Benjamin Hall (29 September 1778 – 31 July 1817) was an industrialist, politician and prominent figure in

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

Background, education and connections

Benjamin Hall was born on 29 September 1778, the eldest son of the Reverend Benjamin Hall, chancellor of the

Diocese of Llandaff The Diocese of Llandaff is an Anglican (Church in Wales) diocese that traces its roots to pre-Reformation times as heir of a Catholic bishopric. It is headed by the Bishop of Llandaff, whose seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Pet ...

, and Elizabeth Grant. He was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

and received a Queens Scholarship to study at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

in 1794, from where he graduated with a BA in 1799 and MA in 1801. He had joined

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

in 1798 and was called to the bar in 1801. In December 1801, Hall married Charlotte, the daughter of

ironmaster An ironmaster is the manager, and usually owner, of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain. The ironmaster was usually a larg ...

Richard Crawshay Richard Crawshay (1 October 1739 – 27 June 1810) was a London iron merchant and then South Wales ironmaster; he was one of ten known British millionaires in 1799. Early life and marriage Richard Crawshay was born in Normanton in the West ...

, in what historian P. A. Symonds calls an "advantageous marriage" - her dowry was £40,000. His father-in-law made him a partner in the

Cyfarthfa Ironworks The Cyfarthfa Ironworks were major 18th- and 19th-century ironworks in Cyfarthfa, on the north-western edge of Merthyr Tydfil, in South West Wales. The beginning The Cyfarthfa works were begun in 1765 by Anthony Bacon (by then a merchant in ...

in 1803 and in 1808 passed the

Abercarn Abercarn is a town and community in Caerphilly county borough, Wales. It is 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Newport on the A467 between Cwmcarn and Newbridge, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. History An estate at Abe ...

estate to him. This munificence was followed in 1810 with a bequest from his father-in-law of a 37.5 per cent share in the ironworks, which covered a significant amount of land and houses as well as the mine and quarry workings.

Member of Parliament

Hall was the first industrialist to win a Welsh county seat in

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. He served as MP for

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and ab ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

from 1806 to 1812 and, after losing that seat, for Westbury in Wiltshire from 1812. In 1814, he transferred his seat to

Glamorganshire Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the south of Wales. Originally an early medieval petty kingdom of varying bo ...

, Wales until his death.The History of Parliament: HALL, Benjamin (1778-1817), of Hensol Castle, Glam. http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/hall-benjamin-1778-1817 He ended his association with Lincoln's Inn in 1816.

Family and heir

Hall died on 31 July 1817 and a monument was erected in his memory at

Llandaff Cathedral Llandaff Cathedral () is a Church in Wales cathedral and parish church in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and ...

in his Glamorganshire constituency. He had bought

Hensol Castle Hensol Castle (previously Hensol House) is a castellated mansion in the Gothic Revival style dating from the late 17th century or early 18th century, now a wedding and conference venue for The Vale Resort. It is located north of Clawdd Coch and ...

for £45,500 in 1815 to fulfil an election promise that he would own a residence in Glamorgan, some people having suggested that his personal loyalties lay with his business interests in neighbouring

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

. A year later, he sold his share in the ironworks to his brother-in-law, William Crawshay, for £90,000. Hall and his wife had six sons and a daughter. His eldest son,

Benjamin Hall, 1st Baron Llanover Benjamin Hall, Baron Llanover (8 November 1802 – 27 April 1867) was a Whigs (British political party), Whig / Liberal Party UK, Liberal politician and social, church, health and local government reformer who served in the House of Commons of ...

, a social reformer and politician who as First Commissioner of Works, oversaw the final phase of the construction of the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

, with "

Big Ben Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, and, by extension, for the clock tower itself, which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Originally named the Clock Tower, it ...

", the largest bell in its clock tower, accordingly being named after him.The Story of Big Ben, Whitechapel Bell Foundry https://web.archive.org/web/20180217074214/http://www.whitechapelbellfoundry.co.uk/bigben.htm (Retrieved 31 Dec 2024). Benjamin Hall senior had been called "Slender Ben" on account of his build.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Benjamin 1778 births 1817 deaths Welsh industrialists Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Totnes Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Welsh constituencies People educated at Westminster School, London British ironmasters UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818