Ralph Bernal (2 October 1783[ available online to subscribers, and also in print] or 2 October 1784[ – 26 August 1854) was a British Whig]
Early life
His parents, Jacob Israel Bernal and wife Leah da Silva,
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 Eloquence.
Career
He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Lincoln 1818–20
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 £ in 2025) 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 £ in 2025).[ Retrieved on 20 March 2019.]
Bernal was president of the British Archaeological Association in 1853.[
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Personal life
In April 1806, he married Ann Elizabeth White.
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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.
[ Available online to subscribers, and also in print]
Bernal died on 26 August 1854.
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