Hervey William Gurney Benham (/ˈbɛnəm/; 1910–1987) was an English journalist, the founding proprietor of Essex County Newspapers, an author of books on Essex and the East Coast, a musician, and benefactor. Of his at least fourteen books, among the best known are Down Tops'l, Last Stronghold of Sail and Once Upon a Tide.[1]

Biography

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Hervey Benham was the son of William Gurney Benham (three-times Mayor of Colchester and editor of the Essex County Standard from 1884 to 1943)[2] and Ethel Hervey Elwes. He succeeded his father as editor of the Essex County Standard from 1943 to 1965. In 1964 he commenced production of the paper using web-offset lithography a revolutionary printing process that he had pioneered with fellow newspaper proprietor Arnold Quick in Colchester, Essex.[1] The Standard was described by the trade paper Printing World as Britain's best produced weekly newspaper.

His daughter, Jane Benham, played a significant role in the maritime educational East Coast Sail Trust, in which Hervey was also involved, and in the preservation of Thames sailing barges.

Publications

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Books written by Hervey Benham include:

  • The Last Stronghold of Sail. London: Harrap. 1947. ISBN 0-245-53784-8.
  • Down Tops'l. London: Harrap. 1951. ISBN 0-245-54487-9.
  • Once Upon a Tide. Harrap. 1955.
  • Two Cheers for the Town Hall. Hutchinson. 1964.
  • Some Essex Water Mills. Colchester: Essex County Newspapers Ltd. 1976. ISBN 0-9508919-0-8.
  • The Stowboaters. Colchester: Essex County Newspapers Ltd. 1977.
  • The Codbangers. Colchester: Essex County Newspapers Ltd. 1979.
  • The Salvagers. Colchester: Essex County Newspapers Ltd. 1980. ISBN 0-9509442-3-8.

References

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  1. ^ a b Hervey Benham Charitable Trust 2018.
  2. ^ The British Newspaper Archive. "Essex Standard in British Newspaper Archive". The British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 10 March 2018.

Sources

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