Bruce Canning Vernon-Wentworth

Bruce Canning Vernon-Wentworth was born on 14 December 1862. He was the eldest son of Thomas Frederick Charles Vernon Wentworth of Wentworth Castle near Barnsley, Yorkshire, and Dall House, Rannoch, Perthshire. His mother was Lady Harriet Augusta Canning de Burgh, daughter of the Marquess of Clanricarde and granddaughter of former Prime Minister George Canning.

Vernon-Wentworth received his education at Harrow School and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. After completing his military training, he was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards, a regiment of the British Army, where he attained the rank of captain.

In addition to his military career, Vernon-Wentworth was involved in sports, notably cricket. He played first-class cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club on three occasions between 1897 and 1900. During his cricketing career, he scored a total of 133 runs, with a batting average of 26.60, and his highest single-innings score was 36.

Vernon-Wentworth was active in British politics as a member of the Conservative Party. He contested the parliamentary constituency of Barnsley on three occasions but was unsuccessful in each attempt. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1893 through an unopposed by-election, representing the constituency of Brighton. He served as the Member of Parliament for Brighton until the general election of 1906.

In 1908, Vernon-Wentworth held the position of High Sheriff of Yorkshire for the year 1908–1909. Beyond his political career, he served as a director of the London and Yorkshire Bank and was also on the Yorkshire local board of the National Provincial Bank Limited.

In 1948, Vernon-Wentworth sold Wentworth Castle to Barnsley Corporation. He remained unmarried throughout his life and died on 12 November 1951 at the age of 88.