Robert Hugh Benson AFSC KC*SG KGCHS (18 November 1871 – 19 October 1914) was an English Catholic priest and writer. First an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

priest, he was received into the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in 1903 and ordained therein the next year. He was also a prolific writer of fiction, writing the notable dystopian novel '' Lord of the World'', as well as '' Come Rack! Come Rope!''. His output encompassed historical, horror and science fiction, contemporary fiction, children's stories, plays,

apologetics Apologetics (from Greek ) is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their f ...

, devotional works and articles. He continued his writing career at the same time as he progressed through the hierarchy to become a chamberlain to

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

in 1911 and gain the title of

Monsignor Monsignor (; ) is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons.... or Msgr. In some ...

before his death a few years later.

Early life

Benson was the youngest son of

Edward White Benson Edward White Benson (14 July 1829 – 11 October 1896) was archbishop of Canterbury from 1883 until his death. Before this, he was the first Bishop of Truro, serving from 1877 to 1883, and began construction of Truro Cathedral. He was previousl ...

, the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

, and his wife,

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

; Benson was the younger brother of

E. F. Benson Edward Frederic Benson (24 July 1867 – 29 February 1940) was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist, historian and short story writer. Early life E. F. Benson was born at Wellington College (Berkshire), Wellington College in Berkshire, ...

, A. C. Benson and

Margaret Benson Margaret Benson (16 June 1865 – 13 May 1916) was an English author and Egyptologist best known for her excavation of the Precinct of Mut. Early life and family Margaret was born in 1865 near Reading, England, as one of the six children o ...

. Benson was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and then studied classics and

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, from 1890 to 1893. In 1895, Benson was ordained a priest in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

by his father, who was the then Archbishop of Canterbury.

Career

After his father died suddenly in 1896, Benson was sent on a trip to the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

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

. His own piety began to tend toward the

High Church A ''high church'' is a Christian Church whose beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, Christian liturgy, liturgy, and Christian theology, theology emphasize "ritual, priestly authority, ndsacraments," and a standard liturgy. Although ...

tradition, and he started exploring religious life in various Anglican communities, eventually obtaining permission to join the

Community of the Resurrection The Community of the Resurrection (CR) is an Anglican religious community for men in England. It is based in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and has 14 members as of April 2023. The community reflects Anglicanism in its broad nature and is strongl ...

. 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. As he continued his studies and began writing, however, he became more and more uneasy with his own doctrinal position and, on 11 September 1903, he was received into the

. Benson was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

as a Catholic priest in 1904. As the son of the late Archbishop of Canterbury, his conversion and subsequent ordination caused a sensation. Benson's first assignment was as a college chaplain. He had a stutter and is said to have had a "reedy' voice" He was a popular preacher, attracting large audiences wherever he spoke. In 1911 he was appointed a supernumerary private chamberlain to Pope (

Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

) and consequently styled as

. In 1914, he visited the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

and gave an address on the papacy. Both ''Confessions of a Convert'' (1913) and ''Lourdes'' (1914) were serialized in Notre Dame's ''Ave Maria'' magazine, before appearing as books. He was awarded the Dignitary of Honour of the

Order of the Holy Sepulchre Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre may refer to: * Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic), chivalric order belonging to the Holy See (the Roman Catholic Church) * Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Orthodox), chivalric ...

Novelist

Benson continued his writing career along with his ministry as a priest. Like both his brothers, Edward Frederic Benson ("Fred") and Arthur Christopher Benson, he wrote many

ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

and horror stories, as well as children's stories and historical fiction. His horror and ghost fiction are collected in ''The Light Invisible'' (1903) and ''A Mirror of Shalott'' (1907). His novel '' Lord of the World'' (1907) is generally regarded as one of the first modern

dystopian A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmenta ...

novels. In the speculative 2007 he predicted there, the

Anglican Church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

and other Protestant denominations have crumbled and disappeared under a rising tide of secularism and atheism, leaving an embattled Catholic Church as the sole champion of Christian truth. Nations are armed with weapons which can destroy a whole city from the air within minutes, and

euthanasia Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...

is widely practised and considered as a moral advance. The

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, Antichrist (or in broader eschatology, Anti-Messiah) refers to a kind of entity prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ and falsely substitute themselves as a savior in Christ's place before ...

