Ralph Bernal

Ralph Bernal was a British Whig lawyer, politician, and art collector who served as Member of Parliament four times in various constituencies between 1818 and 1852. He also served as Chairman of Ways and Means, the senior Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons from 1831 to 1841 and again from 1847 to 1852. Bernal is sometimes referred to as The Elder Bernal to distinguish him from his son, Ralph Bernal Osborne, who was also an MP.

Early life

His parents, Jacob Israel Bernal and wife Leah da Silva, were Sephardi Jews of Spanish and Portuguese origin, but he was baptised at St Olave Hart Street in London. 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 for Lincoln 1818–20 and MP for Rochester from 1820 to 1841 and again from 1847 to 1852. From 1842 to 1847 he was MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis.
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 with interest from Nathan Mayer Rothschild and Moses Montefiore which was subsequently paid off by the British taxpayers. Bernal was associated with three different claims, he owned 564 slaves in Jamaica and received a £11,458 payment at the time.
Bernal was president of the British Archaeological Association in 1853. 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.

In April 1806, he married Ann Elizabeth White. Together, they were the parents of:

Bernal died on 26 August 1854.