Background
Born Richard Johnstone he was the son of Colonel John Johnstone (d 1741), second son of Sir William Johnstone, 2nd Baronet, of Westerhall.
Born Richard Johnstone he was the son of Colonel John Johnstone (d 1741), second son of Sir William Johnstone, 2nd Baronet, of Westerhall.
His mother was Charlotte, daughter of John van den Bempde of Hackness Hall in Hackness, near Scarborough, Yorkshire. Vanden-Bampde-Johnstone was elected to the House of Commons for Weymouth in 1790, a seat he held until 1796. In 1795 he was created a Baronet, of Hackness Hall in the North Riding of the County of New York