Robin Benson

Robin Benson
Born	Robert Henry Benson Fairfield, near Manchester, England
Died	7 April 1929(1929-04-07) (aged 78) Walpole House, Chiswick Mall, London, England
Occupation(s)	Merchant banker, art collector, amateur footballer
Known for	Merchant banking; art collection of early Italian paintings; 1874 FA Cup winner with Oxford University

Robert Henry "Robin" Benson (24 September 1850 – 7 April 1929) was a prominent English merchant banker and art collector. As an amateur football player, he was part of the Oxford University squad that secured victory in the 1874 FA Cup.

Family and education

Born on 24 September 1850 at Fairfield House in Fairfield, near Manchester, Benson was the eldest of three siblings. His father, Robert Benson (1814–1875), was a merchant, and his mother, Eleanor Sara née Moorsom (1824–1883), was the daughter of Vice-Admiral Constantine Moorsom, RN. He received baptism at St Stephen's Church in Audenshaw on 1 November 1850.

Benson attended Eton College before enrolling at Balliol College, Oxford, matriculating on 21 October 1869. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1874 and had been admitted to the Inner Temple to pursue legal studies in January 1873.

Athletics and football career

During his time at Eton, Benson gained recognition as an athlete of exceptional ability. He was awarded athletics Blues in the years 1870, 1872, and 1873 and held the position of President of the Oxford University Athletic Club in 1872. In the 1870 University Sports, he won the mile run with a time of 4 minutes and 33 seconds. That same year, he also claimed the Amateur Athletic Club mile championship. In 1872, Benson tied in a three-mile race against Cambridge’s Edward Montague Hawtrey.

In football, Benson played primarily as an outside-right for both Eton and Oxford University. He was regarded as "a brilliant forward at times," noted for his speed and dribbling prowess. He contributed to Oxford University's triumph over the Royal Engineers with a 2–0 win in the 1874 FA Cup Final. Soon after, he participated in Oxford's inaugural Varsity match against Cambridge, which concluded with a 1–0 victory for Oxford.

In 1875, Benson appeared for the Old Etonians during the 1875 FA Cup Final, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Early in this match, he missed a significant chance to score. Unable to play in the replay three days later, his substitute's involvement coincided with a 2–0 defeat to the Royal Engineers.

Following university, Benson made several appearances representing the Wanderers.

Banking career

In October 1874, Benson traveled to Boston to work within his family's mercantile enterprise but returned to England after his father passed away unexpectedly in January 1875. On 19 January that year, he and his brother Constantine became partners in Robert Benson & Co., based in Moorgate. However, this firm declared bankruptcy by June due to financial difficulties stemming from the crash of 1873 compounded by accounting discrepancies.

Later that year, through family connections, Benson joined John Walter Cross’s banking firm as a junior partner at Cross, Benson & Co. The company specialized in investments related to American securities for private investors. Benson developed a lucrative business financing railroads across the American mid-west. By identifying Chicago and its surrounding regions as areas poised for growth following the economic downturn, he accumulated considerable wealth by divesting as recovery took hold. After Cross retired at the end of 1882, the firm was renamed Robert Benson & Co.

Benson was among the pioneers of the investment trust sector alongside contemporaries Robert Fleming and Alexander Henderson; notably founding the Merchants Trust in 1889. He also played an instrumental role in funding railway projects and mining ventures in Southern Africa—especially in Southern Rhodesia, where his brother-in-law Albert Grey served as administrator.

Throughout his career, he held directorships and chairmanships at multiple companies including Anglo-American Telegraph Company, London Electric Supply Corporation, and St. James's and Pall Mall Electric Light Company.

Art collector

By the early 1880s, Benson had commenced assembling a collection focused on Italian paintings. In 1884, he acquired pieces from dealer Martin Colnaghi, including Mario Basaiti’s Portrait of a Collector and a Madonna and Child attributed to Bastiano Mainardi.

Following his 1887 marriage to Evelyn Holford, daughter of the art connoisseur Robert Holford, Benson significantly broadened his holdings of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century artworks. His acquisitions included masterpieces by Duccio di Buoninsegna as well as notable artists such as Giorgione, Botticelli, Correggio, and Titian. Over time, his collection grew to encompass 114 early Italian paintings alongside works by Thomas Gainsborough and Edward Burne-Jones.

Together with his wife, Benson also cultivated an important assortment of early Chinese porcelain and ceramics. This collection was loaned for exhibitions at Manchester Art Gallery in 1913 and later displayed at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

In 1914, Benson published a catalogue detailing his art collection. He subsequently authored two further catalogues documenting the Holford family’s collections: The Holford Collection at Westonbirt (1924) and The Holford Collection, Dorchester House (1927).

Writer on economic policy

During the First World War, as banking activities were largely halted, Benson devoted his efforts to economic policy and acted as an informal advisor to the City of London. In May 1916, he prepared a "Resumė of War Finance" for government use. Two years later, in 1918, he released a pamphlet advocating for the establishment of a central bank to oversee the Government securities market.

After the First World War

With the resumption of merchant banking after the war, Benson identified the necessity for enhanced capitalization. In 1924, he incorporated his three sons into the firm and financed expansion by auctioning his Chinese porcelain collection at Christie's. By 1926, the partnership transitioned into a limited liability company. Following the death of his brother-in-law George Holford that same year, the Holford family’s substantial estate required liquidation. Consequently, in 1927 Benson sold his entire art collection to dealer Joseph Duveen for $2.5 million.

Public offices

Benson played an active role in public service as a trustee of the National Gallery starting in 1912 and held a position on the board of the Tate Gallery. From 1906 onward, he served as treasurer of the National Art Collections Fund and was a longstanding member of the Burlington Fine Arts Club, frequently lending artworks for public exhibitions. Additionally, he contributed as a council member of the Victoria and Albert Museum, maintained connections with the Royal College of Music, and fulfilled duties as a Justice of the Peace.

Marriage and children

On 7 July 1887, Benson wed Evelyn Holford (1856–1943), daughter of Robert Stayner Holford of Westonbirt House. The couple had five children:

• Guy Holford Benson (1888–1975)
• Reginald Lindsay (Rex) Benson (1889–1968)
• Margaret Winifred (Daisy) Benson (1892–1976)
• Constantine Evelyn Benson (1895–1960)
• Rosalind Frances (Lindy) Benson (1899–1982)

Between 1902 and 1927, their family residence was Buckhurst Park, Withyham, Sussex, leased from Gilbert Sackville, Earl De La Warr. Benson commissioned architect Edwin Lutyens to design an extensive new wing for the property. In 1926, he and Evelyn acquired Walpole House, the largest house on Chiswick Mall, previously owned by Thomas Walpole.

Death

Benson passed away due to a paralytic stroke on 8 April 1929 at Walpole House. His final resting place is in the churchyard of St Catherine's at Westonbirt, Gloucestershire, which is currently part of Westonbirt School. A commemorative service took place at St Martin-in-the-Fields on 10 April 1929. The value of his estate for probate was recorded at £116,500.

Sporting honours

Oxford University

• FA Cup champion: 1874

Old Etonians

• FA Cup finalist (runners-up): 1875

External links

• Benson, Robert Henry profile in Who's Who