is depicted as a charismatic secular liberal who organizes an international body devoted to world peace and love under his direction. In his next novel, ''The Dawn of All'' (1911), Benson imagined an opposite future 1973 in which the Catholic Church has emerged victorious in England and worldwide after Germany and Austria won the "Emperor War" of 1914; this book is also notable in its fairly accurate prediction of a global network of a passenger air travel. '' Come Rack! Come Rope!'' (1912) is an historical novel describing the persecution of English Catholics during the Elizabethan era. '' The Necromancers'' (1909) is a horror novel. The bibliography below reveals a prodigious output. Among his historical novels is the Reformation Trilogy: ''By What Authority'' (1905), ''The King’s Achievement'' (1905), and ''The Queen’s Tragedy'' (1907).

Private life

As a young man, Benson recalled, he had rejected the idea of marriage as "quite inconceivable". He had a close friendship with the novelist

Frederick Rolfe Frederick William Rolfe (surname pronounced ), better known as Baron Corvo (Italian for "Crow"), and also calling himself Frederick William Serafino Austin Lewis Mary Rolfe (22 July 1860 – 25 October 1913), was an English writer, artist, ph ...

, with whom he had hoped to write a book on St.

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...

, until Benson decided that he should not be associated (according to writer Brian Masters) "with a Venetian pimp and procurer of boys". Nevertheless, he maintained his friendship with

Lord Alfred Douglas Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas (22 October 1870 – 20 March 1945), also known as Bosie Douglas, was an English poet and journalist, and a lover of Oscar Wilde. At Oxford University he edited an undergraduate journal, ''The Spirit Lamp'', that carr ...

, the friend and lover of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, and when an acquaintance protested that the connection with Douglas was inappropriate for him, he replied: "Lord Alfred Douglas is my friend, and he'll come down when he likes!"

Death and legacy

Benson died of pneumonia in 1914 in Salford, where he had been preaching a mission; he was 42. As he had requested, he was buried in the orchard of Hare Street House, his house in the Hertfordshire village of Hare Street. A chapel, dedicated to St Hugh, was built over the site. Benson bequeathed the house to the Catholic Church as a country retreat for the

Archbishop of Westminster The archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the metropolitan of the Province of Westminster, chief metropolitan of England and Wales and, as a matter of custom, is elected presid ...

. The Catholic church in the nearby town of

Buntingford Buntingford is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England. It lies next to the River Rib and is located on the historic Roman road, Ermine Street. As a ...

, which he helped finance, is dedicated to St Richard of Chichester, but is also known as the

Benson Memorial Church The Benson Memorial Church, dedicated to St Richard of Chichester, is an English Roman Catholic church in the Hertfordshire town of Buntingford. Its name derives from the notable priest and author Robert Hugh Benson who lived locally at Hare ...

. In 2019, the house was put up for sale. Benson's remains were exhumed and moved to the crypt of St Edmund's College in Old Hall Green. The Benson Club is a Catholic reading group named in his honour at Fisher House, Cambridge.

Gallery

File:Color Portrair of Robert Hugh Benson.jpg, Portrait of Benson File:The Master's Lodge, Wellington College, 1868.jpg, Benson's birthplace. From the book ''Hugh, Memoirs of a Brother'' File:Robert Hugh Benson and Beth at the Chancery, Lincoln, in 1876, aged 5.jpg, Benson, aged 5, with Beth at the Chancery, Lincoln, in 1876. From the book ''Hugh, Memoirs of a Brother'' File:A. C. Benson, R. H. Benson, and E. F. Benson, 1882.jpg, A. C. Benson, R. H. Benson and

, 1882. From the book ''Hugh, Memoirs of a Brother'' File:Robert Hugh Benson in 1889, aged 17. As Steerer in the St. George, at Eton.jpg, Benson in 1889, aged 17, as Steerer in the St George at Eton. From the book ''Hugh, Memoirs of a Brother''

Works

Science fiction
''A Mirror of Shalott''
Benziger Brothers, 1907.
''Lord of the World''
Dodd, Mead & Company, 1908 st Pub. 1907
''The Dawn of All''
B. Herder, 1911. Historical fiction
''By What Authority?''
Isbister, 1904. Republished in 2022 by The Cenacle Press with a foreword by

