33:
82:
On his father's death in 1739 Benson inherited some of his ships and some property in
Appledore together with £1,000. This was augmented when he became heir to his elder brother Peter, who died in 1743. In his will Peter tried to dissuade his brother Thomas from continuing in the family trade, as he
138:
Despite the advice his brother left in his will, Benson continued to trade and expanded his operations into illegal activities including avoidance of paying customs duties on his imports, a large part of which were of tobacco from the
American colonies, a trade in which Bideford was pre-eminent. He
129:
where he employed them as slave labourers in building walls, etc. His defence was that sending convicts to Lundy was the same as sending them to
America, saying "they were transported from England, no matter where it was so long as they were out of the kingdom". His interpretation of the law was
162:
in
America. However he gave orders to his captain and relative by marriage, John Lancey, to secretly unload the goods onto Lundy, and to scuttle the vessel. On 3 August 1752 the captain put the plan into action and scuttled the vessel in the
139:
stored his smuggled goods in a cave on Lundy, which were discovered and the
Sheriff of Devon was directed to levy the penalties on Benson. In 1752 he failed to pay some £8,000 of duty on imports valued at £40,000 and was prosecuted in the
190:. In Portugal he was joined by two of his remaining ships, and with his nephew Thomas Stafford he established one of the largest English trading companies in that country. He is said to have died in
71:
He was the second son of John Benson (died 1739) of Knapp by his wife Grace
Melhuish. The Bensons were long established merchants at Bideford, with an established trade to France, Portugal and
79:, near Appledore. In 1737 Benson married his cousin Frances Melhuish (died 1752), a daughter of Roger Melhuish by his second wife Eleanor Barber. By Frances he had two sons and two daughters.
471:
86:
In 1745 Benson presented a silver punch bowl, inscribed with his armorials, to
Barnstaple mayor and corporation. He was elected to Parliament as the member for
63:
between 1747 and 1754. In 1753 he fled to
Portugal from British justice, having been accused of customs duty evasion and maritime insurance fraud.
481:
87:
60:
72:
466:
95:
364:
461:
167:. The plot was discovered by the authorities following a confession by a crew member and Lancey was convicted, and hanged at
186:
in 1753, and his
English assets and lands were seized by the Crown. Halsbury was later sold to the Davie family of nearby
258:
476:
140:
32:
388:
212:
On a chevron between three goat's heads erased each charged on the neck with an escallop three escallops
456:
451:
215:
122:
110:
417:
48:
118:
360:
158:
which was fully laden with a valuable cargo of pewter, linen and salt, supposedly sailing for
428:
Taylor, M.C., biography of Thomas Benson, Barnstaple
Heritage Booklet no. 5, Barnstaple, 2001
144:
56:
298:
164:
168:
445:
176:
17:
36:
Benson's Cave, on Lundy: reputed to be where Benson stored contraband goods.
194:
in 1771 at the age of 64, but no direct evidence of this has been found.
183:
159:
99:
76:
187:
114:
103:
191:
151:
90:
in 1747, and the following year he acquired a lease of the island of
171:
in London on 7 June 1754. The episode is the subject of crime novel
126:
91:
52:
31:
94:, off the North Devon coast, for a rent of £60 per annum from
98:. Some time before 1753, Benson also purchased the estate of
83:
considered the future economic climate to be unfavourable.
305:, 1811 edition, London, 1811, with 1810 Additions, p.414
55:
coast of England, was a ship-owner and merchant who was
320:
Report & Transactions of the Devonshire Association
109:
In 1747 he obtained a contract from the Government to
318:J. R. Chanter (1871). "A History of Lundy Island".
143:for non-payment. His estates, including Nap, were
106:, near Bideford, from Roger Giffard (died 1763).
75:in Newfoundland. They also owned lime-kilns in
27:English merchant and politician (1708– c. 1771)
438:Thomas, Stanley, The Nightingale Scandal, 1959
8:
214:. Today, the punch bowl is displayed in the
422:Devonshire Characters and Strange Events
230:
203:
472:British politicians convicted of fraud
294:
292:
273:
271:
313:
311:
125:. However he shipped them instead to
7:
424:. London: John Lane. pp. 233–7.
253:
251:
249:
247:
245:
243:
96:John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower
43:(1708 – c. 1771), of Knapp House (
25:
150:In 1752 he obtained insurance at
113:, and gave the usual bond to the
420:(1908). "The Pirates of Lundy".
