Mary Benson (hostess)

Mary Benson
Mary Benson at 20.
Born	Mary Sidgwick 1841 Skipton, Yorkshire
Died	(1918-06-15)15 June 1918 East Sussex
Nationality	British
Spouse	Edward White Benson
Children	A. C. Benson, Robert Hugh Benson, E. F. Benson, Margaret Benson

Mary Benson (née Sidgwick; 1841–1918) was an English hostess of the Victorian era. She was the wife of Revd. Edward Benson, who during their marriage became Archbishop of Canterbury. Their children included several prolific authors and contributors to cultural life. During her marriage, she was involved with Lucy Tait, daughter of the previous Archbishop of Canterbury. She was described by Gladstone, the British Prime Minister, as the 'cleverest woman in Europe'.

Mary Sidgwick was born in Britain in 1841, at Skipton, Yorkshire, the only daughter of Rev. William Sidgwick of Skipton, Yorkshire, who was a headmaster, and his wife, Mary (née Crofts). Her parents the Rev. William Crofts, B.D., vicar of North Grimston, and Miss Carr of Bolton Abbey married at York in 1804. She was the youngest of six children, and was nicknamed Minnie. Among her older brothers was the philosopher, Henry Sidgwick.

She and Edward White Benson were married on 23 June 1859 at Rugby, Warwickshire, by Frederick Temple.

Between 1860 and 1871 they had six children. Their daughter, Margaret Benson was an artist, author and amateur Egyptologist. Mary Benson was a social worker and writer. Their fifth child was the novelist, E. F. Benson, best remembered for the Mapp and Lucia novels. Another son was A. C. Benson, the author of the lyrics to Elgar's "Land of Hope and Glory" and master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. Their sixth and youngest child, Robert Hugh Benson, became a priest in the Church of England before converting to Roman Catholicism and writing many popular novels.