Select Bennett Miscellany
- Peter Benet of Saughall Massey in Cheshire
- Bishop Bennet Way
- Early Bennetts in America
- The Bennett Letters from St. Helena
- Alternative English Versions of "Gordon Bennett"
Peter Benet of Saughall Massey in Cheshire
In the early registers at Neston parish church in Cheshire, a large proportion of the entries related to persons of the name of Bennett, many of them of comparably humble positions in life. This circumstance is probably due to the fact that, from a very early date, the Benedictine monastery at St. Werburgh in Chester held considerable estates in that and neighboring parishes.
In his Notes on the Ancient Bennett Families of Saughall Massey and Barnston in 1889, Edward Hance wrote that the Bennett line started with Benedictus or Benet and his brother Hamo de Benet. The former was the father of Henry Benet, "baly" or governor of Rhoddlan castle, and of Peter Benet. This Peter Benet acquired the property of Saughall Massey in 1369 and was probably the grandfather of John Benet from whom the Saughall Massey pedigree began. John Benet was born around 1428 and lived to around 1495.
Bishop Bennet Way
The Bishop Bennet Way runs from below Beeston Castle west towards the Welsh border. It passes by Tattenhall and Aldford before turning south and east past Farndon towards Malpas and Whitchurch. Altogether the route comprises some 27 kilometers of surfaced roads and 12 kilometers of "green lanes." It is named after the eighteenth century traveller who once explored these tracks.
William Bennet was born in 1745 in the Tower of London. He was
educated at Harrow School and at Emmanuel College where he later became
a fellow and tutor. He was appointed Bishop of Cork and Ross in
1790 and four years later became Bishop of Cloyne, a post he kept until
his death in 1820. A member of the House of Lords, he found time
during the summer to carry out some of the earliest detailed surveys of
the old Roman roads of England, including those between the old Roman
forts at Deva (Chester) and Mediolanvm (Whitchurch).
Early Bennetts in America
| Birth |
Place |
Bennett
Name |
Comments |
| 1629 |
Mass (Ipswich) |
Henry |
|
| 1697 |
Connecticut |
Nathan |
|
| 1700 c. |
Mass (Ipswich) |
Benjamin |
Married Mary Lakin and died in
1757 |
| 1742 |
Connecticut |
Edward |
|
| 1750 c. |
N. Carolina (Butte) |
Solomon |
Died in Tennessee around 1845 |
| A Revolutionary War soldier |
|||
| 1760 |
Connecticut |
Jeremiah |
Married Phebe Lain and died in
1811 |
| 1760 |
Rhode Island |
Thaddeus |
Married Eunice Bentley and died
in Ohio in 1834 |
| 1766 |
NY (Long Island) |
Zebulon |
Married Sarah Cooper and died in
Illinois in 1860 |
| His father Zebulon died in the
Revolutionary War |
|||
| 1767 |
Mass (Lancaster) |
Thomas |
Married Mary Pratt and died in
1841 |
| 1770 |
Aaron |
Died in Georgia around 1830 |
|
| 1770 |
New Jersey |
Daniel |
Married Peggy Herbert and died
in 1850 |
| 1777 |
Virginia (Botetourt co) |
Jacob |
Married Mary Persinger and died
in 1860 |
| His parents were John and Sarah
Bennett |
|||
| 1787 |
New Jersey |
Benjamin |
|
| 1799 |
New Jersey |
Jonathan |
Married Hannah Lippincott and
died in 1869 |
The Bennett
Letters from St. Helena
The
Bennett family whose letters formed the guiding thread through The Bennett Letters by Colin Fox
lived lives that spanned the whole of the 19th century. These
letters are not essays or dry official reports; they are full of gossip
and good humor and tell of the ups and downs, joys and tragedies of
family life during two long generations. The Bennetts lived in
England, St. Helena in the south Atlantic, and South Africa and from
their letters come their many varied experiences during this period.
The
father of the family was James Bennett. He was born in London in
1773 and, at the age of 16, joined the army of the East India
Company. He spent most of his career in St. Helena. During
his time on the island he rose in rank from private to a senior captain
in the St. Helena Foot Regiment.
His main
claim to fame was a somewhat mysterious link to the Emperor Napoleon
who was exiled to the island in 1815 after his defeat at
Waterloo. According to some histories, Napoleon was buried in a
coffin manufactured from James Bennett's mahogany dining table.
Alternative English Versions of "Gordon Bennett"
"The
Gordon Bennett Cup for motor racing was won by a British driver and car
in 1902. Under the rules of the competition, Britain would be the
host for the race in 1903. A circuit was laid out on closed
public roads in county Kildare, Ireland. Due to the sudden influx
of wealthy foreign visitors to the area, the local cafe and bar owners
took the opportunity to taise their prices and make a quick
killing. Locals reacted to the inflated prices by exclaiming
'Gordon Bennett.'"
"I
had always thought Gordon Bennett referred to General Gordon Bennett of
the Australian Forces in Malaya prior to the fall of Singapore.
He is chiefly remembered for having abandoned his forces to their fate,
slipping back to Australia immediately prior to Singapore's
surrender. Scathing comments can be found in various histories of
the colonial forces involved in the Malaya campaign."
"Perhaps
there is a tennis connection. The Stade Roland Garros in Paris is
on Avenue Gordon Bennett."
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