Joseph Pearce Joseph Pearce (born February 12, 1961), is an English-born American writer, and Director of the Center for Faith and Culture at Aquinas College in Nashville, Tennessee, before which he held positions at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in ...

and new illustrations by Jerzy Ozga.
''Come Rack! Come Rope!''
Dodd, Mead & Co., 1913 st Pub. 1912
''Oddsfish!''
Dodd, Mead & Co., 1914.
''The King's Achievement''
Burns Oates & Washbourne, Lrd., 1905. Republished in 2022 by The Cenacle Press with a foreword by

and new illustrations by Jerzy Ozga.
''The Queen's Tragedy''
Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd., 1907.
''The History of Richard Raynal, Solitary''
Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd., 1912.
''Initiation''
Dodd, Mead & Co., 1914. Contemporary fiction
''The Light Invisible,''
Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons Ltd., 1906.
''The Sentimentalists''
Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons Ltd., 1906.
''The Conventionalists''
Hutchinson & Co., 1908.
''The Necromancers''
Hutchinson & Co., 1909. (This was adapted as Spellbound (1941 film)
''A Winnowing''
B. Herder, 1910.
''None other gods''
B. Herder, 1911. Republished by Cluny Media.
''The Coward''
B. Herder, 1912. *
An Average Man
', Dodd, Mead & Company, 1913.
''Loneliness?''
Dodd, Mead & Co., 1915. Children's books
''Alphabet of Saints''
with Reginald Balfour and Charles Ritchie, illustrated by L. D. Symington, Oates & Washbourne, 1905.
''A Child's Rule of Life''
illustrated by Gabriel Pippet. *''Old Testament Rhymes'', illustrated by Gabriel Pippet. Devotional works
''Vexilla Regis: A Book of Devotions and Intercessions,''
Longmans, Green & Co., 1915 st Pub. 1914
''A Book of the Love of Jesus: A Collection of Ancient English Devotions in Prose and Verse,''
Isaac Pitman & Sons, 1915.
''The Friendship of Christ,''
Longmans, Green & Co., 1914 st Pub. 1912 Republished in 2022 by The Cenacle Press. Apologetic works
''The Religion of the Plain Man,''
Burns & Oates, 1906.
''Papers of a Pariah,''
Longmans, Green & Co., 1907. Republished 2022 by the Cenacle Press.
''Non-Catholic Denominations,''
Longmans, Green & Co., 1910.
''Christ in the Church: A Volume of Religious Essays,''
Longmans, Green & Co., 1911. Republished 2022 by The Cenacle Press.
''Confessions of a Convert,''
Longmans, Green & Co., 1913. Republished 2022 by The Cenacle Press.
''Paradoxes of Catholicism,''
Longmans, Green & Co., 1913.
''Lourdes,''
The Manresa Press, 1914.
''Spiritual Letters of Monsignor R. Hugh Benson: to One of his Converts,''
Longmans, Green & Co., 1915.
''A Book of Essays,''
Catholic Truth Society, 1916.
''Sermon Notes, First Series: Anglican,''''Second Series: Catholic,''
Longmans, Green & Co., 1917. Plays
''The Cost of a Crown, a Story of Douay & Durham; a Sacred Drama in Three Acts,''
Longmans, Green & Co., 1910.
''A Mystery Play in Honour of the Nativity of Our Lord,''
Longmans, Green, and Co., 1908. * ''The Maid of Orleans, a Drama of the Life of Joan of Arc'', Longmans, Green & Co., 1911. * ''The Upper Room, a Drama of Christ's Passion'', Longmans, Green & Co., 1914. Selected articles
"The Conversion of England,"
''The American Ecclesiastical Review,'' Vol. XXXIV, 1906.
"The State of Religion in England,"
''The Catholic World,'' Vol. LXXXIV, October 1906/March 1907.
"A Modern Theory of Human Personality,"
''The Dublin Review,'' Vol. CXLI, 1907. * "The Dissolution of the Religious Houses." In: ''Renascence and Reformation'' (From The Cambridge History of English Literature, 15 Vols.), 1908.
"Letters of Queen Victoria, 1837-1861,"
''The Dublin Review,'' Vol. CXLII, January/April 1908.
"Christian Science,"
''The Dublin Review,'' Vol. CXLIII, No. 286, October 1908.
"Spiritualism,"
''The Dublin Review,'' Vol. CXLV, No. 290-291, July/October, 1909.
"A Catholic Colony,"
''The Dublin Review,'' Vol. CXLVI, January/April, 1910.
"Catholicism and the Future,"
''The Atlantic Monthly'', Vol. CVI, 1910.
"Phantasms of the Dead,"
''The Dublin Review,'' Vol. CL, No. 300-301, January/April, 1912. * "Cosmopolitanism and Catholicism

