Benjamin Rotch

Born on November 29, 1793, Benjamin Rotch was a British barrister, politician, and author. He served as Member of Parliament for Knaresborough in the years after the 1832 Reform Act, a period of major political change in Britain.

Accounts of his life describe him as more than a conventional politician. Alongside his legal and parliamentary work, he was also remembered for wider interests that included writing and invention, giving him a career that stretched beyond Westminster.

Rotch died on October 31, 1854, and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in London. Though not among the best-known public figures of his time, he stands out as a lively and unconventional nineteenth-century character.