Benedict DeLancey
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| Portrayed by Tom Mison | |
| Full Name | Benedict DeLancey |
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| Title | Mr DeLancey |
| Associated Noble House(s) | Barony of Annandale |
| Date of Birth | March 17th, 1785 |
| Father | Simon DeLancey |
| Father's Rank | Colonel |
| Mother | Caroline DeLancey |
| Mother's Rank | Gentlewoman |
| Town Residence | Annandale House |
| School | Harrow |
| University | Oxford |
| Profession | Gentleman of leisure |
| Income | |
Benedict DeLancey is a gentleman of leisure and the heir to the Baron of Annandale.
Benedict DeLancey is a former character created by Betsy
Family
- Father: Colonel Simon DeLancey, (b. 1755 – d. 1807)
- Mother: Mrs. Caroline DeLancey, (b. 1763 – d. 1800)
- Brother: Captain Robert DeLancey (b. 1788)
- Uncle: Lord William DeLancey, Baron Annandale (b. 1749)
- Aunt: Lady Martha DeLancey, Baroness Annandale (b. 1756 d. 1809)
- Cousins: Mr. John DeLancey (b. 1780 – d. 1807), Miss Emma DeLancey (b. 1789)
Background
Benedict was born the eldest son of an impoverished military man. Colonel DeLancey had distinguished himself in the American War for Independence and retired after an injury which left him with a limp for the rest of his life. His pension, however, was not enough to keep him in the lifestyle that he and his wife would have liked, and the man slowly sank into debt. By the time of his death, he owed quite a substantial sum of money.
Besides these facts, Benedict grew up in a house where he was taught to expect the best out of life. Never mind that he was the son of an impoverished former military man. Their country estate, Lamsdown House in Warwickshire, was rented from Mrs. DeLancey’s brother, a landowner of some means who saw that the family never really sunk into ruination. There was even some money for Benedict to go to school – which was all well and good for him, because military life was not his idea of an ideal career. He attended Oxford and thought he might make for the church, but he proved only mediocre in his studies and decided, once attaining a degree in theology and philosophy, that perhaps he wasn’t cut out for the ministry at all. It was during his time at school that his mother died after a bout of rheumatic fever, and his father died a short while afterwards. Benedict found himself the proprietor of his father’s estate, the owner of very little, quite in debt, and with next to no living. His brother, Robert, chose to make himself useful with a career in the army; he and Benedict rarely communicate beyond the requisite letters.
All was not lost, however. It was Benedict’s good luck that only a month later, his cousin and the heir to the barony of Annandale, John, was thrown from a horse and killed. This put Benedict straight in line as heir to the title. Having never expected a title or even really considered one, Benedict found it the perfect solution to his problems. The baron was old, and surely ready to meet his maker. The only problem, of course, was that the title came with very little in the way of a living. However, the solution to that problem was infinitely simple to the young man: find a girl of good fortune and marry her before her family could discover just how deeply indebted he really is. He has thus come into London for the season with that goal in mind.