Samuel Levy Bensusan

Samuel Levy Bensusan Samuel Levy Bensusan was born on 29 September 1872 at Dulwich, London where his father was a merchant dealing in feathers. The family were practicing orthodox Jews, originating from Spain, who loved music which provided Samuel with a lifelong love of music During schooling he developed a skill in writing which he was able to combine with his love of music becoming a music/drama critic with several magazines including the Illustrated London News and Vanity Fair. Bensusan...See more

Samuel Levy Bensusan Samuel Levy Bensusan was born on 29 September 1872 at Dulwich, London where his father was a merchant dealing in feathers. The family were practicing orthodox Jews, originating from Spain, who loved music which provided Samuel with a lifelong love of music During schooling he developed a skill in writing which he was able to combine with his love of music becoming a music/drama critic with several magazines including the Illustrated London News and Vanity Fair. Bensusan then began experimenting in writing novels and in a move that was to change his life visited Eastern Essex where he immediately fell in love with the countryside and the people. In 1899 he rented Moynes Farmhouse at Asheldham which he used as a cottage to entertain friends he immediately fell in love with the countryside and the people The 1901 census shows Bensusan staying at the Queens Head Public House at Bradwell on Sea where he no doubt saw many people who were to be models for characters in his books In 1904 published his first book called Morocco which described journey through Morocco that he made. Several other books followed and he continued with newspaper articles and at one stage was editor for the Jewish World. In 1909 he married Marian Lallah Prichard although there were to be no children from this marriage although Bensusan is rumoured to have fathered a child during an affair a few years earlier. His love of rural life led to his appointment as Press chief of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries although this lasted less than two years after Bensusan disagreed with the Departmental policy on corn law and refused to promote a policy with which he disagreed.. Bensusan then bought Mote Cottage which was situated on the Blackwater estuary between the marshland villages of St Lawrence and Bradwell not far from the Queens Head Public House. As he grew older he moved to a house at Great Easton, then to Langham and finally to a nursing home at St Leonard's on Sea in Sussex where he died on 11 December 1958. See less