Edward White Benson

Edward White Benson (July 14 1829 – October 11 1896) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1882 until his death.

Born in Balsall Heath, Birmingham and educated at King Edward's School in Birmingham and Trinity College, Cambridge, Benson began his career as a schoolmaster at Rugby School in 1852. In 1859 Benson was chosen by Prince Albert as the first Master (headmaster) of Wellington College, Berkshire, which had been built as the nation's memorial to the Duke of Wellington. Benson was largely responsible for establishing Wellington as a great English public school, closely modelled on Rugby School, rather than the military academy originally planned. He later served as Chancellor of Lincoln Minster from 1872-77, and Bishop of Truro from 1877-82.

Benson told Henry James a simple, rather inexpert story he had heard about the ghosts of evil servants who tried to lure young children to their deaths. James recorded the hint in his Notebooks and eventually used it as the starting-point for his classic ghost story, The Turn of the Screw.

Benson is best remembered for devising the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, an order first used in Truro Cathedral on Christmas Eve, 1880 - a service that is now used every Christmas around the world.

Benson and his wife Mary Sidgwick Benson, the sister of philosopher Henry Sidgwick, had six children. Their fifth child was the novelist E. F. Benson. Another son was A C Benson, the author of the lyrics to Elgar's Land of Hope and Glory and master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. Their six and youngest child, Robert Hugh Benson, converted to Roman Catholicism and wrote several novels. His daughter Margaret Benson was an artist, author and amateur Egyptologist.

Benson died from cardiovascular disease in 1896.

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