Martin Benson
Encyclopedia
Martin Benson was an English churchman, archdeacon of Berkshire and bishop of Gloucester
.
of Cradley
, Herefordshire
, and was born there on 23 April 1689. He was educated at Charterhouse School
and at Christ Church, Oxford
, of which he became a tutor; he matriculated in 1706, graduated B.A. in 1712 and M.A. in 1713. He subsequently travelled on the continent, where he met George Berkeley
, his friend and correspondent for thirty years, and Thomas Secker
, whose sister he married.
Soon after his return he became, in 1721, archdeacon of Berkshire. In 1724 he obtained one of the 'golden' prebends in Durham Cathedral
; and in 1726 was made chaplain to the Prince of Wales. In 1727 he was presented to the rectory of Bletchley, and in 1728, on occasion of a royal visit to Cambridge, received the degree of D.D. In January 1735 he was nominated bishop of Gloucester; his friend and patron Lord Chancellor Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot suffered the rejection of his previous nominee Thomas Rundle, whose promotion to Gloucester had been successfully opposed by Edmund Gibson
, the Bishop of London
.
On his appointment Benson declared his resolution to accept no higher preferment. He revived the institution of rural dean
s, repaved the choir of Gloucester Cathedral
, added pinnacle
s to the lady chapel
, and repaired the palace. He visited the diocese of York
, under commission from the aging Archbishop Lancelot Blackburne
, who left him a service of plate by his will. He tended Bishop Joseph Butler
in his last illness, died a few months later on 30 August 1752, and was buried in his cathedral. Alexander Pope
celebrated him along with his friend Berkeley in the couplet:
His only publications were some separate sermons.
Bishop of Gloucester
The Bishop of Gloucester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the County of Gloucestershire and part of the County of Worcestershire and has its see in the City of Gloucester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church...
.
Life
He was the son of the Rev. J. Benson, rectorRector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Cradley
Cradley
Places in the United Kingdom called Cradley:*Cradley, West Midlands*Cradley Heath, also in the West Midlands*Cradley, Herefordshire...
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, and was born there on 23 April 1689. He was educated at Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, of which he became a tutor; he matriculated in 1706, graduated B.A. in 1712 and M.A. in 1713. He subsequently travelled on the continent, where he met George Berkeley
George Berkeley
George Berkeley , also known as Bishop Berkeley , was an Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism"...
, his friend and correspondent for thirty years, and Thomas Secker
Thomas Secker
Thomas Secker , Archbishop of Canterbury, was born at Sibthorpe, Nottinghamshire.-Early life and studies:In 1699, Secker went to Richard Brown's free school in Chesterfield, staying with his half-sister and her husband, Elizabeth and Richard Milnes...
, whose sister he married.
Soon after his return he became, in 1721, archdeacon of Berkshire. In 1724 he obtained one of the 'golden' prebends in Durham Cathedral
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
; and in 1726 was made chaplain to the Prince of Wales. In 1727 he was presented to the rectory of Bletchley, and in 1728, on occasion of a royal visit to Cambridge, received the degree of D.D. In January 1735 he was nominated bishop of Gloucester; his friend and patron Lord Chancellor Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot suffered the rejection of his previous nominee Thomas Rundle, whose promotion to Gloucester had been successfully opposed by Edmund Gibson
Edmund Gibson
Edmund Gibson was a British divine and jurist.-Early life and career:He was born in Bampton, Westmorland. In 1686 he was entered a scholar at Queen's College, Oxford...
, the Bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
.
On his appointment Benson declared his resolution to accept no higher preferment. He revived the institution of rural dean
Rural Dean
In the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church, a Rural Dean presides over a Rural Deanery .-Origins and usage:...
s, repaved the choir of Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the river. It originated in 678 or 679 with the foundation of an abbey dedicated to Saint Peter .-Foundations:The foundations of the present...
, added pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
s to the lady chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
, and repaired the palace. He visited the diocese of York
Diocese of York
The Diocese of York is an administrative division of the Church of England, part of the Province of York. It covers the city of York, the eastern part of North Yorkshire, and most of the East Riding of Yorkshire....
, under commission from the aging Archbishop Lancelot Blackburne
Lancelot Blackburne
Lancelot Blackburne , was an English clergyman, who became Archbishop of York, and – in popular belief – a pirate....
, who left him a service of plate by his will. He tended Bishop Joseph Butler
Joseph Butler
Joseph Butler was an English bishop, theologian, apologist, and philosopher. He was born in Wantage in the English county of Berkshire . He is known, among other things, for his critique of Thomas Hobbes's egoism and John Locke's theory of personal identity...
in his last illness, died a few months later on 30 August 1752, and was buried in his cathedral. Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
celebrated him along with his friend Berkeley in the couplet:
- Manners with candour are to Benson given,
- To Berkeley every virtue under heaven.
His only publications were some separate sermons.