Charles Bingley (born 1789) was a British aristocrat and landowner who lived in Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire during the early 19th century.
Biography[]
Charles Bingley was born in Yorkshire, England in 1789 to a nouveau riche aristocratic family, and he inherited £100,000 from his late father and used it to rent the Netherfield Park estate in Hertfordshire, with an annual income of £5,000. He and his sister Caroline Bingley spent much of their time in London with the objective of finding Caroline a suitable husband; he also became close friends with the slightly older landowner Fitzwilliam Darcy. In 1812, he, his sister, and Darcy visited the town of Meryton in Hertfordshire, where Bingley came to be enamored with Jane Bennett, the daughter of Longbourn estate owner George Bennett, after meeting her at an assembly hall ball. Bingley was a shy and slightly awkward man, however, and his sister poisoned his mind into believing that Bennett did not share his affection; Darcy also recommended that he end his courtship with Bennett due to his concerns about her family's reputation. After Jane's sister Elizabeth Bennett protested at Darcy's unfair intervention in the couple's romance, Darcy convinced Bingley to accompany him on a hunting trip near Meryton, giving Bingley the opportunity to successfully propose to Jane and ultimately marry her.