Robert Hugh Benson
Encyclopedia
Robert Hugh Benson was the youngest son of Edward White Benson
(Archbishop of Canterbury
) and his wife, Mary
. He was also the younger brother of Edward Frederic Benson
.
Benson was educated at Eton College
and then studied classics and theology at Trinity College
, Cambridge
from 1890 to 1893.
In 1895, he was ordained a priest in the Church of England
by his father who was the then Archbishop of Canterbury.
Benson's father died suddenly in 1896 and he was sent on a trip to the Middle East to recover his own health. While there, he began to question the status of the Church of England and to consider the claims of the Roman Catholic Church
. His own piety began to tend toward the High Church
variety and he started exploring religious life in various Anglican communities
, eventually obtaining permission to join the Community of the Resurrection
.
Benson made his profession as a member of the community in 1901, at which time he had no thoughts of leaving the Church of England. But as he continued his studies and began writing, he became more and more uneasy with his own doctrinal position and, on 11 September 1903, he was received into the Roman Catholic Church. He was awarded the Dignitary of Honour of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
.
Benson was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1904 and sent to Cambridge. He continued his writing career along with his ministry as a priest.
As a young man, he recalled, he had rejected the idea of marriage as “quite inconceivable.”. Then in 1904, soon after his ordination as a Roman Catholic priest, he formed a passionate friendship with Frederick Rolfe
. For two years this relationship involved letters “not only weekly, but at times daily, and of an intimate character, exhaustingly charged with emotion.” All letters were subsequently destroyed, probably by Benson’s brother.
He was made a monsignor in 1911.
Robert Hugh Benson: Life and Works, a biography by Janet Grayson, was published in 1998.
Historical fiction
Contemporary Fiction
Children's Books
Devotional Works
Apologetic Works
Non-Catholic Denominations
Plays
Edward White Benson
Edward White Benson was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1883 until his death.-Life:Edward White Benson was born in Highgate, Birmingham, the son of a Birmingham chemical manufacturer. He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA in 1852...
(Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
) and his wife, Mary
Mary Sidgwick Benson
Mary Sidgwick Benson was a Victorian hostess, notable as the wife of Edward Benson, who later became archbishop of Canterbury, and for her later relationship with Lucy Tait, daughter of the previous Archbishop of Canterbury, Archibald Campbell Tait...
. He was also the younger brother of Edward Frederic Benson
Edward Frederic Benson
Edward Frederic Benson was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist and short story writer, known professionally as E.F. Benson. His friends called him Fred.-Life:E.F...
.
Benson was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and then studied classics and theology at Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
from 1890 to 1893.
In 1895, he was ordained a priest in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
by his father who was the then Archbishop of Canterbury.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. His own piety began to tend toward the High Church
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
variety and he started exploring religious life in various Anglican communities
Anglican religious order
Anglican religious orders are communities of laity and/or clergy in the Anglican Communion who live under a common rule of life. The members of religious orders take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and lead a common life of work and prayer...
, eventually obtaining permission to join the Community of the Resurrection
Community of the Resurrection
The Community of the Resurrection is an Anglican religious community for men. It was founded in 1892 by Charles Gore with Walter Howard Frere and four others....
.
Benson made his profession as a member of the community in 1901, at which time he had no thoughts of leaving the Church of England. But as he continued his studies and began writing, he became more and more uneasy with his own doctrinal position and, on 11 September 1903, he was received into the Roman Catholic Church. He was awarded the Dignitary of Honour of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
Order of the Holy Sepulchre
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is a Roman Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the pope. It traces its roots to Duke Godfrey of Bouillon, principal leader of the First Crusade...
.
Benson was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1904 and sent to Cambridge. He continued his writing career along with his ministry as a priest.
As a young man, he recalled, he had rejected the idea of marriage as “quite inconceivable.”. Then in 1904, soon after his ordination as a Roman Catholic priest, he formed a passionate friendship with Frederick Rolfe
Frederick Rolfe
Frederick William Rolfe, better known as Baron Corvo, and also calling himself 'Frederick William Serafino Austin Lewis Mary Rolfe', , was an English writer, artist, photographer and eccentric...
