William Rutherford Benn, later William Rutherford, (1855-1921) was an English translator and journalist, and a member of the political

Benn family {{unreferenced, date=June 2017 The Benn family is a British family that has been prominent in UK politics, government, public service, and business since the late nineteenth century. * John Williams Benn Sir John Williams Benn, 1st Baronet, ...

. In 1883 he murdered his father, the Reverend Julius Benn, and was detained at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum until 1890, returning there in 1903 and receiving treatment until his death.

Early life and family

William Rutherford Benn was born in Poplar, London, in 1855, one of eight children of the Congregational Church minister, the Reverend Julius Benn, and his wife Ann. He married Florence Nicholson on 16 December 1882 at All Saints Church, Wandsworth, south London and, in 1892, William and Florence had a daughter, the actress

Margaret Rutherford Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford, (11 May 1892 – 22 May 1972) was an English actress of stage, television and film. She came to national attention following World War II in the film adaptations of Noël Coward's '' Blithe Spirit'', and Osca ...

Patricide

In 1883 Benn had been on his honeymoon with his wife Florence in Paris when he suffered a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

which it has been speculated may have been caused or exacerbated by his failure to consummate his marriage to Florence. They had been married 11 weeks when Florence brought him back home, so that his parents could care for him. However, he got worse and was admitted to

Bethnal House Asylum Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heath Road. By th ...

. He was collected by his father, Julius Benn, six weeks later, when it appeared that he had recovered. His father subsequently took him to

Matlock Bridge Matlock Bridge also known as Derwent Bridge, is a Bridge, stone bridge spanning the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Matlock, Derbyshire, Matlock town centre, Derbyshire, England. The bridge dates back to the 15th century, and is a G ...

, Derbyshire, to rest. There, on 4 March 1883, he murdered his father using an earthenware chamber pot to hit his father over the head, and attempted to cut his own throat. While in Derby infirmary receiving treatment for his injuries, he threw himself out of a window and fell 20 feet, injuring himself. He was detained at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum. He was visited by his brother,

John Williams Benn Sir John Williams Benn, 1st Baronet, DL (13 November 1850 – 10 April 1922) was a British politician, particularly associated with London politics. He was the father of the politician William Benn, and the grandfather of the politician Tony ...

, who became involved in entertaining the other patients. Benn was released from Broadmoor in July 1890 and subsequently changed his name by deed poll to William Rutherford, using his middle name as his surname. Although his daughter was told that her father had died of "a broken heart" after her mother's suicide, at the age of 12 she found out that he had in fact been readmitted to Broadmoor Hospital in 1903, where he remained under care until his death on 4 August 1921.

Career

In the 1881 census, when he would have been in his mid-20s, Benn was described as a "merchant's clerk". He had a facility with languages and was described by his daughter's biographer Andy Merriman as an "accomplished poet" and by David Benn as "in some way, the most civilised and educated of all the Benns". He worked as a journalist, and in the 1891 census was described as a "translator of languages". In her autobiography, his daughter Margaret described him in her (per Merriman, "somewhat hazy") autobiography as a "traveller in silks in India". Margaret's birth certificate gives her father's occupation as "East India merchant"; a few months after her birth, the family relocated to Madras, India, where William was saddened by the poverty and squalor suffered by the people. Merriman states that, per Tony Benn, William "was a shipping clerk by trade", bringing in extra money "with journalistic commissions". In ''Dare to be a Daniel'' (2012), Tony Benn said William "went to India as a journalist".Dare To Be A Daniel, Tony Benn, 2012, p. 41 Although life seemed settled, Florence, now pregnant, began to experience mental health problems which her husband, familiar with such things, noticed and sought to mitigate by returning the family to England; before they could do so, Florence hanged herself from a tree. Margaret was subsequently sent to live with an aunt at Wimbledon; when William later sought to remarry, his brother John intervened to stop it.

Death

Benn died at Dartford, Kent, in 1921, having been resident at Broadmoor since 1903.

References

External links

William Rutherford Benn (1855-1921) - Find A...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rutherford Benn, William 1855 births 1921 deaths English poets People detained at Broadmoor Hospital English journalists English murderers English translators Benn family People from Poplar, London English emigrants to India Deaths in mental institutions