RICHARD BENNET.
Richard Bennet, who is mentioned as being "one of Lord Arlington's
family," was a merchant, and appears as a Burgess from "Warrosquoyeake"
in October, 1629. He was a Member of the Council in 1642.
A Puritan in religious belief, he fled into the province of Maryland in
1643 to escape persecution. From thence he went to London, and in
September, 1651, returned to Virginia with the appointment from the
Parliamentary Government as one of the Commissioners to effect the
reduction of the royal colony of Virginia, the remaining Commissioners
being Captain Robert Dennis, Thomas Stegge (an uncle of the
first William Byrd, of "Westover"), and Colonel William Claiborne,
"the rebel." Bennet was elected Governor of the Colony by the
Assembly, April 30, 1652, and was continued in office until March 30,
1655, when he was sent to England as the Agent of Virginia to represent
its interests before Parliament. In 1666 he commanded the
militia of three of the four military districts into which Virginia was
divided, with the rank of Major-General. The remaining district was
commanded by the Governor, Sir William Berkeley. In 1667 Major-General
Bennet served as a Commissioner to Maryland to regulate the
cultivation of tobacco. He was a member of the Council as late as
1674, and is presumed to have died soon after this period. He owned
the plantations "Weyanoak" and "Kicotan," on James River. His
daughter Anne (died November, 1687) married Theodrick Bland, of
"Westover," (born January 16, 1629; died August, 1669) and their
descendants, in the honored names of Randolph, Lee, Harrison, Beverley
and others, have been and are among the most worthy people of
Virginia.
