Editing Edward White Benson (section)

== Life ==
Edward White Benson was born at Lombard Street in [[Highgate, Birmingham]], on 14 July 1829, the eldest of eight children of chemical manufacturer Edward White Benson senior (26 August 1802 – 7 February 1843) and his wife Harriet Baker Benson (13 June 1805 – 29 May 1850).<ref name="Mark D. Chapman 1896">{{cite odnb |first=Mark D. |last=Chapman |title=Benson, Edward White (1829–1896) |id=2139}}</ref> He was baptised in [[St Martin in the Bull Ring]], Birmingham, on 31 March 1830. The family moved to [[Wychbold]] when his father became manager of the British Alkali Works at [[Stoke Prior, Worcestershire]].

From 1840, he was educated at [[King Edward's School, Birmingham]] and then [[Trinity College, Cambridge]], where he graduated BA (8th in the [[Classical tripos]]) in 1852.<ref>{{acad|id=BN848EW|name=Benson, Edward White}}</ref> At King Edward's, under [[James Prince Lee]], Benson "manifested a deeply religious tone of mind and was fond of sermons".<ref name=carr>{{cite book |first=James Anderson |last=Carr |title=Life-work of Edward White Benson, D.D.: Sometime Archbishop of Canterbury |publisher=Elliot Stock |date=1898}}</ref>{{rp|7–8}}

===Cambridge Ghost Society===

The Cambridge Association for Spiritual Inquiry, known informally as the Cambridge Ghost Society or the Ghostlie Guild, was founded by Benson and [[Brooke Foss Westcott]] in 1851 at Trinity College.<ref name="Oppenheim1985">{{cite book|last=Oppenheim|first=Janet |author-link=Janet Oppenheim|title=The Other World: Spiritualism and Psychical Research in England, 1850–1914|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tppgQgAACAAJ|year=1985|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-26505-8|pages=68, 123}}</ref><ref name="Byrne2010">{{cite book|last=Byrne|first=Georgina |title=Modern Spiritualism and the Church of England, 1850-1939|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tN0sghhm79oC&pg=PA50|year=2010|publisher=Boydell & Brewer|isbn=978-1-84383-589-9|pages=50–51}}</ref> Westcott worked as its secretary until 1860.<ref name="Broad2014">{{cite book|last=Broad|first=C.D. |author-link=C.D. Broad|title=Religion, Philosophy and Psychical Research: Selected Essays|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jOvgAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA86|year=2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-83006-1|page=86}}</ref> The society collected and investigated reports of [[ghosts]]. Other notable members included [[Alfred Barry]] and [[Henry Sidgwick]].<ref name="Oppenheim1985" /> It has been described as a predecessor of the [[Society for Psychical Research]].<ref name="Oppenheim1985" /><ref name="McCorristine2010">{{cite book|last=McCorristine|first=Shane |title=Spectres of the Self: Thinking about Ghosts and Ghost-Seeing in England, 1750–1920|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-uKJCIUTZd4C&pg=PA103|year=2010|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-76798-9|page=103}}</ref> According to the ''[[Notebooks of Henry James]]'', his source for the novella ''[[The Turn of the Screw]]'' was the Archbishop of Canterbury (i.e. Benson) at [[Addington Palace]] on 10 January 1895.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.3343/page/n5 The Notebooks of Henry James], edited by F.O. Matthiessen and Kenneth B. Murdock, published George Braziller Inc, New York, 1955</ref>

===Schoolmaster at Rugby and Wellington===

Benson began his career as a schoolmaster at [[Rugby School]] in 1852, and was ordained deacon in 1853 and priest in 1857. In 1859 Benson was chosen by [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Albert]] as the first Master of [[Wellington College (Berkshire)|Wellington College]], Berkshire, which had recently been built as the nation's memorial to the [[Duke of Wellington]]. Benson was largely responsible for establishing Wellington as a leading [[Public school (UK)|public school]], closely modelled upon Rugby School.<ref name="Mark D. Chapman 1896"/>

===Lincoln and Truro===
[[File:FoundingTruroCathedral.jpg|thumb|left|A stained glass window depicting the foundation of [[Truro Cathedral]]]]
From 1872 to 1877, he was [[Chancellor (ecclesiastical)|Chancellor]] of [[Lincoln Cathedral]]. In 1874, he set up [[Lincoln Theological College]].

