes, Bart, of Basildon Park in Berkshire. This lady died on the 29 October 1822. As they had no children, when Richard died on 22 March 1854, his estates were inherited by his nephew, Richard Fellowes, the son of to William Henry Fellowes of Ramsey Abbey in Huntingdonshire, who also took on the name of Benyon.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Viscount Galway John Smyth |
Member of Parliament for Pontefract 1802 – 1806 With: John Smyth |
Succeeded by Robert Pemberton Milnes John Smyth |
| Preceded by George Galway Mills William Hughes |
Member of Parliament for Wallingford 1806 – 1812 With: William Hughes |
Succeeded by Ebenezer Maitland William Hughes |