. For two years this relationship involved letters “not only weekly, but at times daily, and of an intimate character, exhaustingly charged with emotion.” All letters were subsequently destroyed, probably by Benson’s brother.
He was made a monsignor in 1911.
Robert Hugh Benson: Life and Works, a biography by Janet Grayson, was published in 1998.
Partial bibliography
Science fiction- The Light Invisible
- The Mirror of Shalott
- Lord of the WorldLord of the WorldLord of the World is a 1908 apocalyptic novel by Robert Hugh Benson. It is sometimes deemed one of the first modern dystopias. Michael D. O'Brien's Catholic apocalyptic series, Children of the Last Days follows a very similar theme as well....
( Complete text at Project Gutenberg.) - Dawn of All ( Complete text at Project Gutenberg.)
Historical fiction
- By What Authority?
- Come Rack! Come Rope!Come Rack! Come Rope!Come Rack! Come Rope! is a historical novel by the English priest and writer Robert Hugh Benson , a convert to Catholicism from Anglicanism. It was first published by Burns & Oates and Hutchinson in 1912 in the United Kingdom. An American edition was published the same year by Kenedy and Dodd, Mead...
( Complete text at Project Gutenberg.) - Initiation.
- Oddsfish!( Complete text at Project Gutenberg.)
- The King's Achievement (Sir I. Pitman and sons, ltd., 1908) ( Complete text at Project Gutenberg.)
- The History of Richard Raynal, SolitaryThe History of Richard Raynal, SolitaryThe History of Richard Raynal, Solitary is an historical novel by Robert Hugh Benson, first published in 1906. It was republished in 1956 under the title Richard Raynal, Solitary, with an introduction by Evelyn Waugh....
( Complete text at Project Gutenberg.)
Contemporary Fiction
- The Sentimentalists
- The Conventionalists
- The Necromancers (B. Herder, 1909) ( Complete text at Project Gutenberg.)
- None Other Gods ( Complete text at Project Gutenberg.)
- The Winnowing
- Loneliness
Children's Books
- Alphabet of Saints, with Reginald Balfour and Charles Ritchie (Burns, Oates & Washbourne, 1905)
- A Child's Rule of Life, illustrated by Gabriel PippetGabriel PippetGabriel Pippet was an English artist.Pippet was born in Solihull in 1880. As well as being was an artist, he was known as an illustrator and a wood carver. Pippet's work was influenced by Pre-Raphaelites, the Arts and Crafts Movement, and medieval manuscript design...
- Old Testament Rhymes, illustrated by Gabriel PippetGabriel PippetGabriel Pippet was an English artist.Pippet was born in Solihull in 1880. As well as being was an artist, he was known as an illustrator and a wood carver. Pippet's work was influenced by Pre-Raphaelites, the Arts and Crafts Movement, and medieval manuscript design...
Devotional Works
- Friendship of Christ
- Life in the World unseen
- More About Life in the World Unseen
- More Light
- Facts
- Here and Hereafter
Apologetic Works
- Confessions of a Convert
- Religion of the Plain Man
- Paradoxes of Catholicism ( Complete text at Project Gutenberg.)
- Papers of a Pariah
- Christ in the Church: A Volume of Religious Essays
Non-Catholic Denominations
Plays
- Cost of a Crown, a Story of Douay & Durham; a Sacred Drama in Three Acts
- A Mystery Play in Honour of the Nativity of Our Lord (Longmans, Green, and Co., 1908)
- The Upper Room, a drama of Christ's passion
- The Maid of Orleans, a drama of the life of Joan of Arc
External links
- Works by or about Robert Hugh Benson at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
(scanned books original editions color illustrated) (plain text and HTML) - Lord of the World
- Hugh, a memoir by his brother, A. C. BensonA. C. BensonArthur Christopher Benson was an English essayist, poet, and author and the 28th Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge....
- Spanish Web Site on Robert Hugh Benson
- R. H. Benson at AuthorWars.com