Benjamin Ribot, Seigneur du Caila et Du Plan (13 March 1688 – July 1763) was a leader of the French Huguenots. He was born into a Protestant family at the Château de la Favède, northwest of

Alès Alès () is a Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania Regions of France, region in Southern France. Until 1926, i ...

. Receiving a military education, he became an officer under the name of Du Caila, but abandoned this profession in 1710 in order to promote the Protestant faith. In 1715, the same year that

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

died, he met Antoine Court; they became friends and worked together, occasionally clashing on the subject of the ''inspirés'', whom Du Plan admired. At the Synod of Nîmes in 1725 he was named Deputy General of the Reformed Churches of France. He spent four years at

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

and one in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

, where he helped Court found a seminary in 1729. He then travelled through Protestant Europe, pleading the Huguenots' cause and arranging financial support for the exiles. His efforts were often ineffective, and he was wounded by criticisms he received on this account. In 1738 he settled in England, where he continued to help French refugees. His integrity was called into question, and he was attacked for his support of the ''inspirés''. He fell into destitution in 1744, only re-establishing himself in 1749, and achieving a certain amount of rehabilitation in 1751.He married Mrs Elizabeth Denman ( née de Voutron)in 1751 and had two children, Andre 1755 (died 1781)and Mary Francoise 1753 who married John Lloyd in 1793. Benjamin died at

Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England, in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town, close to Hampstead Heath. Kentish Town likely derives its name from Ken-ditch or Caen-ditch, meaning the "bed of a waterw ...

, London in July 1763.

Bibliography

* Daniel Bonnefon. ''Benjamin Du Plan, gentilhomme d'Alais. Député-Général des Eglises Réformées de France, 1688-1763.'' France: Sandoz et Fischbacher, 1876. * E. Clot. ''Benjamin du Plan et la fondation du séminaire de Lausanne.'' 1909 * C. Lasserre. ''Le séminaire de Lausanne (1726-1812).'' 1997, 183-224 * H. Bost, C. Lauriol, ed. ''Entre Désert et Europe, le pasteur Antoine Court (1695-1760).'' 1998 {{DEFAULTSORT:Du Plan, Benjamin Huguenots 1688 births 1763 deaths People from Gard