355:Landman, Tanya (October 2015).
482:18th-century British merchants
1:
218:Room of Barnstaple Guildhall.
263:History of Parliament Online
498:
259:"BENSON, Thomas (1708–72)"
111:transport English convicts
210:Benson's armorials were:
462:High sheriffs of Devon
336:Baring Gould, pp.234–5
59:in 1746–47 and MP for
37:
467:British MPs 1747–1754
395:, 1810 edition, p.415
393:The Worthies of Devon
35:
418:Baring Gould, Sabine
345:Baring Gould, pp.235
357:Hell and High Water
277:Baring Gould, p.234
257:Matthews, Shirley,
173:Hell and High Water
477:English fraudsters
141:Court of Exchequer
134:Illegal activities
38:
18:Thomas Benson (MP)
102:in the parish of
16:(Redirected from
489:
425:
405:
402:
396:
386:
380:
377:
371:
370:
359:. Walker Books.
352:
346:
343:
337:
334:
328:
327:
315:
306:
299:Risdon, Tristram
296:
287:
284:
278:
275:
266:
255:
238:
235:
219:
208:
117:to ship them to
57:Sheriff of Devon
21:
497:
496:
492:
491:
490:
488:
487:
486:
442:
441:
435:
433:Further reading
416:
413:
408:
403:
399:
387:
383:
378:
374:
367:
354:
353:
349:
344:
340:
335:
331:
317:
316:
309:
303:Survey of Devon
297:
290:
285:
281:
276:
269:
256:
241:
236:
232:
228:
223:
222:
209:
205:
200:
182:Benson fled to
165:Bristol Channel
136:
69:
51:, on the north
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
495:
493:
485:
484:
479:
474:
469:
464:
459:
454:
444:
443:
440:
439:
434:
431:
430:
429:
426:
412:
409:
407:
406:
397:
391:, (1643–1723)
381:
372:
365:
347:
338:
329:
307:
288:
279:
267:
239:
229:
227:
224:
221:
220:
202:
201:
199:
196:
169:Execution Dock
147:by the Crown.
135:
132:
68:
65:
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
494:
483:
480:
478:
475:
473:
470:
468:
465:
463:
460:
458:
455:
453:
450:
449:
447:
437:
436:
432:
427:
423:
419:
415:
414:
410:
401:
398:
394:
390:
385:
382:
376:
373:
368:
366:9781406356618
362:
358:
351:
348:
342:
339:
333:
330:
325:
321:
314:
312:
308:
304:
301:(died 1640),
300:
295:
293:
289:
283:
280:
274:
272:
268:
264:
260:
254:
252:
250:
248:
246:
244:
240:
234:
231:
225:
217:
213:
207:
204:
197:
195:
193:
189:
185:
180:
178:
177:Tanya Landman
174:
170:
166:
161:
157:
154:for his ship
153:
148:
146:
142:
133:
131:
128:
124:
120:
116:
112:
107:
105:
101:
97:
93:
89:
84:
80:
78:
74:
66:
64:
62:
58:
54:
50:
46:
42:
41:Thomas Benson
34:
30:
19:
421:
404:Taylor, p.18
400:
392:
389:Prince, John
384:
379:Taylor, p.16
375:
356:
350:
341:
332:
323:
319:
302:
282:
262:
233:
211:
206:
181:
172:
155:
149:
137:
108:
85:
81:
70:
44:
40:
39:
29:
457:1772 deaths
452:1708 births
286:Taylor, p.7
237:Taylor, p.3
156:Nightingale
145:sequestered
446:Categories
226:References
216:Dodderidge
88:Barnstaple
61:Barnstaple
73:Placentia
67:Biography
49:Appledore
326:: 587–9.
184:Portugal
160:Maryland
130:upheld.
123:Maryland
119:Virginia
100:Halsbury
77:Bideford
411:Sources
188:Orleigh
115:Sheriff
104:Parkham
363:
192:Oporto
152:Exeter
121:or to
47:Nap),
198:Notes
127:Lundy
92:Lundy
53:Devon
45:alias
361:ISBN
175:by
448::
322:.
310:^
291:^
270:^
261:.
242:^
179:.
369:.
324:4
265:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
