Person Bentley; Richard (1662 - 1742); philologist and scholar Bentley Richard philologist and scholar 1662 - 1742 British Male Oulton, parish of Rothwell, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, Europe 27 January 1662 16620127 Trinity College, Cambridge, England, United Kingdom, Europe 14 July 1742 17420714 Baptism: Rothwell, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, Europe (6 February 1662) Burial: The chapel of Trinity College, Cambridge, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Cotton Library (1718)

Clergyman, Church of England Education: Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield; St John's College, Cambridge (BA 1679/80; MA 1683; DD 1696); incorporated at Oxford (1689) Career: Ordained deacon (1689/90), priest (1692); Master of Spalding School (1682-1683); Tutor and Chaplain to Bishop Stillingfleet's family (1683-1695); Boyle Lecturer (1692); Prebendary of Worcester (1692); Keeper of the Royal Libraries (1695); Chaplain to the King (1695); Archdeacon of Ely (1701); Master of Trinity College, Cambridge (1699/1700-1742) during which time he was involved in almost incessant disputes with the Fellows; Regius Professor of Divinity (1717-1742); Deprived of his degrees by the University (1718-1724) Parents: Thomas Bentley and Sarah Willie Married: Joanna Bernard Children: Richard Bentley; Elizabeth Favell (née Bentley); Joanna Bentley Bentley was particularly influential in the development of the English school of Hellenism. In his work 'Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris' (1698), he proved that the letters in question were falsely attributed to the tyrant of Agrigento in Sicily, Phalaris. In his time as Master of Trinity College, he commenced significant building projects, including on an observatory for Roger Cotes (FRS 1711) and a laboratory for chemistry professor, Giovanni Francis Vigani. At his death, his estate was worth around £5,000 and he also bequeathed some Greek manuscripts to the Trinity College Library. Most of his collections and papers are now with the British Museum collections. Bentley did, however, claim in his journals to have lost around £4,000 in 'the South Seas' and it is likely he refers to the so-called South Sea Bubble. The South Sea Company was founded in 1711 and was granted a monopoly on trading enslaved Africans. The stock steadily rose in price while no signficant profit was made and then collapsed in 1720, ruining thousands of investors. The Company survived and between 1715 and 1731 profited from the sale of over 60,000 enslaved Africans. Royal Society roles: Council 1697 Fellow 30/11/1695 33 Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Venn; Hunter; Foster; ODNB References: Allibone, T E. 1965. 'The Diaries of John Byrom, MA, FRS, and their Relation to the Pre-history of the Royal Society Club', in Notes and Records, vol. 20, pp. 162-183 Cohen, I Bernard. 1964. '"Quantum in se est": Newton's Concept of Inertia in Relation to Descartes and Lucretius', in Notes and Records, vol. 19, pp. 131-155 Glyn, L B. 2002. 'Israel Lyons: a short but starry career. The life of an eighteenth-century Jewish botanist and astronomer', in Notes and Records, vol. 56, pp. 275-305 Hunter, M C W. 1989. 'The Crown, the Public and the New Science, 1689-1702', in Notes and Records, vol. 43, pp. 99-116 Munby, A N L. 1953. 'The Keynes Collection of the Works of Sir Isaac Newton at King's College, Cambridge', in Notes and Records, vol. 10, pp. 40-50 Munby, A N L. 1953. 'The Distribution of the First Edition of Newton's Principia', in Notes and Records, vol. 10, pp 28-39 Whitrow, G J. 1989. 'Newton's Role in the History of Mathematics', in Notes and Records, vol. 43, pp. 71-92 Bentley R, IM006614.jpg International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/results?mi_search_type=adv&mi_adv_search=yes&adv_person_id=AUTH760 27 Jan 1662 - 14 Jul 1742 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 13/12/2022 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA8038 21/11/2001 Andyg pmab 17/12/2025 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/27862472 3637424b-4dbe-4821-90a3-cfd24a2eac70