William Benyon

Sir William Richard Benyon (née Shelley) was born on 17 January 1930 and died on 2 May 2014. He was a British Conservative Party politician, landowner in Berkshire, and held the position of high sheriff.

Family and Ancestry:

He was the eldest of four sons of Vice-Admiral Richard Shelley (1892–1968) and Eve Alice Gascoyne-Cecil. Eve was the daughter of the Right Reverend Lord (Rupert Ernest) William Gascoyne-Cecil, Bishop of Exeter. William's paternal grandfather was Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Shelley, 9th Baronet, and his paternal grandmother was Marion Emma Benyon, daughter of Richard Fellowes Benyon.

Change of Surname:

In 1964, William's father, Richard Shelley, changed his surname to Benyon by deed poll, following the inheritance of the Englefield estate from his second cousin, Sir Henry Benyon, 1st Baronet, in 1959. The surname change was confirmed by Royal Licence in 1967.

Military Service:

William Benyon joined the Royal Navy in 1943 at age 13 and attended Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. He retired from the Navy as a Lieutenant in 1956. Subsequently, he became a member of The Castaways’ Club.

Professional Career:

He was employed by Courtaulds Ltd until 1967. Benyon was affiliated with the Conservative Monday Club before 1970.

Political Career:

In the 1970 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Buckingham, defeating incumbent Robert Maxwell. He held this seat through three subsequent elections. In the 1983 general election, he contested the new Milton Keynes constituency, where he served as MP until his retirement in 1992. Following boundary changes, this constituency was divided into Milton Keynes North East and Milton Keynes South West, with Benyon representing the latter in 1992, which was the only such division at that election.

Positions and Roles:

Benyon did not hold government office but served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Paul Channon during 1972–74 when Channon was Minister for Housing. He was an Opposition whip from 1974 to 1976. Other public service roles included:

- Member of the University of Reading Council (1967–2002)

- Berkshire County Councillor (1964–1974)

- Deputy Lieutenant of Berkshire (appointed in 1970)

- Justice of the Peace in Berkshire (1962–1977)

- Vice Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (from 1994)

- High Sheriff of Berkshire (1995)

Honors and Memberships:

He was knighted in 1994 and received an honorary Doctor of the University degree from the Open University in 1993. Benyon was chairman of the Peabody Trust (1992–1998) and of the Ernest Cook Trust from 1992. He was a member of London's Boodle’s, Pratt’s, and Beefsteak clubs.

Residences and Other Activities:

Benyon resided at Englefield House for most of his life and served as a director of the Englefield Charitable Trust.

Family:

In 1957, he married Elizabeth Hallifax. They had five children: two sons and three daughters, as well as 18 grandchildren. His elder son, Richard Benyon, served as Conservative MP for Newbury from 2005 to 2019. His daughter, Mary (wife of Tom Riall), was appointed High Sheriff of Berkshire in April 2020.

Death:

William Richard Benyon died on 2 May 2014 at the age of 84.

References:

Information sourced from the Times Guide to the House of Commons (1987 and 1992 editions), Leigh Rayment’s Historical List of MPs, and related parliamentary records.

External links:

Hansard contributions by William Benyon (1803–2005).