William Ben

or Benne, was born at, or near to, Egremond in Cumberland in Nov. 1600, educated in Grammar learning in the Free-school at S. Bee, transplanted thence to Qu. Coll. where, if I am not mistaken, he was a Servitour. Afterwards leaving the place without a degree, upon the obtaining a presentation to Okingham in Berks, he setled there; but one Bateman his contemporary in Oxon having got another Presentation thereunto, they both, rather than go to law, did joyntly perform the duties and received the profits thence. At length our Author Ben became Chaplain to the Marchiones of Northampton living in Somersetshire, left his interest in Okingham to Bateman, and continuing in the service of the said Marchiones till 1629, he did by vertue of a call from John White the Patriarch of Dorchester, go to that place, and by Whites endeavours was made Rector of Allhallowes Church there, where he continued in great respect from the precise party till S. Barthelmews day an. 1662, excepting only two years, in which time he attended the said White when he was Rector of Lambeth in Surrey, in the place of Dr. Featley ejected. Besides his constant preaching at Allhallowes he preached gratis on a week-day to the Prisoners in the Goale, situated in his Parish, where being much frequented by the neighbourhood, and so consequently the room, wherein he held forth, not spacious enough to contain the Auditory, he caused a Chappel to be built within the Prison walls, in good part, at least, at his own charge. After his ejectment from Allhallowes for Nonconformity, he lived in Dorchester to the time of his death, but for his preaching in Conventicles there and in the neighbourhood, he was often brought into trouble, and sometimes imprison’d and fined. He hath written,

Answer to Mr. Franc Bampfields letter, in vindication of the Christian Sabbath against the Jewish. Lond. 1672. 77. oct. It is printed with the said Bampfields judgment for the observation of the Jewish Sabbath: wherein Bens Answer begins p. 9. and ends in p. 86.

Soul-prosperity, in several sermons, on Joh. 3.2. Lond. 1683. oct. This book contains 12 sermons at least. He died in the latter end of the year (22 of Mar. as I have been informed) of sixteen hundred and eighty,1680/1 and was buried in the yard belonging to his sometimes Church in the antient Borough of Dorchester in Dorsetshire before mention’d. What I have farther to observe of this perperson is (1) That he was one of the Assistants to the Commissioners of Dorsetsh. and Pool for the ejection of such whom they then (1654) called scandalous, ignorant and insufficient Ministers and Schoolmasters. (2) That tho he lived to be 80 years of age, yet he never used Spectacles, tho he read and wrot much, writing all his Sermons generally as large as he delivered them, except the words of the texts of Scripture cited by him. (3) That it was always his custom, especially when he was at home, to pray in his Study seven times in a day, and in his prayers to give God thanks for certain deliverances of him from dangers, which hapned 5 June 1636. 23 Oct. 1643, 12 Aug. 1645, &c. See more in Franc. Bampfield, an. 1683.