The Lord Bingley | |
|---|---|
 Portrait attributed toGodfrey Kneller | |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
| In office 1711–1713 | |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer |
| Succeeded by | Sir William Wyndham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c 1676 |
| Died | (1731-04-09)9 April 1731 |
| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater | Christ's College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | politician |
Robert Benson, 1st Baron Bingley,PC (c. 1676 – 9 April 1731) was an English Tory politician who sat in theEnglish andBritish House of Commons from 1702 until 1713 when he was raised to the peerage asBaron Bingley and sat in the House of Lords. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1711 to 1713.
Robert Benson was born inWakefield, the son of Robert Benson ofWrenthorpe. He went to school inLondon before studying atChrist's College, Cambridge.[1] He served as an alderman of the city of York and was electedLord Mayor of York for 1707.[2] He was electedMember of Parliament forThetford inNorfolk from 1702 to 1705, then becoming MP forYork from 1705 to 1713.[3]
In 1711, he was sworn of thePrivy Council and becameChancellor of the Exchequer until 1713. He was a Director of theSouth Sea Company from July 1711 to February 1715.[3] In 1713 he was ennobled as Baron Bingley, and became theBritish ambassador to Spain.
Benson founded the stately home ofBramham Park, nearWetherby. When he died in 1731 he was buried inWestminster Abbey and the titleBaron Bingley became extinct, although it was later re-created for his son-in-law. He had married Elizabeth, the daughter of Heneage Finch, and had a son (who predeceased him) and two daughters (one illegitimate). It has often been suggested that Bingley was also the real father of the British soldier, dramatist and politicianJohn Burgoyne, whose debts he cancelled in his will. What was left of his estate, including Bramham Park, went to his daughter Harriet who had marriedGeorge Fox.[3]
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forThetford 1702–1705 With:Edmund Soame | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forYork 1705–1708 With:Sir William Robinson, Bt | Succeeded by Parliament of Great Britain |
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by Parliament of England | Member of Parliament forYork 1708–1713 With:Sir William Robinson, Bt | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the Exchequer 1711–1713 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Treasurer of the Household 1730–1731 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| New creation | Baron Bingley 1713–1731 | extinct |
Chancellors of the exchequer under theHouse of Stuart (1603–1649; 1660–1714) | ||
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| James I (1603–1625) |
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| Charles II (1660–1685) |
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| James II (1685–1688) |
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| William &Mary (1689–1694) |
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| William III (1694–1702) |
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| Anne (1702–1714) |
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| International | |
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| Artists | |
| Other | |
