Richard Henry Alexander Bennet

Richard Henry Alexander Bennet FRS (11 May 1743 – 14 March 1814) was a British landowner, who represented Newport in Parliament from 1770 to 1774.

Life Richard was the eldest son of Bennet Alexander Bennet, and Mary Ash (the daughter of Benjamin Ash of Ongar, Essex). The year before his birth, his father assumed the surname of Bennet upon inheriting the Babraham estate from his mother Levina, daughter of Sir Levinus Bennet, 2nd Baronet. Bennet Alexander Bennet died at the end of 1745, leaving his widow to raise Richard and his sister, Levina (who in 1762 married John Luther). Mary returned to Ongar with her children, and in 1747, married again to Richard Bull.

Richard Henry was educated at Westminster School, where he was sent in 1752.

Family On 20 January 1766, Bennet married Elizabeth Amelia Burrell, the daughter of Peter Burrell, MP for Morice's other borough of Launceston. With her he had one son, Richard Henry Alexander, and two daughters. Isabella Julia Levina (1772–1867) (also known as Julia Isabella Levina, or Julia Lavinia) married in 1805 Willoughby Gordon. She was an artist, known as Lady Gordon. She took lessons in watercolour: from Edward Kennion, J. M. W. Turner, Thomas Girtin and David Cox. In 1847 she published a book of etchings.