Robert Benson was born in 1675. His father died in 1676, leaving the infant Robert, a considerable fortune and a parcel of land on Bramham Moor.

22 years on, he completed his education with a ‘Grand Tour of Europe’. Inspired by Italian architecture and French garden design he formulated his own grand design for Bramham, masterminding the whole project himself.

Successful in both politics and business, he climbed from being MP for York, to the heights of Lord Treasurer to Queen Anne. In 1713 he became British Ambassador to Spain and was created 1st Lord Bingley, before finally being appointed Treasurer to the Household of King George II.