Richard Henry Alexander Bennet (senior) facts for kids

Richard Henry Alexander Bennet (born May 11, 1743 – died March 14, 1814) was a British landowner. He was also a member of the British Parliament, representing a place called Newport from 1770 to 1774. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a group of important scientists.

Early Life and Family

Richard Henry Alexander Bennet was the oldest son of Bennet Alexander Bennet and Mary Ash. His mother, Mary, was the daughter of Benjamin Ash from Ongar, Essex. A year before Richard was born, his father changed his last name to Bennet. This happened when he inherited the Babraham estate from his own mother, Levina.

Sadly, Richard's father, Bennet Alexander Bennet, passed away in late 1745. This left his mother, Mary, to raise Richard and his sister, Levina. Levina later married John Luther in 1762. Mary and her children moved back to Ongar. In 1747, Mary married again to Richard Bull.

Education and Politics

Richard Henry went to Westminster School in 1752 to get his education. In 1756, a man named Humphry Morice helped Richard's stepfather, Richard Bull, become a Member of Parliament (MP) for Newport. Morice had a lot of influence over who got elected in Newport.

Richard Henry sold the Babraham estate in 1765. In 1767, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This shows he was interested in science and learning.

In 1770, a spot opened up in Parliament for Newport. This happened when William de Grey left to run for a different area. Humphry Morice helped Richard Bennet get into Parliament. So, Richard became an MP alongside his stepfather, Richard Bull.

Like his supporter, Humphry Morice, Richard Bennet usually voted to support the government's plans. However, he did vote against the government a couple of times. For example, in 1773, he voted for a petition from naval captains who wanted more pay. In 1774, he voted against a bill that would make a law called Grenville's Act permanent.

In the election of 1774, Humphry Morice faced more challenges from other politicians. He decided to run for Parliament himself in both of his areas, which meant Richard Bennet did not get to run again. Morice won in both places but chose to represent Launceston. Richard Bennet did not return to Parliament after this. He passed away in 1814. In 1809, he inherited Northcourt Manor on the Isle of Wight from his half-sister, Elizabeth Bull.

Family Life

On January 20, 1766, Richard Bennet married Elizabeth Amelia Burrell. Her father, Peter Burrell, was also an MP for Launceston, another area where Humphry Morice had influence. Richard and Elizabeth had one son and two daughters.

Their children were:

• Emilia Emma, who married Sir John Swinburne, 6th Baronet in 1787.
• Isabella Julia Levina (1772–1867), also known as Julia Isabella Levina or Julia Lavinia. She married Willoughby Gordon in 1805. Julia was a talented artist, known as Lady Gordon. She learned to paint with watercolour from famous artists like Edward Kennion, J. M. W. Turner, Thomas Girtin, and David Cox. In 1847, she even published a book of her own etchings.