[1] The Bensons were a family of considerable position with representatives in Kendal and Ambleside.
John Benson left London in the 16th century around the end of the reign of Elizabeth I and settled in Great Salkeld, Cumberland.
[2] Bishop Herbert Croft died in 1691 and is buried inside the Hereford Cathedral: the tomb slab of Bishop Croft on the south-east transept is joined by clasped hands with that of Dean George Benson, died in 1692.
It is inscribed “In Vita conjuncti” on one, “In Morte non divisi” on the other (In life united.
)[3] According to Alan Bray, the hand-fasting joining the tomb slabs is a symbol of a particular friendship between Croft and Benson.