Ralph Bernal

Ralph Bernal (2 October 1783^[1] or 2 October 1784^[2] – 26 August 1854) was a British Whig^[3] politician and art collector.

Early life

His parents, Jacob Israel Bernal and wife Leah da Silva,^[4] were Sephardi Jews of Spanish and Portuguese origin, but he was baptised at St Olave Hart Street in London.^[1][5] 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.

Career

He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Lincoln 1818–20^[6] and MP for Rochester from 1820 to 1841 and again from 1847 to 1852.^[2] From 1842 to 1847 he was MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis.^[7]

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 (worth £1.8 billion in 2025^[8]) with interest from Nathan Mayer Rothschild and Moses Montefiore which was subsequently paid off by the British taxpayers (ending in 2015). Bernal was associated with three different claims, he owned 564 slaves in Jamaica and received a £11,458 payment at the time (worth £1.37 million in 2025^[8]).^[9]

Bernal was president of the British Archaeological Association in 1853.^[10] 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.^[1]

Personal life

In April 1806, he married Ann Elizabeth White.^[11] Together, they were the parents of:

• Ralph Bernal (1808–1882), a politician, who took on the surname Osborne on marrying Catherine Isabella Osborne, the daughter of Sir Thomas Osborne, 9th Baronet.^[12]

Bernal died on 26 August 1854.