William Benson Earle
Encyclopedia
William Benson Earle was an English philanthropist.
Earle was the eldest son of Harry Benson Earle. He was born at Shaftesbury
, Wiltshire, in 1740, but his life was passed at Salisbury, with the history and charities of which city his name is inseparably associated. After spending his boyhood, first at the school in the Close, and then as a commoner at Winchester College, he proceeded to Merton College, Oxford
, where he graduated B.A. in 1761, M.A. in 1764. He then made the grand tour of the continent (1765–7).
On his return he prepared several tracts, in which he describes the more striking portions of his travels. Two of these, viz. ‘A Description of Vallombrosa’ and ‘A Picturesque View of the Glaciers in Savoy,’ he communicated to the ‘Monthly Miscellany.’ A third is ‘A Letter to Lord Littelton, containing a description of the last great Eruption of Mount Ætna, A.D. 1766,’ Lond. 1775, being the sequel to the reprint of a letter on the eruption of the same mountain in 1669 addressed to Charles II by Lord Winchilsea. On the death of his father in 1776 Earle succeeded to an ample fortune. In 1786, having discovered who was the real author, he published a new edition of Bishop Earle's ‘Characters,’ which on its first appearance only bore the name of the publisher and editor, Edward Blount
. He was an excellent musician, and composed several glees; also a ‘Sanctus’ and a ‘Kyrie,’ which are still occasionally performed in Salisbury Cathedral.
He died at Salisbury on 2 March 1796, and was buried at Newton Toney. By his will he bequeathed large sums to various learned and charitable institutions. A profile of him was engraved by Prince Hoare
in 1769 at the expense of the Society of Arts.
Earle was the eldest son of Harry Benson Earle. He was born at Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury is a town in Dorset, England, situated on the A30 road near the Wiltshire border 20 miles west of Salisbury. The town is built 718 feet above sea level on the side of a chalk and greensand hill, which is part of Cranborne Chase, the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset...
, Wiltshire, in 1740, but his life was passed at Salisbury, with the history and charities of which city his name is inseparably associated. After spending his boyhood, first at the school in the Close, and then as a commoner at Winchester College, he proceeded to Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
, where he graduated B.A. in 1761, M.A. in 1764. He then made the grand tour of the continent (1765–7).
On his return he prepared several tracts, in which he describes the more striking portions of his travels. Two of these, viz. ‘A Description of Vallombrosa’ and ‘A Picturesque View of the Glaciers in Savoy,’ he communicated to the ‘Monthly Miscellany.’ A third is ‘A Letter to Lord Littelton, containing a description of the last great Eruption of Mount Ætna, A.D. 1766,’ Lond. 1775, being the sequel to the reprint of a letter on the eruption of the same mountain in 1669 addressed to Charles II by Lord Winchilsea. On the death of his father in 1776 Earle succeeded to an ample fortune. In 1786, having discovered who was the real author, he published a new edition of Bishop Earle's ‘Characters,’ which on its first appearance only bore the name of the publisher and editor, Edward Blount
Edward Blount
Edward Blount was a London publisher of the Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Caroline eras, noted for his publication, in conjunction with William and Isaac Jaggard, of the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays in 1623....
. He was an excellent musician, and composed several glees; also a ‘Sanctus’ and a ‘Kyrie,’ which are still occasionally performed in Salisbury Cathedral.
He died at Salisbury on 2 March 1796, and was buried at Newton Toney. By his will he bequeathed large sums to various learned and charitable institutions. A profile of him was engraved by Prince Hoare
Prince Hoare
Prince Hoare was an English painter and dramatist. "Prince" is a given name, not a royal title.Born in Bath, the son of painter William Hoare, he became well known for his portraits and historical scenes. Later in his life, he wrote twenty plays. He also wrote Memoirs of Granville...
in 1769 at the expense of the Society of Arts.