Charles Ferdinand Bentinck

Charles Ferdinand Bentinck (20 August 1764 – 8 November 1811) was an Anglo-Dutch military officer and colonial governor. He served as Governor of Suriname from 1809 until his death in 1811.

Charles Ferdinand Bentinck
Governor of Suriname
In office
May 4, 1809 – November 8, 1811
Preceded byJohn Wardlau Bar
Succeeded byPinson Bonham [nl]
Personal details
Born(1764-08-20)20 August 1764
The Hague, Dutch Republic
Died8 November 1811(1811-11-08) (aged 47)
Paramaribo, Surinam
Occupationmilitary officer, governor

Biography

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Bentinck was born in The Hague, Dutch Republic on 20 August 1764.[1] He was a grandson of Willem Bentinck van Rhoon, and a relative of William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland.[2] In 1795, after the Batavian Revolution, he moved to Great-Britain where his grandfather lived. In 1804, he was a Major in the 2nd Yorkshire Regiment.[1] The colony of Surinam had been taken by Britain, and it was decided to appoint a former Dutch citizen as the new governor.[3]

On 2 May 1809, Bentinck arrived in Surinam, and was installed Governor of Suriname the next day.[4] He was liked by the colonists.[5][6] and solved complaints of the Free Negro Corps about their lack of pay,[7] and complaints of the Ndyuka people who had not received their promised gifts.[8] The British government was worried, and in 1810, dispatched Brigadier general Pinson Bonham [nl] to the colony.[9] During his tenure, the Centrumkerk was built,[10] and the first census was held, because earlier estimations were deemed unreliable.[11]

Bentinck died on 8 November 1811, at the age of 47. After his death, a financial chaos and a large deficit was revealed.[12] In 1814, a marble tomb was constructed in the Centrumkerk in his honour,[6] however it was lost in the 1821 fire.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b Einaar 1934, p. 92.
  2. ^ Susanne Seymour and Sheryllynne Haggerty (July 2010). "Slavery connections of Bolsover Castle (1600-c.1830)" (PDF). University of Nottingham. p. 71.
  3. ^ Wolbers 1861, pp. 558–559.
  4. ^ Einaar 1934, p. 91.
  5. ^ Einaar 1934, p. 93.
  6. ^ a b J. Bueno Bibaz (1928). Beknopte geschiedenis van de kolonie van Suriname (in Dutch). Suriname. p. 57.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ Einaar 1934, p. 95.
  8. ^ Wolbers 1861, p. 560.
  9. ^ Einaar 1934, p. 100.
  10. ^ Wolbers 1861, p. 563.
  11. ^ Benjamins, Herman Daniël; Snelleman, Johannes (1917). Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië (in Dutch). Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 665. Retrieved 6 February 2022 – via Digital Library for Dutch Literature. 5,345 free people and 54,108 slaves. Amerindians and Maroons were not counted
  12. ^ Wolbers 1861, p. 564.
  13. ^ Kalff, S. (1929). "Iets over J.F. de Friderici". New West Indian Guide / Nieuwe West-Indische Gids (in Dutch). 10. Leiden: Brill: 225. doi:10.1163/22134360-90001284. Retrieved 6 February 2022.

Bibliography

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