''The North American Review,'' September 1912.
"Cardinal Gasquet,"
''The Dublin Review,'' Vol. CLV, July/October, 1914. Other
''The Holy Blissful Martyr Saint Thomas of Canterbury,''
Benziger Brothers, 1910.
''The Life of Saint Teresa,''
Herbert & Daniel, 1912. (Preface only (20 pages), author is Alice Lady Lovat)
''Poems,''
Burns & Oates, 1914. * ''Maxims from the Writings of Mgr. Benson, By the compiler of "Thoughts from Augustine Birrell,"'' R. & T. Washbourne Ltd., 1915.

Bibliography

* Beesley, Thomas Quinn (1916)
"The Poetry of Robert Hugh Benson,"
''The Catholic Educational Review,'' Vol. XII, pp. 122–134. * Benson, Arthur C. (1915)
''Hugh: Memoirs of a Brother.''
London: Smith, Elder & Co. * Bleiler, Everett (1948). ''The Checklist of Fantastic Literature.'' Chicago: Shasta Publishers. * Bour'his, Jean Morris le (1980). ''Robert Hugh Benson, Homme de Foi et Artiste.'' Atelier Reproduction de Thèses, Université de Lille III. * Braybrooke, Patrick (1931). "Robert Hugh Benson; Novelist and Philosopher." In: ''Some Catholic Novelists.'' London: Burns, Oates & Washbourne. * Brown, Stephen J.M. & Thomas McDermott (1945)
''A Survey of Catholic Literature.''
Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Company. * Concannon, Helena (1914)
"Robert Hugh Benson, Novelist,"Part II
''The Catholic World,'' Vol. XCIX, pp. 487–498, 635–645. * Gorce, Agnès de La (1928). ''Robert Hugh Benson: Prêtre et Romancier, 1871-1914.'' Paris: Plon. * Grayson, Janet (1998). ''Robert Hugh Benson: Life and Works.'' Lanham, Md.: University Press of America. * Marshall, George. "Two Autobiographical Narratives of Conversion: Robert Hugh Benson and Ronald Knox." ''British Catholic History'' 24.2 (1998): 237–253. * Martindale, C.C. (1916)
''The Life of Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson,''Vol. 2
London: Longmans, Green & Co. * McMahon, Joseph H. (1915)
"The Late Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson,"
''Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia'', Vol. XXVI, pp. 55–63. * McMahon, Joseph H. (1915)
"Robert Hugh Benson: A Personal Memory,"
''The Bookman,'' Vol. XLI, pp. 160–169. * Monaghan, Sister Mary Saint Rita (1985). ''Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson: His Apostolate and Its Message for Our Time.'' Brisbane, Qld.: Boolarong Publications. * Parr, Olive Katherine (1915). ''Robert Hugh Benson: An Appreciation.'' London: Hutchinson & Co. * Ross, Allan (1915)

The Catholic Truth Society. * Shadurski, Maxim (2020). ''The Nationality of Utopia: H. G. Wells, England, and the World State.'' London; New York: Routledge. . (Chapter 3 features an in-depth discussion of ''The Dawn of All.'') * Shuster, Norman (1922)
"Robert Hugh Benson and the Aging Novel."
In: ''The Catholic Spirit in Modern English Literature.'' New York: The Macmillan Company, pp. 208–228. * Warre Cornish, Blanche (1914)
''Memorials of Robert Hugh Benson.''
New York: P.J. Kenedy & Sons. * Watt, Reginald J.J. (1918)
''Robert Hugh Benson: Captain in God's Army.''
London: Burns & Oates Ltd.

References

External links

* * *

Online editions

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, Robert Hugh 1871 births 1914 deaths 19th-century English Anglican priests 19th-century English Roman Catholic priests 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English Roman Catholic priests Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Anglican priest converts to Roman Catholicism

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

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