The Hope family was of Scottish descent but had been settled in The Netherlands for many years, where they had a successful mercantile and banking business, but had returned to Britain after French troops occupied the country in 1795.

Disraeli retorted by alluding to Beresford Hope's "Batavian graces" (in reference to his family's Dutch origins).

Beresford Hope's most prominent public feature was his ardent support for the Church of England.

According to George Wakeling, "in Parliament his voice, in his slow, rather harsh, but very impressive way, would be raised on every Church question".

[2] He also supervised the commissioning and construction of the church of All Saints, Margaret Street, London, to the designs of William Butterfield on behalf of the Ecclesiological Society.

He rebuilt the church, to the design of William Butterfield, and built a school and a lending library.

[6] In 1873 he was invited to lay the foundation stone of the new Christ Church in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex.

Beresford Hope survived her by six years and died in October 1887, aged 67, at his home, Bedgebury Park, Goudhurst, Kent.