He was appointed the first [[Bishop of Truro]], where he served from 1877 to 1882. He was consecrated bishop by [[Archibald Campbell Tait]], [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], on [[St Mark]]'s day, 25 April 1877 at [[St Paul's Cathedral]].<ref>{{Church Times | title = Consecration of the Bishop of Truro | archive = 1877_04_27_245 | issue = 744 | date = 27 April 1877 | page = 245 | accessed = 26 December 2016 }}</ref>
The [[Diocese of Truro]] was established in December 1876.  Construction of [[Truro Cathedral]] began in 1880 to a design by the [[Gothic Revival]] architect [[John Loughborough Pearson]].  From 24 October 1880 until 1887 a temporary wooden building on an adjacent site [[Pro-cathedral|served as the cathedral]]. As archbishop, Benson consecrated the cathedral on 3 November 1887.

He founded [[Truro High School for Girls]] in 1880.<ref>{{cite book |first=Amy Key |last=Clarke |author-link=Amy Key Clarke |title=The Story of Truro High School, the Benson Foundation |location=Truro |publisher=Oscar Blackford |date=1979}}</ref>

===Archbishop of Canterbury, 1883–1896===
[[Image:Edward White Benson.jpg|thumb|150px|Archbishop Benson]]
In 1883 he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.

Five years later Benson avoided [[Edward King (Bishop of Lincoln)|Edward King]], [[Bishop of Lincoln]], being prosecuted before a lay tribunal under the [[Public Worship Regulation Act 1874]] for six [[Ritualism in the Church of England|ritual offences]] by hearing the case in his own archiepiscopal court (inactive since 1699).<ref name=chad>{{cite book |first=Owen |last=Chadwick |title=The Victorian Church (Part 2) |publisher=Adam & Charles Black |date=1980 }}</ref>{{rp|354}} In his judgement (often called "the Lincoln Judgement"), he found against the bishop on two points, with a proviso as to a third that when performing the manual acts during the prayer of consecration in the Holy Communion service, the priest must stand in a way that is visible to the people.<ref name=dic/>

Benson tried to amalgamate the two [[Convocation of the English Clergy|Convocations]] and the new houses of laity into a single assembly.  In 1896 it was established that they could 'unofficially' meet together.{{r|chad|page1=365}}

In September of the same year, the [[papal bull]] ''[[Apostolicae curae]]'', which denied the validity of Anglican orders, was published and Benson had started a reply. He preached his last sermon at [[St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Church of Ireland)|St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh]] on 27 September: there is a memorial to him in the north aisle there.<ref>"Funary Monuments & Memorials in St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh" Curl, J.S. pp56-57: Whitstable; Historical Publications; 2013 {{ISBN|978-1-905286-48-5}}</ref> He was taken ill while attending Sunday service in [[St Deiniol's Church, Hawarden|St Deiniol's Church]], [[Hawarden]], Wales, on 11 October 1896, during a visit to the former Prime Minister, [[William Ewart Gladstone]]. His death was attributed to [[heart failure]]. Three days later his body was put on the train at [[Sandycroft railway station|Sandycroft station]] to be returned to [[London]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flintshire.gov.uk/en/PDFFiles/Records-and-Archives/Brief-History,-Part-Two,-ENGLISH.pdf|title=Death of the Archbishop of Canterbury at Hawarden Rectory | website=Brief History |page=19| publisher=Flintshire County Council}}</ref>

He was buried at [[Canterbury Cathedral]], in a magnificent tomb located at the western end of the nave. The tomb is emblazoned with the epitaph Benson had chosen: ''Miserere mei Deus Per crucem et passionem tuam libera me Christe'' ("Have mercy on me O Christ our God, Through Thy Cross and Passion, deliver thou me").<ref>[https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM102FP_Tomb_Archbishop_Edward_White_Benson_Canterbury_Cathedral_Canterbury_Kent_UK Waymarking.com]</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Augustus Blair |last=Donaldson |title=The Bishopric of Truro: the First Twenty-five Years, 1877–1902 |url=https://archive.org/details/bishopricoftruro00dona |location=London |publisher=Rivingtons |date=1902 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bishopricoftruro00dona/page/n230 191]}}</ref>

His work concerning Saint [[Cyprian]], ''Cyprian: his life, his times, his work'',{{sfn|Benson|1897}} was published posthumously, in the year after his death.<ref name=dic>{{cite encyclopedia |editor1-last=Cross |editor1-first=Frank Leslie|editor2-last=Livingstone |editor2-first=Elizabeth A.|encyclopedia=The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2005 |edition=3rd |title=Benson, Edward White |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA190|page=190|isbn=9780192802903}}</ref>