The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-09-26 00:00:00

DEATH OF LORD GEORGE BENTINCK.

On Friday, a great sensation was produced throughout
the country by the intelligence of the alarmingly sudden
decease of Lord George Bentinck. It appears that on
Thursday afternoon, having an appointment to dine at
Thoresby Park, the seat of Earl Manvers, and being a
good pedestrian, his lordship set out on foot from Welbeck
Abbey, the seat of his father the Duke of Portland, in-
tending to walk across the fields to Thoresby Park, a dis-
tance of five or six miles. A man servant was at the time
dispatched with a horse and gig to take thither a change
of dress, &c., for his lordship. Lord George did not
arrive at Thoresby Park at the appointed time, whereupon
inquiries were made of the servant as to the cause of the
delay. He said in reply, that before he left Welbeck he,
saw his lordship crossing the park, and afterwards, as he
was driving along the road, he observed him walking on
in a field situate about three miles on the road. Time
rolled on, and as his lordship did not arrive, the servant
drove back to Welbeck to ascertain whether he had re-
turned thither; but finding that such was not the case he
again drove back to Thoresby Park, thinking that Lord
George might by that time have arrived. Nothing,
however, had :been seen of him, and consequently
several servants were dispatched in various directions for
his lordship. His lordship's own servant proceeded along
the footpath to Welbeck, and after walking some distance
he saw, on approaching a gate, a human body stretched
on the ground. On going close up to the object he dis-
covered that it was the body of his master, Lord George
Bentinck. Life was quite extinct. Soon afterwards the
body was removed to Welbeck in a drag.
It may be observed that the deceased was a tall man, of
commanding appearance, and by no means exhibited any
appearance of an apoplectic character. His death was
occasioned by disease of the heart.
William George Frederick Cavendish Bentinck was born
in February, 1802, being the second son of the present
Duke of Portland, who is now in his 81st year, by Henri-
etta, daughter and co-heiress of Major-General Scott, and
the sister of the Viscountess Canning. He was brother
to the Marquis of Titchfield, heir to the dukedom of Port-
land, to Lord Henry Bentinck, M.P. for North Notts, to
Lady Howard de Walden, and to Lady Charlotte Denison,
the wife of Mr. Evelyn Denison, the whig M.P. for Mal-
don. He had one unmarried sister, Lady Mary. Lord
George completed his education at Christ Church, Oxford,
and served in his earlier years in the brigade of Guards,
having retired from the army with the rank of major.
Although it is now close upon twenty-five years since the
deceased first entered the political world, the latter years
of his life appear only to have exhibited important move-
ments on his part. The first, and indeed the only bona
fide, political appointment he ever held was that of pri-
vate secretary to his uncle, the Right Hon. George
Canning, when that statesman was prime minister. Can-
ning's opinion of Lord George was very high. In 1828
he was first returned to parliament for the borough of
Lynn Regis, in Norfolk, for which he has since sat with-
out interruption. His lordship voted for the principle of
the Reform Bill. but, opposed ministers on the principal
details in committee. Lord George remained almost a
silent member until Sir R. Peel gave up protection in
1846. He then took Mr. Allies's place as leader of the
agricultural party. and continued to make some severe at-
tacks on the late ministry up to the period of their expul-
sion from office on the Irish Assassination Bill, which he
opposed. His disputes with Lord Lyndhurst and the
Earl of Ripon are, no doubt, still fresh in the recollection
of the reader, as are the other questions in which he was
an important mover during the past session. His lord-
ship differed with the majority of his party on the question
of civil and religious liberty. He supported the Jewish
Relief Bill and Mr. Watson's Roman Catholic Relief Bill.
His vote on the first-mentioned question was followed by
his withdrawal from the protectionist leadership. He an-
nounced his intention some time since of supporting the
payment of the Roman catholic clergy by the landowners
in Ireland. With the particulars of his turf career the
public have on many occasions been made fully acquainted.
He took a great interest in field sports generally, and
some excellent regulations were established at the princi-
pal race meetings in the kingdom under his superinten-
dence.