In an informative and interesting talk, our speaker, Ian Osterloh, started by outlining the family background of the subject of his talk, Francis Bennett-Goldney. His mother Elizabeth Bennett-Goldney married his father Sebastian Evans in 1857, and they had two sons; Sebastian, and Francis born in 1865. His father was a Doctor of Law, a Royal Academy artist and a journalist. The wider family were similarly successful and talented. Francis would use his mother's maiden name in preference to his birth name of Evans.
Francis was educated in Bournemouth and Paris and came to Canterbury in the early 1890s, living at Abbots Barton, now a hotel. He was appointed Fellow of Antiquities and curator of the City museum. Rumours began to emerge of keys missing and documents being removed from the Cathedral.
In 1902 he started his political career as a local city councillor for the Dane John ward, campaigning about the smell emanating from the Tannery and Ash Brewery, the latter now being the site of St Andrew's United Reformed Church where our meeting was taking place. By 1904 he had unseated the sitting M.P for Canterbury, John Henry Heaton, who had been returned unopposed for twenty years. He campaigned for the penny postage being made available to all, and became a Freeman of both Canterbury and London.
From 1905 - 1910 Francis became Mayor of Canterbury, unseating Sir George Collard who as Mayor had opened the Beaney museum in 1899. During this time a period of political dirty tricks were played out, particularly during the general election of 1906 with Francis supporting former rival John Henry Heaton.
Further unsavoury incidents happened around Bennett-Goldney, A painting owned by the Duke of Bedford, with whom Francis appears to have had connections, went missing. The most serious incident occurred after he had been appointed Athlone Pursuivant, an Irish heraldic position, in 1907. While on a visit to Dublin the same year, prior to a state visit, Francis stayed with the Ulster King of Arms, Sir Arthur Vicars, the holder of the keys to the Irish Crown Jewels. The Jewels were stolen, never to be recovered, and as a consequence of the accusations Francis resigned his position.
In 1910 Bennett-Goldney once again stood for Parliament as an Independent against the Liberal candidate Woodcock and his old rival, John Heaton, who won. Heaton was then diagnosed with diabetes and resigned. Francis won the subsequent by-election, and remained M.P. for Canterbury until his death whilst on active service in France in 1918.
Following his death the City Council won a court case to retrieve all the documents found at Abbot's Barton his home. Accusations fell short of calling him a kleptomaniac!
Report by Heather Bethell
Our next meeting in November will be via Zoom.