William Benson

Born in 1682, William Benson was an English architect, writer, and politician. He travelled in Germany and Sweden when he was young, later acquired property in Wiltshire and Dorset, and moved into public life. He is especially associated with Wilbury House, a country house built from his own designs in a style influenced by Inigo Jones.

Benson also made a name for himself as a political writer. In 1711 he published a pamphlet attacking ideas of absolute royal power, and it circulated widely. He later sat in Parliament and was appointed surveyor-general of the works, succeeding Sir Christopher Wren, but his time in office ended badly after a disputed claim about the condition of parts of the Palace of Westminster.

Alongside politics and architecture, Benson was known as a patron of literature and an admirer of Milton. His later years were quieter, and he died at Wimbledon on February 2, 1754.