Benschop is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Lopik, and lies about 4 km west of IJsselstein. Benschop is an extremely long village: apart from a relatively compact town centre, it consists of a long ribbon (over 8 km long) of houses (mainly farms) on both sides of the Benschopsche Wetering. Until 1989, Benschop was a separate municipality.
History
The village was first mentioned between 1280 and 1287 as benscop, and means "(peat) concession of Ben (person)".[3] Excavation of the peat started in the 11th and 12th century.[4] Benschop used to be part of the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht. In 1285, the village became part of Holland.[5]
The Dutch Reformed Church dates from around 1500, but has 13th century elements. Huis Snellenburg was a manor house built around 1700. It was redeveloped into a farm, however the interior and the carriage house remain.[4] In 1805, Benschop was returned to Utrecht. In 1840, it was home to 1,415 people. Benschop used to be an independent municipality. In 1989, it was merged into Lopik.[5]