Benjamin Keene

Sir Benjamin Keene (1697–1757) was a British diplomat and protege of long serving British Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole. In 1724, he became Consul General in Spain, then Minister Plenipotentiary or Ambassador in 1729.

Sir

Benjamin Keene

FRS, KB
Sir Benjamin Keene
British Ambassador to Spain
In office
1749–1757
MonarchGeorge II
Preceded byVacant War of Jenkins' Ear
Succeeded byEarl of Bristol
Ambassador to Portugal
In office
1745–1749
Preceded byCharles Crompton
Succeeded byAbraham Castres
MP for West Looe
In office
1741–1747
MP for Maldon
In office
January 1740 – April 1741
British Ambassador to Spain
In office
1729–1739
Preceded byAnglo-Spanish War
Succeeded byWar of Jenkins' Ear
Personal details
Bornca 1697
King's Lynn, Norfolk
Died15 December 1757(1757-12-15) (aged 72)
Madrid, Spain
Resting placeSt Nicholas's Chapel, Kings Lynn, Norfolk[1]
NationalityEnglish
Political partyWhigs
ParentsCharles Keene (1674–?)
Susan Rolfe (? – 1753)
Alma materPembroke College, Cambridge
Leiden University
OccupationDiplomat
CommitteesBoard of Trade 1741–1744
Paymaster of Pensions 1745–1746

In that capacity, he was responsible for negotiating the terms of the 1729 Treaty of Seville ending the 1727 to 1729 Anglo-Spanish War. He later agreed the 1739 Convention of Pardo resolving trade and boundary issues in the Caribbean; political opposition in England meant it was never ratified, leading to the 1739 to 1748 War of Jenkins' Ear.

On returning to England, he was elected Member of Parliament from 1740 to 1741 for Maldon, then for West Looe until 1747. He was appointed to the Board of Trade in 1741 and made Paymaster of Pensions in 1745.

However, he found political life less interesting than diplomacy and in 1745 transferred to Lisbon as Ambassador to Portugal. Following the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, he returned to Madrid and kept Spain neutral when the Seven Years' War began in 1756. His successor the Earl of Bristol lacked the same influence and Spain joined the war against Britain in 1757.

He never married and died in Madrid in December 1757.

Life

Benjamin Keene was born around 1697 in King's Lynn, Norfolk, eldest son of Charles Keene (1675–?) and Susan Rolfe (?–1753). His younger brother Edmund (1714–1781) was Bishop of Ely and Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge.

Both his father and uncle Benjamin served as Mayor of King's Lynn, as did his grandfather Edmund Rolfe (1640–1726).[2] Rolfe was also election agent for Sir Robert Walpole, British Prime Minister from 1721 to 1742; this connection helped the careers of both Benjamin and his younger brother.[3]

Keene was unmarried and left his estate to his brother Edmund; his nephew Benjamin (1753–1837) was MP for Cambridge from 1774 to 1786.[4]

Career
Viscount Townshend (1674–1738) who spotted Keene's talents and sent him to Madrid in 1723

Keene graduated from Pembroke College, Cambridge in 1718 and completed his legal studies at the Dutch university of Leiden. Family connections brought him to the notice of Secretary of State and Norfolk magnate, Viscount Townshend (1674–1738), who sent him to Madrid in 1723, first as an officer of the South Sea Company, then Consul from 1724.[5]

The South Sea Company was established to hold commercial rights awarded to Britain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, allowing access to the closed markets of Spanish America. They included the Asiento de Negros to supply 5,000 slaves a year and Navio de Permiso, permitting limited direct sales in Porto Bello and Veracruz.[6] The company was acquired by the British government after going bankrupt in the 1720 'South Sea Bubble' and became a state enterprise.[7]

The asiento itself was marginally profitable and has been described as a 'commercial illusion'; between 1717 and 1733, only eight ships were sent from Britain to the Americas.[8] The real benefit was in carrying smuggled goods that evaded customs duties, demand from Spanish colonists creating a large and profitable black market.[9] There was also a significant legitimate trade; British goods were imported through Cadiz, either for sale locally or re-exported to the colonies, Spanish dye and wool going the other way. A leading City of London merchant called the trade 'the best flower in our garden.'[10]

The Spanish resented being forced to open their colonial markets, partly due to the prevailing economic theory of mercantilism, which viewed trade as a finite resource. This meant an increase in Britain's share was at the expense of Spain's and wars were often fought over commercial issues.[11] Utrecht had also confirmed British possession of the Spanish ports of Gibraltar and Mahón and their loss was a factor in the 1718 to 1720 War of the Quadruple Alliance and Spanish support for the 1719 Jacobite Rising. This made the post of British Consul highly important, held by someone of skill and intelligence.

