Henry Benson (c.1578 – 1643) of Knaresborough, Yorkshire was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1626 and 1641.[1]
He was born the son of Peter Benson, a Knaresborough yeoman farmer.
Benson was Deputy Steward of Knaresborough.[2] In 1626 he was elected Member of Parliament for Knaresborough. He was re-elected in 1628 and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years.[3]
In April 1640, Benson was re-elected MP for Knareborough in the Short Parliament. He was re-elected in November 1640 for the Long Parliament.[3] However he was expelled from the House of Commons by vote on 2 November 1641 for selling protections to men who were not his servants.[4] Benson declared that there was no better replacement for him than his son-in-law William Deerlove, although Deerlove's election was declared void.[5] Benson took arms for the King and in February 1642 was reported to be occupying Plumpton tower near Knaresborough with two cannon.[6]
Benson married Elizabeth Deerlove, widow of John Deerlove, at Knaresborough in 1633.[7] They had no children.
|-