Kennedy Family History

The Benson Families

Jim's Greatgrandparents were John and Fanny Benson, from Blandford, Dorset

He remembers his Greatgrandmother sitting in a chair in a black bombazine dress - "looking like a witch" - while he, five years old, sat at her knee, and she would tell him stories of the family. He didn't want to be there, but he was too frightened to move !

Now, some 80 years on, Jim has forgotten many of the details, but he remembers that Fanny Benson's maiden name was believed to be Vachre, although there is some confusion about it.

One of the Benson ancestors was a postillion on the Blandford-London stagecoach. Jim is not sure who it was exactly. He remembers a name, Hardy Vachre, who could have been the brother of Fanny Benson or even her father.
Other possibilities: Hardy Vachre married a sister of Fanny Vachre.
Then again, Hardy may have been a surname, rather than first name. Jim believes that they (Hardy, Vachre ?) were originally horse and cattle dealers, driving livestock between Britain and Cork.

The name is sometimes spelled Vacher or Vatcher. i.e. Fanny Benson's daughter is Fanny Elizabeth Vatcher Benson !
On the Dorset Online Parish Clerks (OPC)  site there are there are no VACHREs, but many VACHERs and VATCHERs !
There is also a record of a marriage in the Parish of Dorchester Holy Trinity, on January 31st. 1799 between a William Vatcher and Ann Hardy. Could this be The Hardy connection ?
If so, then these could be Fanny Vachre's grandparents.



The first mention of Jim's greatgrandfather, John Benson, is in the 1841 census for Blandford St. Mary, but our story begins with another John Benson, two generations earlier.

It's quite a sad story, to begin with . .

1781 John BENSON marries Mary BRAMBEL
1782 Baptism Mary, 1782 Death of Mary
1783 Baptism William, 1784 Death of William
1785 Baptism Mary
1788 Baptism William, 1789 Death of William
1791 Death of Mary, John's wife

but then it got 'happier':

1791 Marriage of John BENSON and Catherine BENNETT
1792 Baptism Lydia
1796 Baptism Rebekah
1800 Baptism George (Jim's greatgreatgrandfather)


The story then continues with the 1841 census:

In the Name Index to the 1851 census for Blandford, John is still living at home, but is already described as a Cooper, a trade which he continued till his death.


In the 1861 Census the family, now consisting of the parents and the two youngest children, is still living in Blandford ......
.... but John Benson has now married Fanny Hardy and has his own family:
Baptised: 1860, 3-Feb, William son of, John & Fanny, BENSON, Blandford Forum, Cooper *


The 1871 Census for Great Britain lists John Benson's household as follows:
Baptised: 1866, 23-Feb, John Ambrose son of John & Fanny, BENSON, Blandford Forum, Cooper *
Baptised: 1870, 14-Oct, Charley son of John & Fanny, BENSON, Blandford Forum, Dealer *
Baptised: 1870, 14-Oct, Caroline Maria dau of, John & Fanny, BENSON, Blandford Forum, Dealer*
Charles doesn't seem a good match here (?)


Caroline At first, Jim had no recollection of his Greataunt Caroline, but then he recalled his Greataunt Lilly showing him a photo of two girls on bikes, Lilly and Carrie. He believes Carrie must be Caroline.


The 1881 Census for Great Britain lists John Benson's household as follows:


The census district of Withnell, in Lancashire, includes the village of Brinscall, which is where the Bensons and later the Kennedys lived.

Sometime between the births of Caroline (1870) and Lilly (1873) the family has moved to Brinscall, in Lancashire.

Frederick Benson is nowhere to be found in the 1881 Census ...
In the 1871 UK Census his age is given as 17. When the Benson Family moved to Brinscall in 1872 (? - going by Lilly's given age in 1881)) he may have been working already and stayed in Dorset.
Or maybe he was from home, on Census-Day, or died young, or on military service, or .... ?

Robert and William have left school, and are now working in the mills.

The youngest daughter was noted as "Lilley" on every census, but in the Lancashire Birth Indexes she is noted as "Lilly" Lilly later owned a shop, a general stores, in Railway Road in the village. The shop was next door to Fanny Kennedy's (Jim's Granddma's) house.

Jim recalls how he "could've murdered" his Greataunt Lilly: She had a large photo album, leather-bound, with a lock on it, and one day she pulled all the photos out of the album and gave it away for a jumble-sale !

The 1891 Census for Great Britain lists John Benson's household as follows:



I haven't seen the image for the 1901 Census but we can use the free viewing facility to obtain a list of Bensons, sorted into page-groups. In general we can assume that people on the same census page were either members of the same family, or living in the house next door.

So, according to the 1901 census, John and Fanny Benson are still alive, and
Lilly is either still at home, or living next door:


John Benson died in 1909, and in the 1911 UK census Fanny - mis-transcribed as Fenny is - living with her - still unmarried - daughter, Lilly.

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... and what's happened to the children ? We can also follow them in the 1891 and 1901 censuses. Again, for the 1901 census, we only have "same-page" data and I am assuming that this is a family. Note also, the following non-Benson surnames are mainly conjecture, based on ages and a list of Benson marriages registered in Chorley (the registration district for Brinscall), or elsewhere in Lancashire.

Robert Benson (1859) has left the mills, and is now Subpostmaster. He has married Sarah (Benson) and they have 3 children.
The 1891 Census for Great Britain lists Robert Benson's household as follows:

Do you see Fred Benson Benson ? This is Jim's Uncle Fred !

The 1901 Census for Great Britain lists Robert Benson's household as follows:

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I haven't found Percy Benson on the 1901 census ... did he die young ??

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William Benson (1861) is still at the mills, but he is now a blue dyer.
There is a marriage record for 1884 of a William Benson marrying an Elizabeth Stringfellow

The 1891 Census for Great Britain lists William Benson's household as follows:

The 1901 Census for Great Britain shows that William Benson has advanced from Labourer to blue dyer:

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Fanny Benson (1864) is still in Brinscall, but she is now married and is listed as Fanny Kennedy.

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Charles Benson (1869) has now left Brinscall and lives in St. Helens, Lancs., with his wife, Mary.
There is a marriage record for 1895 of a Charles Benson marrying a Mary Elizabeth Leach.
Mary was born in Withnell, Lancs.
The 1881 Census lists two Mary Leaches, both born in Withnell.
1) Mary Leach, daughter of Thomas and Mary A. Leach
2) Mary E. Leach, daughter of James and Mary J. Leach

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John Benson (1867) is not listed in the 1901 Census.

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Caroline Benson is probably married by now and listed under her married name.
There is a marriage record for 1896, of a Caroline Benson marrying either Edward Moss or Henry Taylor.