Bennett
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Bennett Surname Genealogy
England. The Bennett surname probably originated independently in different parts of England and was widely spread by the 14th century.
The Bennets of Clapcot in Berkshire date from the 1450's. A descendant was Henry Bennet, Earl of Arlington, a prominent courtier and politician in Restoration England.
There were Benetts in Wiltshire in the west country at Norton Bavant (near Warminster) from the 1300's and later at Pythouse (near Tisbury). These Benetts were Royalists during the Civil War and lost out at that time. Later, their fortunes were restored and Thomas Benett was able to consolidate the estates in 1715. They remained with the family until 1860. There were also early Bennetts in Somerset:
Further north, there was a Bennett line at Saughall Massey in Cheshire. The first record here was that of a Piers Benet in 1369. This family were merchants in Chester for many generations. One branch moved to Dublin in Ireland; Bishop William Bennet of Ireland left his name to Bishop Bennet Way, a hiking route which tracks the ancient Roman road in Cheshire.
Scotland. Bennett also appears in Scotland, from the same Benedict root, but generally spelt Bennet. An early family were the Bennets of Grubbet in Roxburgh. The name became quite common in and around Edinburgh by the 17th century. One family traces itself from Steven Bennet in Midlothian (Dalkieth) in the 1630's. Bennets were also to be found in Banffshire (Keith) and later in Ayrshire (Saltcoats).
More recently, the Bennett name has been associated with traditional Scottish folklore and song in Newfoundland, first from the writer and broadcaster Dr. Margaret Bennett and then from the performer Martyn Bennett. Their root in each case has been the Isle of Skye in Scotland.
America. Bennetts from Somerset were early settlers in Virginia. Edward Bennett, a well-to-do merchant based in London, was granted land and set off with a hundred and twenty settlers on the Sea Flower in 1622. His nephew Richard was governor of the new colony in 1652. Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general, was a descendant.
But more Bennetts came to New England during the colonial period than to Virginia. Promient among those into Massachusetts were:
Willem Bennet built the first stone house in Brookyn in 1638 and was killed there during an Indian attack six years later. New York was then still New Netherlands and he himself was probably Dutch. His descendants were to be found on Long Island and in New Jersey and are said to include the Democrat politician, Howard Dean.
Gordon Bennett, who arrived in New York from Scotland in 1823, took over the New York Herald and made it one of the best-selling newspapers in 19th century America. The phrase "Gordon Bennett," denoting surprise or shock, reportedly derives from his playboy son who had a habit of outrageous behavior. The expression Gordon Bennett also found its way into colloquial use in England.
Australia. James Bennett had been sentenced in London as a 13 year old to transportation for life to Tasmania. He arrived there in 1823 and served twenty years of his prison sentence before receiving his conditional pardon. He than married, settled in Victoria, developed a successful market gardening business, and died prosperous in South Brighton at the age of 82.
Meanwhile, Samuel Bennett was a Cornishman who had come to Sydney in 1841 as a bounty immigrant. He started a newspaper business in the 1860's around his Sydney Evening News and this made him very wealthy. In 1858 James Bennett began a coach and wagon business in the St. Mary's suburb of Sydney. This business also prospered and continued to be family owned until 1954.
New Zealand. George Bennett had arrived in Wellington in 1840 and was appointed the first keeper of the Pencarrow lighthouse in Wellington harbor in 1852. He drowned in 1855. His wife Mary Jane took over his lighthouse responsibilities for the next ten years. Henry Bennett came to the Bay of Plenty from America in 1853. He was an early settler in Tauranga where his descendants are still to be found. Stuart Ward compiled an account of this family, The History of the Bennett Family, in 1993.
Two Bennett arrivals of the 1870's were from Ireland:
Select Bennett Miscellany
Select Bennett Names
William Bennett served Henry VIII in his unsuccessful attempt to get the Pope to grant his divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
Etheldred Benett from Norton Bavant in Wiltshire has been called the first woman geologist.
Elizabeth Bennet was the fictional heroine in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
Gordon Bennett from Keith in Banffshire crossed the Atlantic and founded The New York Herald in 1835.
Arnold Bennett, the Victorian novelist, grew up in the Potteries district of Stafforshire and based his novels around life in the six towns there.
R.B. Bennett was Prime Minister of Canada in the 1930's.
Tony Bennett, the American singer, was born Tony Benedetto.
Alan Bennett from Leeds is a popular British playwright and writer.
Select Bennetts Today
Select Index of Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames
The English surname Bennett developed from Benet
or Bennets, names that derived from the medieval name Benedict or from its Old French forms Beneit and Benoit which were popular among the
Normans. Benedict
came from the Latin benedictus
meaning "blessed" and the term benedicte,
meaning "bless you," was a common medieval expression.
Benedict never really caught on as a first name. Perhaps its association with "oyle of Benedictine," a laxative, acted as a deterrent. Instead, the Bennett surname seems to have started with the Benedictine monasteries in England. Its earliest use appears to have been among the monks who lived at or near the Furness Abbey monastery in present day Cumbria.
Benedict never really caught on as a first name. Perhaps its association with "oyle of Benedictine," a laxative, acted as a deterrent. Instead, the Bennett surname seems to have started with the Benedictine monasteries in England. Its earliest use appears to have been among the monks who lived at or near the Furness Abbey monastery in present day Cumbria.
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Bennett Resources on
The
Internet
- Bennett - What's In A Name?. Are you called Bennett?
- History of the Bennett-Ashlock Coat of Arms. Bennetts in Wiltshire.