Keene's first major role was to negotiate the Treaty of Seville, ending the 1727 to 1729 Anglo-Spanish War. He negotiated the Treaty of El Pardo in 1728 and the 1739 Convention of El Pardo in an attempt to prevent war between the two states. That mission was interrupted by the War of Jenkins' Ear (1739–1748). He was forced to return to London, but after the peace was concluded, set off to Spain again.

Ambassador in Lisbon

In 1745, Keene was sent to Lisbon as ambassador to Portugal – while continuing as de facto ambassador to Spain. He was involved in peace talks along with the Marquis de Tabuerniga in an attempt to end the conflict, but these ultimately broke down. After the war was ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748), Keene returned to Madrid as full ambassador (1749).

Second spell

Keene was influential at the Spanish court. He played a big role in ousting the anti-British Marquis of Ensenada and helping a new Spanish minister of Irish descent seize power – Ricardo Wall. In the wake of this, King George II conferred the Order of the Bath on Keene,[12] who had the honour presented to him by the Spanish king at a special ceremony. The Spanish king was grateful to Keene for exposing Ensenada, who had violated his policy of friendship to Britain. Thereafter several Anglophile ministers came to power, further strengthening Keene's hand.

Keene's funeral monument

Thus Spain, guided by Wall, stayed out of the Seven Years' War until 1762 – denying France a major ally and contributing to the decisive British victory. He died in Madrid in 1757, shortly after being relieved of his position due to ill health. He had requested a recall to London on several occasions, but he was considered too valuable to British interests for this to be considered.

Keene's place was taken by George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol, who struggled to make the same impact. After the accession of King Charles III in 1759, he failed to prevent Spain from entering the war against Britain on the side of France.

Keene's nephew, another Benjamin Keene, was MP for Cambridge.

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References
  1. "M6012; Sir Benjamin Keene". Maritime Memorials. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  2. Ewing 1837, pp. 101–102.
  3. Mercer, 2004 & Online.
  4. Namier 1964, pp. Online.
  5. Sedgwick 1970, pp. online.
  6. Browning 1993, p. 21.
  7. Ibañez 2008, p. 16.
  8. Anderson 1976, p. 293.
  9. Richmond 1920.
  10. Mclachlan 1940, p. 6.
  11. Rothbard, Murray. "Mercantilism as the Economic Side of Absolutism". Mises.org. Good summary of the concept. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  12. "The Gentleman's Magazine", by John Nicols, published by E .Cave, Volume 28, p .210.

Sources
  • Anderson, MS (1976). Europe in the Eighteenth Century, 1713–1783 : (A General History of Europe). Longman. ISBN 978-0582486720.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Browning, Reed (1993). The War of the Austrian Succession. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312094836.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Ewing, William Creasey (1837). Norfolk lists, from the Reformation to the present time. Matchett, Stevenson, Matchett.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Ibañez, Ignacio Rivas (2008). Mobilizing Resources for War: The Intelligence Systems during the War of Jenkins' Ear. PHD UCL.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Mercer, M (2004). Keene, Sir Benjamin (Online ed.). Oxford DNB.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Namier, Lewis (ed), Brooke, J (ed) (1964). KEENE, Benjamin (1753–1837), of Westoe Lodge, Cambs in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754–1790 (Online ed.). Boydell & Brewer.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link) CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Richard Lodge, The Private Correspondence of Sir Benjamin Keene. In: The English Historical Review, Vol. 49, No. 194 (Apr. 1934), pp. 344–45
  • Rodger, N. A. M., The Insatiable Earl: A Life of John Montagu, Fourth Earl of Sandwich, 1718–1792. Harper Collins, 1993
  • Sedgwick (editor), R (1970). KEENE, Benjamin (c.1697–1757) in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715–1754 (Online ed.). Boydell & Brewer.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link) CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Simms, Brendan, Three Victories and a Defeat: The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire. Penguin Books, 2008
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by
Henry Parsons		 Member of Parliament for Maldon
1740 to 1741
With: Martin Bladen		 Succeeded by
Sir Thomas Drury
Robert Colebrooke
Preceded by
John Strange
John Owen		 Member of Parliament for West Looe
1741 to 1747
With: Admiral Sir Charles Wager		 Succeeded by
Sir John Frederick
William Noel
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