Robert Hugh Benson

Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914) was the son of Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, and brother of E. F. Benson, the noted novelist. Ordained as an Anglican priest in 1895, he converted to Roman Catholicism in 1903 and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1904. His literary career produced over twenty novels, including historical works like Come Rack, Come Rope and supernatural thrillers such as The Necromancers (1909), which examines spiritualism and its dangers. Benson's fiction often grapples with theological questions, the supernatural, and the tensions between modernity and tradition. He was a popular and respected figure in early twentieth-century Catholic literary circles, and his works remain of interest for their blend of psychological insight and religious fervor. He died in 1914 at the age of 43.