- The Bennetts of Gloucestershire. A Bennett family history.
- Richard Bennett of Somerset and Virginia. Early Bennetts in Virginia.
- The Bennett Letters. 19th century Bennett correspondence.
- James Bennett: Convict and Pioneer. The story of James Bennett in Australia.
- The Bennett Family. Maori Bennetts in New Zealand.
- Bennett DNA Project. Bennett DNA.
England. The Bennett surname probably originated independently in different parts of England and was widely spread by the 14th century.
The Bennets of Clapcot in Berkshire date from the 1450's. A descendant was Henry Bennet, Earl of Arlington, a prominent courtier and politician in Restoration England.
There were Benetts in Wiltshire in the west country at Norton Bavant (near Warminster) from the 1300's and later at Pythouse (near Tisbury). These Benetts were Royalists during the Civil War and lost out at that time. Later, their fortunes were restored and Thomas Benett was able to consolidate the estates in 1715. They remained with the family until 1860. There were also early Bennetts in Somerset:
- in Wiveliscombe from the 1480's (where three Bennett brothers set off for America in the 1640's)
- and in Winsham from the 1550's (this family were wine merchants in London in the 1700's and with the proceeds bought the North Cadbury estate in Somerset in 1790).
Further north, there was a Bennett line at Saughall Massey in Cheshire. The first record here was that of a Piers Benet in 1369. This family were merchants in Chester for many generations. One branch moved to Dublin in Ireland; Bishop William Bennet of Ireland left his name to Bishop Bennet Way, a hiking route which tracks the ancient Roman road in Cheshire.
Scotland. Bennett also appears in Scotland, from the same Benedict root, but generally spelt Bennet. An early family were the Bennets of Grubbet in Roxburgh. The name became quite common in and around Edinburgh by the 17th century. One family traces itself from Steven Bennet in Midlothian (Dalkieth) in the 1630's. Bennets were also to be found in Banffshire (Keith) and later in Ayrshire (Saltcoats).
More recently, the Bennett name has been associated with traditional Scottish folklore and song in Newfoundland, first from the writer and broadcaster Dr. Margaret Bennett and then from the performer Martyn Bennett. Their root in each case has been the Isle of Skye in Scotland.
America. Bennetts from Somerset were early settlers in Virginia. Edward Bennett, a well-to-do merchant based in London, was granted land and set off with a hundred and twenty settlers on the Sea Flower in 1622. His nephew Richard was governor of the new colony in 1652. Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general, was a descendant.
But more Bennetts came to New England during the colonial period than to Virginia. Promient among those into Massachusetts were:
- Edward Bennett, who arrived in Weymouth in 1636
- Henry Bennett, who settled in Ipswich in 1650
- David Bennett, granted land in Rowley in 1671 (his descendants moved onto Sanford in Maine)
- and Benjamin Bennett, who bought a farm in Groton in 1718 (he too had descendants in Maine).
Willem Bennet built the first stone house in Brookyn in 1638 and was killed there during an Indian attack six years later. New York was then still New Netherlands and he himself was probably Dutch. His descendants were to be found on Long Island and in New Jersey and are said to include the Democrat politician, Howard Dean.
Gordon Bennett, who arrived in New York from Scotland in 1823, took over the New York Herald and made it one of the best-selling newspapers in 19th century America. The phrase "Gordon Bennett," denoting surprise or shock, reportedly derives from his playboy son who had a habit of outrageous behavior. The expression Gordon Bennett also found its way into colloquial use in England.
Australia. James Bennett had been sentenced in London as a 13 year old to transportation for life to Tasmania. He arrived there in 1823 and served twenty years of his prison sentence before receiving his conditional pardon. He than married, settled in Victoria, developed a successful market gardening business, and died prosperous in South Brighton at the age of 82.
Meanwhile, Samuel Bennett was a Cornishman who had come to Sydney in 1841 as a bounty immigrant. He started a newspaper business in the 1860's around his Sydney Evening News and this made him very wealthy. In 1858 James Bennett began a coach and wagon business in the St. Mary's suburb of Sydney. This business also prospered and continued to be family owned until 1954.
New Zealand. George Bennett had arrived in Wellington in 1840 and was appointed the first keeper of the Pencarrow lighthouse in Wellington harbor in 1852. He drowned in 1855. His wife Mary Jane took over his lighthouse responsibilities for the next ten years. Henry Bennett came to the Bay of Plenty from America in 1853. He was an early settler in Tauranga where his descendants are still to be found. Stuart Ward compiled an account of this family, The History of the Bennett Family, in 1993.
Two Bennett arrivals of the 1870's were from Ireland:
- Thomas Bennett, who became New Zealand's first Registrar General
- and Henry Bennett, whose son became a noted horticulturist in Dunedin.
Select Bennett Miscellany
If you would like to read more, click on the miscellany page for
further stories and accounts:
Select Bennett Names
William Bennett served Henry VIII in his unsuccessful attempt to get the Pope to grant his divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
Etheldred Benett from Norton Bavant in Wiltshire has been called the first woman geologist.
Elizabeth Bennet was the fictional heroine in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
Gordon Bennett from Keith in Banffshire crossed the Atlantic and founded The New York Herald in 1835.
Arnold Bennett, the Victorian novelist, grew up in the Potteries district of Stafforshire and based his novels around life in the six towns there.
R.B. Bennett was Prime Minister of Canada in the 1930's.
Tony Bennett, the American singer, was born Tony Benedetto.
Alan Bennett from Leeds is a popular British playwright and writer.
Select Bennetts Today
Select Index of Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames