Edward Benn was born in County Armagh in 1798 and attended school in the Belfast Academy (later Belfast Royal Academy) which was then situated on Academy Street, next to the Parish Church of St Anne. Edward was one of nine siblings, however, he shared a close bond with his younger brother George, who would go on and establish himself as one of Belfast’s leading historians. History remembers them as being somewhat inseparable and George would even follow in his footsteps, attending Belfast Academy, before the pair moved to Downpatrick to start a distilling business. This venture would prove somewhat successful and the pair would later relocate to the Glenravel estate near Ballymena. The pair were ambitious and innovative, however, their efforts were often frustrated by the regulations and taxation for spirits. Given that their business focused on the distillation of spirit from potatoes, the potato blight and famine (1845-1852) also had a catastrophic impact on their efforts. Forced to explore other avenues of industry, they happened upon a hidden fortune on their estate at Glenravel: rich deposits of Iron-Ore in the Glenravel Hills. In 1851, Edward became the first individual to mine and smelt this ore commercially, and the brothers earned a significant fortune.
The brothers shared their wealth generously amongst various philanthropic ventures in the region. Both were members of the Belfast Charitable Society, and in 1870, the Society received a generous donation from an anonymous benefactor who offered financial support to allow the Poor House to grow alongside ‘the growth of the town and the consequent demands of it’. It was later revealed that the letter’s author was Edward Benn. His donation allowed for the construction of two new wings to be added to Clifton House, where the Benn’s Family Crest is still displayed proudly.
Whilst he had wide ranging charitable interests, it is perhaps in the medical field that Benn’s contributions were most keenly felt. Plagued by ill health for a significant part of his life, Edward would use his new-found fortune to improve healthcare for others in Belfast. Throughout his lifetime, he would found and fund a number of hospitals and his donations would make significant improvements to established institutions, such as Belfast General Hospital on Frederick Street. Even the wings that were added to Clifton house were used for medical purposes.
Whilst he made a significant impact to the whole of Belfast, his impact was epitomised by the creation of Glenravel Street and its hospitals. Named after his estate near Ballymena, Glenravel Street was constructed on land gifted to him by the Belfast Charitable Society. On this land he would establish both the Ulster Ear, Eye and Throat hospital, which was otherwise known as the Benn Hospital, and the Hospital for the Diseases of the Skin, which was rebuilt in 1874 at a new site on the corner of Glenravel Street and Clifton Street at Edward’s expense. Both the Benn Hospital and the Hospital for Diseases of the Skin have their own dedicated page in our website that tell their story in their entirety.
Both hospital served the local community faithfully and were in use long after Edward Benn had died. They were both still in use until 1941, when the Skin Hospital was badly damaged during the blitz. With its original benefactor long deceased, and without the patronage and funds to rebuild, the hospital building was demolished, leaving just the Benn Hospital on Glenravel Street. It continued to operate until the whole of Glenravel street was demolished to make way for the development of the Westlink. Indeed, many of those reading may well remember getting their tonsils removed in the hospital that Benn built!
Edward Benn would not see many of these aforementioned institutions completed. He died on the 3rd August 1874, succumbing to the ill health that had afflicted him for much of his adult life. His legacy lived on through the projects he funded, which proved an invaluable source of medical care for decades and identified the area as one of medical excellence. In death, his attachment to the area endures, as he is buried in the New Burying Ground (Clifton Street Cemetery), which looked over the hospitals, which continued to bear his name.
About the archivist:
James Cromey is the Archive Coordinator for the North Belfast Heritage Cluster. He has a background in Victorian, Industrial and Medical History and has received degrees from the University of Glasgow and Queens University Belfast. All research has been conducted to a high academic standard and has been fully referenced. If you would like to know more about a story or piece of research, or if you wish to tell us about your own story, email us at: archiveproject@nbheritagecluster.org
