In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Benson like this:
BENSINGTON, or Benson, a village and a parish in the district of Wallingford and county of Oxford. The village stands on the river Thames, 1¾ mile NNE of Wallingford r. station; is a considerable place; and has a post office, ‡ of the name of Benson, under Wallingford.-It occupies the site of a town of the ancient Britons; which was taken from them, in 572, by the West Saxons; held by the latter till 775; and surrendered then to the Mercians. ...
The parish includes also the hamlets of Fifield, Roke, and Crowmarsh-Battle or Preston-Crowmarsh. Acres, 2,922. Real property, £6,382. Pop., 1,169. Houses, 282. The property is divided among a few. A very ancient manor-house is in the hamlet of Fifield. A Maison Dieu was founded in the time of Henry VI., by William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk; and given to the University of Oxford. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Oxford. Value, £250.* Patron, Christ Church college, Oxford. The church is partly ancient, variously late pointed Norman and decorated; has a modern tower; contains a Norman font and two brasses; and is very good. There are national and British schools, and charities £80.
Benson through time
Benson is now part of South Oxfordshire district. Click here for graphs and data of how South Oxfordshire has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Benson itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Benson in South Oxfordshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/9282
Date accessed: 05th November 2024
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